Power and the Church

Employing insights from theology, sociology and political science, this text considers the question of power within the Church, which is thought to provide the key to unlocking core dilemmas in the Church's self-understanding, and to point towards a relevant ecclesiology for the 21st century. The book shows how different denominations handle power in different ways, exposes the misuse of power in fundamentalist and new religious movements, and argues that these movements highlight problems of power elsewhere within the Church.