We Are Theologians: Strengthening the People of God (Seabury Classics)

**A "thoughtful, clear, and stimulating" look at how lay people can fully participate in the life of the church (John Coburn).** With its focus primarily on clergy, Christian churches have often been behind the times in pursuing the fullness of the biblical vision of all the People of God. In fact, all of us are natural theologians, people with theological commitment, preferences, and liberating insight about God, willing and able to think through questions of belief and relate the insights to our public and personal lives. In this clear and engaging celebration of the power and influence of the laity, Fredrica Harris Thompsett gives us the tools to think theologically by grounding us in the history, spirituality, and biblical foundations of Anglican belief, particularly that of the Episcopal Church. Her readings of the Bible reveal to us our distinct calling. She considers the insights of the Reformation to the importance of the laity and the contribution of lay people, particularly women, to the expansive mission of the nineteenth century in education and social work. And she explores the different aspects of Anglican identity, and lay movements of liberation in the global South—all toward encouraging each and every one of us to claim our own theological voice. In __We Are Theologians__, Thompsett "uses a wide-angle lens to give us a revitalized understanding of the church. She summons us all to the adventure of change" (Marianne H. Micks). All of us are natural theologians, willing and able to think through questions of belief and relate the insights of theologians to our public and personal lives. In this clear and engaging introduction, Thompsett gives us the tools to think theologically by grounding us in the history, theology, spirituality, and biblical foundations of Anglican belief, particularly that of the Episcopal church. Beginning with the Bible and what it reveals to us about the distinct calling of the People of God, Thompsett goes on to consider the insights of the Reformation regarding the importance of the laity and the contribution of lay people, particularly women, to the expansive mission of the nineteenth century in education and social work. She then explores different aspects of Anglican identity, and lay movements of liberation in the global South. Aimed primarily at a lay and non-specialist audience, this book introduces key facets of Anglicanism and aspects of contemporary theology. It is an excellent parish educational resource, especially for adult forums and group study. All of us are natural theologians, willing and able to think through questions of belief and relate the insights of theologians to our public and personal lives. In this clear and engaging book, Thompsett gives us the tools to think theologically by grounding us in the history, theology, spirituality, and biblical foundations of Anglican belief, particularly that of the Episcopal Church. Fredrica Harris Thompsett. Reprint. Originally Published By In Cambridge By Cowley Publications In 1989. Includes Bibliographical References.