A fascinating article.  It reminds me of what was called a 'church reboot' in the diocese of Toronto when 50 people from 'Little Trinity' went with their associate priest to one that was appropriately named 'Church of the Resurrection'.  Resurrection happened.  It is something I would like to see in our diocese.  Unfortunately I can think of no mission-minded parishes that would be able to pull it off.

The Shack was given to me over the summer holidays but I didn't pick it up to read until some reviews put it on my radar.  I saw that Eugene Peterson heartily endorsed it which I found encouraging as I have the utmost respect for him.  I also saw how it had upset some prominent American clergy types even as it made an impact on a broad reading audience which piqued my interest even more.  So I figured I had better take a look for myself to see what all the fuss was about.  It's not what some would call great literature - whatever that term actually means - but The Shack is a fascinating story that I found hard to put down - the litmus test for a good book for me.  The conversations with the members of the Trinity are the most riveting part of the book.  We are using The Shack for our first Saturday morning 'Bagels and Books' discussion in our parish.

Having just marked the day for Charles Simeon I appreciate reading this article devoted to a more recent influential Anglican saint.  I was powerfully influenced by David and in 1981 I had the privilege to hear him speak at one of his 'Festivals of Praise' I think it was called at the Anglican cathedral in Edmonton, Alberta.  After that event it was as if a whole new world opened up for me.  His book Called & Committed (Discipleship in the UK I believe) along with his I Believe inthe Church and I Believe in Evangelism were significant books in my development first as a Christian and later as a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada.  They still sit prominently on my bookshelf.  And Jesus Then and Now, the video series he hosted, was an excellent tool for bringing people to faith.  It was very much a series for its time, of course, but I think it was a cut above anything that has been produced since.  It very much reflected the graciousness of the man behind it.  The Anglican Church is certainly the poorer for not having him around today as one of its elder statesmen.