Bradshaw Books

The Liturgy has endured for around 2000 years as the primary means of worship for most Christians. We even have an early Eucharist Liturgy in the Didache, the 2nd century early Church manual. Due to the importance of the liturgy, every scholar and church leader needs to engage its development. This book will help in this task (at least for the scholar or priest/pastor. It's a bit academic to keep the interest of the average person in the pew).

This collection is grouped into three main sections: Theology and Rite, Development of the Liturgy, and Pastoral Orientation. Within the Development of Liturgy section there are seven sub-sections: General Intro, Initiation, Eucharist, Ordination, the Divine Office, the Calendar, and the Setting of the Liturgy. There are 65 essays total including, `A Theology of Worship,' `(Initiation in the) the Modern Period,' `The Anglican Eucharist,' `The History of the Christian Year,' and the ever-elusive `Methodism (and the Eucharist).' The essays cover a wide range of topics, interpretations, and time periods. Both Catholic and Protestant thought are represented nicely, in order to provide a truly useful survey. Also included are numerous glossy black-and-white photos of churches, liturgical manuscripts, and old church manuals.

I highly recommend this book for the liturgical scholar, the early or later Church historian, priests, pastors, and the interested layperson. The scholars are all top-notch, and the book is illuminating and will answer most questions about the Liturgy. The only drawback is that this book is priced rather high, since it is considered a textbook.

Study Liturgy?
The late Dean of St. Paul's, was dining at a high table in Oxford and was asked by his neighbor, a distinguished liturgist, whether he was interested in liturgy.'No,' said the Dean, Neither do I collect postage stamps'; quoted from : Couratin ,Introduction to Liturgy, the Pelican Guide to Modern Theology, Vol. 2. But, even though he criticized Dr. Inge's estimate of liturgical study - a trivial branch of archaeology - his study was part of volume 2 : Historical Theology.

What is liturgy?
Liturgy is neither 'historical' nor a collection of prescribed forms for public worship as per webster's student dictionary. Liturgy is the work of the laity and ministry for their life in the spirit, a real participation in the mystical body of Christ. This is what the outstanding editors of this masterly book reflect in this revision: the last two decades of intense liturgical productivity, ecumenical openness among not only scholars but also ecclesiastical corpus.

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi
When you browse through this book you will find out about Will Durant's "Mansions" of liturgy, after you read some chapters you will realize the "pleasures of Liturgy". Ecumenical character of this monumental work is maintained by a panel of 25 contributors who seem to believe in what they write, practicing scholars.

The Editors and contributers:
G. Wainwright (Doxology) was my guarantee to the first edition , P. Bradshaw (Daily prayer in the early Church) enhanced my decision to buy an additional revised edition.
Just read the last chapter "Pastoral orientation" to find out how D.Tripp ingeniously sammerizes the real impact of liturgy on the people of the Lord. You may as well start with E.Yarnold's:
"The liturgy of the Faithful",I challenge you to stop reading!
I would love to find K. Ware and G. Bebawi , both of Oxford U. within the future contributers of the next edition, since liturgy is only whole with eastern orthodox authenticity.

At last,the Book: The Study of Liturgy:
I learned from this book more than what I learned in fourty years about the liturgy of the One Holy Universal Apostolic Church. Brought up in the ancient Church of Alexandria as didaskalos (teaching deacon, a tradition of the Alexandrine Megalopolis that started with Origen), I hope you appreciate what liturgy and its study can do for your enlightment, spiritual revival may also be a fruit, but for sure ecumenical fellowship in the Corpus Christi, the ever living.
Look at the table of contents and make your decision, because when you read this book, it will invite you to a new life, an ancient tradition of the real Church that will never be old.
If you have only one book on liturgy it should be this work, but it will be the first love, others will follow , some of those mentioned in the preface.

The Study of Liturgy provides an easily readible and comprehensive history of the development of Liturgy. This study shows how such things as seasonal colors, vestments,Church calenders,and specific prayers came to be part of liturgical worship. What makes this book so useful is it's quality writing. Here, both students of Liturgy and interested laypersons can find facenating answers to their questions concerning liturgical function and ritual. How does the wearing of vestments impact worship? Why do the participants do what they do and when? What is Lent? What's up with all the bowing and hand gestures? Liturgical worship can be an awesome and majestic expierence. This wonderful book will demystify this type of worship for liturgical church goers and those of more reformed traditions alike.The authors have produced a quality work that can be read by non-technical persons and thoroughly enjoyed.

Bud's down home spin on inspirational topics opens up new avenues of discovery about self. A unique book on spiritual growth and it's importance in your being exactly where you are meant to be on your life's journey...ane how to move to a place of love and peace of mind.

I have had the pleasure of working with Bud numerous times and I feel compelled to encourage those who need direction and want to clarify their thoughts. Bud's book will not do the work you need to do but it will send your brain in gear to begin the process.

This is one of the most inspirational books to eliminate fear and the consequences of fear. The author helps us understand life is simple...but not easy. I was motivated to change many areas of my life - and found it was easy, once fear was eliminated.

This is one the best books ever written on backgammon too bad it is out of print. Nuff said.

The authors of this book were Barclay Cooke and Jon Bradshaw. A very good 70s book for beginners and intermediates and surpasses many of the authors whose only claim to understanding the game is that they wrote theirs in the 90s.

If dealing with another culture whether moving or in America. This book explicitly talks about serveral major differences we need to face and work within

"Change Across Culture" (CAC) is a masterful exposition of the innate intricacies in transforming cultures using redemption as the "valid basis for cross-cultural ethics." Bradshaw rejects functionalism upfront insisting that for "innovations" to be implemented within culture in a "sustainable way" they must be integrated into the "cultural narratives" of the community.

Bradshaw eloquently defines narratives as the "stories that govern our lives." They (the narratives) "are templates through which we interpret reality and the means through which we seek continuity in our lives." The Christian narrative, says Bradshaw, is centered "on Christ and his redemptive relationship with creation." He further argues that the Bible, rather than being a narrative, is in reality a meta-narrative because instead of making "all cultures look alike" reconciliation in fact is an "effort to offer all people in all cultures values that will empower them to enhance their lives." This is done, says Bradshaw, through the transformation of the "values that shape their cultural narratives."

Bradshaw argues that redemption is "God¡¦s reconciling work in creation" and can be used as a basis for ethics because it is "universally valid and culturally specific." "The validity of redemption," says Bradshaw, "is that it is a unifying theory bearing witness to God as the agent of causation because it bears the meaning of it¡¦s agent."

Using redemption as an ethical basis for cultural change, Bradshaw moves on to tackle some difficult and significant problems facing the world today. He maintains that before cultures can be managed, the "worldviews that are buried within" them "need to be excavated." By "excavating" the worldviews of modern Christianity he concludes that "Gnostic creation stories" have had more influence than the "Biblical creation stories" in shaping contemporary Christian worldviews. He convincingly shows how this "Gnostic legacy" is the root of the "ecological crises in Christianity" today.

In later chapters the author shows how redemption can liberate people from serving their cultures and how positive transformation enables them to become masters of, rather than slaves to, their culture. Bradshaw asserts that "theological doctrine" alone is not able to create sustainable change. "Encounters with people of other faiths," says Bradshaw, "do not begin with discussions of doctrine. Instead they begin when people express their faith through their efforts to cope with the struggles of daily life." He concludes that "lasting change only occurs when people are empowered through the redemptive work of God through Christ to transform the elements within their culture that disempower them."

Bradshaw shows how the powers that be are redeemed when the "Church challenges their authority by exercising their moral agency and empower people to transform the narratives of their cultures to embody the redemptive work of Christ in creation." He argues that this type of transformation can only be achieved through subordination to the authorities and accepting the consequences of exercising their moral agency. Christians and the Church cannot compromise and must be the moral voice that challenges society and governments to act in an ethical manner. Bradshaw shows how redemption has the ability to empower women and to liberate them from cultures that oppress and abuse them. He argues that early Christianity did not discriminate against women but rather enabled them to be leaders in the early Church.

In a later chapter Bradshaw tackles economic exploitation and acknowledges that "people who have any hope of achieving economic viability in the modern global economy can no longer assume that nature is the source of their wealth." He argues that Small Enterprise Development (SED) is the way to tackle exploitation and that "Christians establish SED programs on the assumption that the redemptive work of God is embodied in the mundane structures of society." Bradshaw affirms that SEDs can be redemptive and can contribute to the well being of the whole community.

CAC is a book that addresses a broad range of problems but retains the centrality of Christ and never loses focus on God as the agent of redemption. Throughout this volume the central role of Christ in the transformation of demeaning and oppressive cultural values is never lost.

CAC is a stunning achievement written by a man of experience. It is not a theoretical treatise, but an intelligent, practical aid to understanding how to achieve sustainable transformation of cultural ethics that disempower, degrade, deceive, control, and exploit millions of people today. Bradshaw writes with compassion that is rooted in reality. He has been an eyewitness to some of the most devastating human tragedies of our era. By using specific examples of real people he returns humanity to those who have been downtrodden and abused by the cultures in which they live. His understanding and desire to help change those things that de-humanize humans is a lesson to us all, and should be heeded. Whether we like it or not, we all live within narratives that govern our lives. The only question is will we have the courage to change those values within our own narratives that de-humanize others and make us slaves. Will we, as individuals, allow the redemptive work of God to redeem not only ourselves but also those values that destroy us, our friends, and even our enemies?

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"They arrested me on the train to France..." Meet Valeria Thornham,
pretty music student, promising young composer -- and threat to
public safety?

Valeria, brain-damaged as an infant, was successfully treated with
Cicnip-C -- 'cerebral implantation of cloned neural progenitor cells.'
Now, in 2032, a Cicnip-C patient has turned mass-murderer, the media
are in a frenzy about 'cloned-brain psychos', and the Ministry of Health
is in a panic....

Val is hustled to the posh Laurel Hill Centre for Cognitive Research,
where the odious Professor Bernet plans to use her for brain research --
with a threat of lobotomy if she doesn't cooperate. But Val is a fighter,
and with the help of sympathetic staff, she reaches an accomodation of
sorts with the Evil Genius. There are clever twists en route, a
new love won and lost, and some very nice passages on music: its
performance, composition and place in human culture. It wouldn't be
fair to reveal the ending, but it's fast and furious. Here's a clue: music
really does soothe the savage breast...

This is Bradshaw's second SF outing, following her less-successful The
Wrong Reflection (2000). Bradshaw is better-known as a historical and
fantasy novelist, but I predict she'll be well received by Nancy Kress
and LE Modesitt SF fans. Bradshaw may be new to SF, but she's an
experienced, smooth, economical storyteller. I'll be looking for her next
book -- and I should go back and read some of her historicals.

Review copyright 2002 by Peter D. Tillman
Original review: http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/dangerousnotes.htm

I was totally gripped by this well-written book. The world the author created--Britain sometime in the future--seemed very possible and the characters acted like real people. The main character (a music student) was very sympathetic and the plot was unpredictable. Why was she arrested? Why was she lying to herself about her unusual musical abilities? And who should she trust? This is the second science-fiction book of Bradshaw's I've read--I hope she keeps writing science fiction along with her historical novels!

Set in Toronto in 1856, when rapid industrialization callously brushed aside human sentiments, Death In The Age Of Steam by Mel Bradshaw is carefully crafting and rather dashing novel of passion, mystery, murder, and tragedy. A prominent politician dies and his daughter vanishes, yet only one man - a former suiter of the daughter's who could never forget her despite her marriage to another man - persists in asking questions. The Victorian setting gives way to a tangled world, seemingly inhospitable and bereft of love or caring, yet for the one man whose heart drives him to search, answers may well be found at the cost of mortal peril. A captivating, romantic tale with hidden twists.

Fans of historical mysteries who can't get their hands on enough of these rare birds have a wonderful treat as Mel Bradshaw escorts the reader back to Toronto in 1856. His research is thorough and flawless in his depiction of ancient Hogtown, muddy streets and wooden sidewalks, and of course, the major theme of the completion of the Grand Trunk Railroad stretching across southern Ontario.

The story begins with the funeral of Parliamentarian William Sheridan, friend of the narrator, Isaac Harris. Not only does Harris grieve for the untimely death of his mentor, stricken with a mysterious gastrointestinal illness, but he still carries a torch for the man's married daughter, Theresa. At first her absence at the funeral is explained by extreme grief, but later it is revealed that she has disappeared, riding off on her horse.

Theresa's husband, a cold man and a business opportunist, sheds little light on her breakdown. Isaac continues to search for her, beginning with the trails she rode, asking at every crossroads and inn. Then in a stunning discovery at river's edge, he finds the dismembered arm of a woman wearing a bracelet of hers.

Bradshaw must have worked with maps, novels, and resource books of all descriptions to paint such an accurate picture of early Victorian Ontario, from the banking policies, food, clothes, and currency of the times to the grim penitentiary at old Kingston. His prose style matches the period perfectly. Here's an excerpt as fastidious Isaac prepares for work:

With barber's scissors he trimmed his side whiskers to just below his ear lobes. Beards and moustaches were becoming fashionable since the war, but not for bank cashiers. Harris's work clothes, mostly black, differed little from what he had worn to the funeral -- a morning coat replacing the full-skirted frock coat. And for the office he usually put on a coloured waistcoat, a dark blue watered silk this morning. He tied a matching cravat in a loose bow around the high collar of his white shirt.

William Bradshaw has written the definitive book on fund raising. As a college, museum, and church trustee I have over the years been heavily involved in fund raising. Dr. Bradshaw's book was a page-turner for me. I read it in two sittings, and have ordered multiple copies for organizations with which I am currently involved. Dr. Bradshaw has articulated clearly and efficiently a step by step fail-safe system for professionals and non-professionals that guarantees success for all types of campaigns, large or small.

Edwin Granai
Burlington, Vermont

This book is excellent. It's incredibly comprehensive as well as easy to read and understand. I along with several colleagues have read it. Some of us are seasoned veterans and some are just getting started in the business. We all reached the same conclusion -- it's a must-read!

Gayle's book "Hope Through the Fire," is truly inspirational and shows how Faith can heal all wounds. Anyone who has gone through as much as Gayle has and can not only survive but grow should be admired.

Gayle's poetry shows God's love and His healing powers. A must read for anyone who is surviving PTSD or any emotional or psychological pain in their life.

Gayle Heimback Bradshaw suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Depression. Her book of poetry, "Hope Through the Fire" is her attempt to battle her ailments and set her mind right, and seeks to aid others in their recovery from similar ailments as well. Her poetry is truly heartfelt and from the very depths of her soul, showing her sheer willpower to overcome it all, and become closer to God in her grasps for recovery. "Hope Through the Fire" is highly recommended for community library poetry collections with a crossover to self-help. Twirl Into Heaven: Twirling, swirling,/fueled by the soft, subtle breezes of fall/Leaves flutter about/as though moved by the Master's call./The change of season/eases into our hearts/Where all true hope and rest/seem to have their start./Water ebbs and flows,/gently upon the shores./Mountains are shadowed by heavenly hues,/ right up to heaven's front door.

Scott McNealy is a true genius and the story of Sun is just so amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed Karen Southwick's chronicle of this powerful man and company.

I thoroughly enjoyed Robert Bradshaw's new book. A very interesting story with lovely characters. I think it has the potential to become the next "Bridges of Madison County".

I admit I'm partial -- I'm the father of one of the nine authors represented in this anthology. But think about the fact that these nine novels were written by high school kids age 15-17 in the span of eight weeks over a summer. They churned out 4,000 words a week each, used a workshop format to review each other's efforts, and refined as they went along. They are very different books with very different voices, bound, literally and figuratively, by 826NYC's outstanding program that I refer to as "literacy for the literate."

If you are an adult (not most of these kids' target audience -- the assignment, after all, was to write a young adult novel) and you are at all concerned about the art of writing among the young, take heart. These are not adult takes on what kids think and feel -- they are reports from the emotional front. The novels are full of humor and empathy and vision that belies the ages of the authors.

Ok, so I'm a young writer. I plan on becomeing an old writer too, once I grow up. I read this book because I love to read things by kids my age (can we still be called kids?). I was not at all disapointed. This is a truely wonderful book. My favorite story, I must say, is the deeply complicated and emotional, "Mistaken Identity" written by Sarah Meira Rosenberg, who started it when she was in fith grade. It tells the story of Anna and her school when they are kiddneaped while on a feild trip. Anna is already a very interesting and emotional kid, but add to that the mysterious Spencer Silver, the genious Daniel Jones and a host of other...special children, the book had my attention from page one. Sarah Meira Rosenberg, if you read this, I beg you to hurry it up with that sequel, becuae I am DYING to read it! I highly recomend this book!