In John 17, Jesus prayed for the unity of the church. Yet today, we tend to accept disunity as inevitable. In this book, Anthony Burgess calls us to addresses the spiritual and visible unity that Jesus desires for His people. Burgess speaks of how union and communion with Christ and His people are “the life and comfort of believers.” Giving careful consideration of what Christian unity should look like, Burgess excels at uncovering common causes of division and promoting means to advance unity among God’s people. Series Description Interest in the Puritans continues to grow, but many people find reading these giants of the faith a bit unnerving. This series seeks to overcome that barrier by presenting Puritan books that are convenient in size and unintimidating in length. Each book is carefully edited with modern readers in mind, smoothing out difficult language of a bygone era while retaining the meaning of the original authors. Books for the series are thoughtfully selected to provide some of the best counsel on important subjects that people continue to wrestle with today. Table of Contents: 1. The Blessing of Unity Among Ministers 2. The Pattern for Unity Among Ministers 3. The Nature of Christian Unity 4. The Necessity of Christian Unity 5. The Reason for the Lack of Christian Unity 6. The Characteristics of Christian Unity 7. The Rules for Christian Unity 8. The Expansion of Christian Unity 9. The Value of Christian Unity 10. The Perfection of Christian Unity

"We have here what might be described as a new Pentecost."---Cecil M. Robeck Fuller Theological Seminary "The Most important aspect of the forum is that, in deep and direct human encounters, we have found Christ in each other. It has confirmed to me that we are being led by the Holy Spirit to deepen our commitment to unity. This is the hour of His grace, if only we would listen."---Biship Brain Farrell Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity "We believe this table brings greater understanding and breaks stereotypes."---Geoff Tunnicliffe pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity "This wasn't a conference that produced papers. We prayed together. This wasn't a conference that debated doctrines. We Shared our faith stories with one another. This wasn't a legislative body that voted, creating winners and losers. We listened to one another. That is why we gathered."---Bishop Jessica Crist Evangelical Lutheran Church in America "If the Global Christian Forum continues for a couple of decades, this gathering will some day be viewed as a watershed in twenty-first century Christianity."---Larry Miller Mennonite World Conference "Some would have said this event is not possible, but here we are."---Rev. Samuel Kobia World Council of Churches "The forum enriched my faith and expanded my view of Christian diversity, as I came to a deeper realization that the Christian faith is so much bigger than any one denomination or fellowship."---Bishop James Leggett Pontecostal World Fellowship "This meeting has been a milestone, setting an example and suggesting standards for dialogue among Christians. It has built up momentum that will now be felt in many other places."---Rev. John Mathews Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church "My participation in the forum will help me to understand where other traditions are coming from, and why they do what they do. I had never before had the opportunity to sit and listen to an Orthodox priest, for instance."---Rev. Judy Mbugua Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

The work of uniting churches is slow, challenging, and multifaceted; and it changes in each generation and location. In this book, Josiah Baker studies the efforts of believers towards reconciliation as something significant for how we understand the church. He offers a theology for laborers, people for whom unity is not only an idea but a calling and sure hope. A Visible Unity is a study in systematic theology on the relation of ecumenical methodology to ecclesiological convergence, how acting together results in the churches being together. Ecumenical work informs ecclesiology because it involves the actions of Christians together in accordance with their shared views of the church. Whenever this work changes, the partnering churches change their relations and further resolve their divisions. Baker studies ecclesiology by telling stories about a person—the Pentecostal ecumenist Cecil Robeck—for Robeck’s decades of leadership in American and global ecumenical settings. By narrating his activities and analyzing his thought, the book offers a window into the interrelation of different portions of the ecumenical movement and how the movement has changed over the years. Baker compiles archival materials and personal interviews to tell stories about ecumenism never before published.