It is commonly agreed that the churches of Europe are in crisis--but why? How can we explain their dramatic decline over the past four decades? In particular, why do contemporary people struggle to believe? And how might the churches address this crisis of credibility? Are there already signs of hope? And what can tenacious forms of religion teach the churches as they go about their task of mission?Mission Implausible tackles these questions using the tools of sociological analysis. It argues that much of the blame for church decline is misplaced and that a broader explanation is required which sets the current crisis within a historical and sociological perspective. Written for church leaders, theologians, students of theology and sociology, and all those concerned with Christian mission, Mission Implausible explores a range of strategies aimed at rebuilding a social climate favorable to Christian belief.

Someone has sold a number of incredibly valuable first editions of Shakespeare's collected plays at the antique auction house The House of Wendlebury and Chief Inspector Inglis suspects foul play. These rare First Folios are in mint condition, but are not forgeries. Where on earth could they have come from? Has a crime been committed? Luckily Phyllis Wong is on the case. But when a famously lost Shakespearean play is scheduled to be auctioned, Phyllis suspects villainy which is seeping into today from the seventeenth century. How can she convince Chief Inspector Inglis what's going on? Surely this is something that has to be seen to be believed? As Phyllis herself says: 'Fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen -- the ride will get bumpy!' An intriguing story about a young magician with a talent for deduction from the author of the bestselling Cairo Jim Chronicles.

Collection of articles by various authors.

A brilliant comedy destined for great things

This is the first volume in a series that re-appraises the now widely accepted story about conflict between colonists and Aborigines in Australian history. Beginning in Tasmania, and eventually covering the whole of the Australian mainland, the volumes find that the academic historians of the last thirty years have greatly exaggerated the degree of violence that occurred. In a close re-examination of the primary sources used by historians, Keith Windschuttle concludes that much of their case is poorly founded, other parts are seriously mistaken, and some of it is outright fabrication. The author finds the British colonization of the Australia was the least violent of all Europes encounters with the New World. It did not meet any organized resis­tance. Conflict was sporadic rather than systematic. The notion of frontier warfare is fictional. To describe the process as genocide is to use hyperbole that is unsupported by the historical evidence.