Authority has vanished from the modern world, it is claimed. But the churches still assume authority. The popular cry is for unequivocal pronouncements from Canterbury - provided they are the ones the speaker agrees with! The Pope is frequently pronouncing-but how seriously are his instructions taken by lay Catholics? Are Church leaders in an impossible position? Is religious authority a sustainable role?

Paul Avis sets out to discover the path of liberating authority and therapeutic leadership that can harness conflict for the common good. He brings biblical and theological principles into dialogue with the social sciences and management studies and reaches some controversial conclusions.

Perceptive, critical and constructive discussion of one of the most contentious issues facing the churches today

Ample resources for the cross-disciplinary study of authority in theological education

Practical wisdom for Christian leaders at all levels

Skilled interpretation of the Bible and theology

Paul Avis is a parish priest, a member of General Synod and of the Church of England's Doctrine Commission. His recent books include Anglicanism and the Christian Church (T&T Clark), Eros and the Sacred (SPCK) and Christians in Communion (Geoffrey Chapman Mowbray).