Dreaming Spires

What do you do when the troll at the end of your garden tells you everything you ever believed in is a fantasy and your fantasies are reality? When Jake moves from California to his new school in Oxford, he knows he is going to a different country, but he doesn't realize he is entering a whole new world. His first clue is when Gorm, a nine-foot, three-thousand-year-old Irish gnome, appears at the foot of his garden and gives him three special powers—powers that are of absolutely no use to him—or so he thinks. But when things start getting really weird and Jake discovers that there's an ancient prince from T&ír na n&Óg who is out to get not only him and the girl he is in love with but the whole of mankind, too, he also discovers that the powers Gorm has given him are more useful than he could ever have dreamed possible.

Just as “generals are always fighting the last war" my experience as a chaplain at Oxford University has taught me that the church often “speaks to the last generation.” The statistics provided by the Pew Research Center say it all. The people of Generation Y are less likely to go to church, believe in God, or identify themselves as “religious” than any previous generation, yet they still have a deep and abiding interest in “spiritual” things. If the church is going to reach this group of “seekers” with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it will have to do it on their terms, speak their language, and understand their concerns. If we try to “fight the last war” with Generation Y, we will lose it. Instead, church leaders must seriously examine how we relate (or not) to Generation Y and change our tactics accordingly. This book is a reflection on my personal experience of ministry to Generation Y, combining pastoral care, mentoring, and "postmodern apologetics” in ways that are equally applicable to parochial, academic, and/or secular settings.

This fascinating collection of articles examines the legacy of John Wilson, a scholar who has received international acclaim for his insightful work in philosophy and education. Each essay focuses on a particular topic that Wilson examined throughout his career. The subjects addressed include the problems and prospects of analytical philosophy, the basis of moral education, and educational research. In the final chapter, Wilson responds to the various contributors that he has inspired, noting points of agreement and disagreement with each. This unique collection will appeal to scholars focusing on educational theory and practice as well as those interested in the field of moral education.

Books about Oxford have generally focused on the University rather than the city. This original book on the local politics of Oxford City from 1830 to 1980 is based on a comprehensive analysis of primary sources and tells the story of the city’s progressive politics. The book traces this history from Chartism and electoral reform in the mid-nineteenth century, through the early years of socialism to the impact of communism in the interwar period, the struggle between nuclear disarmers and Gaitskellites in the 1960s and the impact of the new revolutionary left in the late 1970s. Throughout the narrative, the book contrasts the two approaches of those engaged in progressive politics, those who focused on the politics of reform and improved government and those who preferred the politics of revolt, protest and revolutionary rhetoric. The author argues that a central feature of this history has been the co-existence and interaction of working- and middle- class elements. It rediscovers a rich heritage, a fascinating story and offers a rare wide-ranging chronological narrative of local UK city politics. Through its extensive quotes from primary sources, the book presents a vivid picture of local politics over 150 years.

In the past decade, cathedrals have blossomed as signs of growth for the Anglican Church in England and Wales. They have opened their doors to growing congregations, to widening participation at the major Christian festivals, and to visitors, pilgrims, and tourists on a changing quest for religious experience and for spiritual fulfilment. In this thought-provoking volume Leslie J. Francis' research group presents ten focused empirical studies that illuminate what is really going on in these cathedrals.