Restoring the Woven Cord: Principles of Celtic Christianity for the Church Today

Description

In recent years there has been growing interest in Celtic spirituality. The Celtic Church was the first successfully to evangelise the British Isles. But what can it teach the Christian Churches today? And how can its message be applied in local situations? Taking a number of important strands that make up the Christian faith, Restoring the Woven Cord examines how each strand was expressed in the life and witness of the Celtic Church. In true Celtic tradition, Michael Mitton uses story as his primary medium. Each chapter begins with the story of one of the Celtic saints –Aidan, Columba, Brigid and many others – which is then interpreted for the Church today. The reader is helped to apply the message by an appropriate Bible study, a prayer and questions for reflection.

Themes include the Bible, children, community, creation, death, evangelism, healing, the ministry of women, prayer prophecy and spiritual warfare, and, again in keeping with the Celtic spirit, each chapter is accompanied by a drawing to illustrate its theme. The Celtic Church challenges us to rediscover the strands of our faith and to find ways of weaving them together in our own lives and in the lives of our Churches. Ideal for groups as well as individuals, this book is an invitation to take up that challenge. It is not about abandoning the old, for the Celtic way is not to abolish, but to change and transform:

 ‘Our quest is to see the strands of our Christian faith once again woven into a strong cord so that the Church at every level might be renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that it may share Christ boldly and lovingly to a very needy world, to the glory of ‘God the Father.’ MICHAEL MITTON is Deputy Director of the Acorn Christian Healing Trust and author of Sounds of God, and co-author of Requiem Healing (DLT).