The Reformed And Celibate Pastor

Richard Baxter (1615–1691) was arguably the greatest English Puritan of the seventeenth century. He is well known for his ministerial manual "The Reformed Pastor", in which he expressed the unusual conviction that parish ministers were better off unmarried. And yet, Baxter seemed to contradict himself by marrying one of his parishioners, Margaret Charlton. Though Baxter claimed to be happily married, he continued to champion celibacy for the rest of his life. This book explores Baxter's argument for clerical celibacy by placing it in the context of his life and the turbulent events of seventeenth-century England. His viewpoint was shaped by several factors, including the Puritan literature he read, the context of his parish ministry, his burdensome model of soul care, and the formative life experiences shaping his theology and perspective. These factors not only explain why Baxter became the only Puritan to champion clerical celibacy but also why he continued to do so even after marrying.

"The Reformed Pastor is a radical abridgement of what is perhaps the classic text on what it means to be a pastor. It presents Richard Baxter's compelling vision for pastoral ministry in a fresh, accessible form that will be easily read especially by pastors and those training for ministry"--

In our world today, many single and celibate people find themselyes isolated on all sides. In the secular culture with its glorification obsexual behavior, celibacy is seen as restrictive, a denial of one's deepest nature. In religious circles, for anyone but Roman Catholie priests, being single is often seen as a temporary and unfortunate stage in life something to be stoically endured until marriage. But in fact millions of people in the pews of Profestant Episcopal and Catholic churches every week are living a single life, and many are happy to stay that way. Whether widowed, never married, or divorced, many believers understand their single lives not as a passing moment but as a celebratory way of life rich in its own benefits and rewards. In this book Annemarie Kidder offers the theological basis for what so many Christians experience in their own lives. By examining be Hebrew and Christian scriptures early church writings from the East and West and later commentators, she develops a theology of the single life applicable to both women and men. Protestan, Episcopal, and Catholic. This book is a must-read for all single Christians, both those who feel called to remain single and those who for whatever reason find themselves single for long periods of time. Book jacket.