The Gospel in the Global Village: Sharing God's dream of Shalom - Tapa blanda

These memorable, beautifully written reflections reveal the concerns and passions of the first woman presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church as she looks back on the first two years of her episcopate. Leading the Episcopal Church during a time when many have held it responsible for the threat of schism which faces the Communion, has been stormy at times and she has had her fair share of vitriol, yet her calm and unhurried demeanor belies a profound wisdom and unwavering spiritual stability. Here she openly writes about the joys and the trials of being appointed to an office that she never sought, she engages imaginatively with scripture, she considers the fraught internal issues she has faced in the church and - more important to her - the scandal of poverty and violence that cripples so many lives worldwide and its prophetic challenge the Church to rise above its own preoccupations and bring healing and release.

Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori is Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Only ordained in 1994, her rise has been meteoric and has given women in ministry particular encouragement. Prior to ordination she was a leading oceanographer and taught at Oregon State University.