Keith Littler

Mystical orientation and the perceiving process: a study among Anglican clergymen

This study examines the hypothesised link between mystical orientation and the perceiving process within the Jungian model of psychological type. Data were provided by 232 Anglican clergymen serving in the Church in Wales who completed both the Francis-Louden Mystical Orientation Scale and the Francis Psychological Type Scales. The data demonstrated that intuitive types recorded significantly higher scores than sensing types on the index of mystical orientation, supporting the hypothesis based on Ross’ thesis.

Who says grandparents matter

Data from the Church Life Profile of 2001 confirm a high proportion of grandparents among churchgoers and demonstrate a link between the religiosity of grandparents and that of their grandchildren. This article presents empirical evidence to show that the importance of this link is acknowledged by rural clergy and taken into account when determining whether to baptise the children of parents who cannot themselves profess the Christian faith.

Views on baptism and confirmation in the Church in Wales: are rural clergy different?

Abstract A survey of all Church in Wales stipendiary parochial clergy sought clerics’ views on various aspects of baptism and confirmation. A 65% response produced data to suggest that 58% of the respondents serve in urban parishes and 42% in rural parishes. The views of urban and rural clerics were found to show statistically significant differences in respect of eleven key items on baptism and confirmation. These data support other research suggesting that rural clergy are more community orientated and probably more sensitive to the conservative views of parishioners.

Churchmanship and Personality among Clergymen in the Church in Wales: Are Anglo-Catholic Priests More Feminine?

Abstract The aim of the present study is to develop and test a new measure of Anglo-Catholic orientation capable of assessing the extent of the continuing influence of the Anglican-Catholic movement among Anglican clergy and useful for testing theories regarding the association between Anglo-Catholic orientation and personality. Data provided by a sample of 232 clergymen serving in the Church in Wales support the internal consistency reliability of the 21-item Francis-Littler Anglo-Catholic Orientation Scale, and, in terms of the Eysenckian dimensional model of personality, demonstrate that Anglo-Catholic orientation is associated with higher levels of psychological femininity as assessed by the neuroticism scale, but not as assessed by the psychoticism scale.

The acceptability of lay Liturgical Ministry: a Survey Among Rural Anglican Churchgoers

A sample of 1,870 rural Anglican churchgoers completed a twenty-item scale of attitude toward lay liturgical ministry. The data demonstrate that key areas of lay liturgical ministry are greeted with caution by the majority of rural Anglican churchgoers. Churchgoers aged 65 and over are less favourably disposed to lay liturgical ministry than churchgoers under the age of fifty. Occasional churchgoers are less favourably disposed to lay liturgical ministry than those who attend church every week. In the light of these findings, rural dioceses may find that current policies to expand lay liturgical ministry deliver fewer signs of church growth than anticipated and may in fact alienate the rural church even further from the communities it seeks to serve.

The ordination of women and inclusivity within the Church in Wales: theological and psychological considerations

This study explored the hypothesis that clergywomen tend to hold a more inclusive attitude toward ministry than is the case among clergymen. The hypothesis was tested against data provided by 311 clergymen and 66 clergywomen, generated from a 66% response rate to a survey of all stipendiary parochial clergy in the Church in Wales concerning views on Christian initiation. The data confirmed the hypothesis across all five aspects of Christian initiation included in the questionnaire. This finding was employed to challenge recent theologically-informed claims denying consistent gender differences in approaches to ministry.This study explored the hypothesis that clergywomen tend to hold a more inclusive attitude toward ministry than is the case among clergymen. The hypothesis was tested against data provided by 311 clergymen and 66 clergywomen, generated from a 66% response rate to a survey of all stipendiary parochial clergy in the Church in Wales concerning views on Christian initiation. The data confirmed the hypothesis across all five aspects of Christian initiation included in the questionnaire. This finding was employed to challenge recent theologically-informed claims denying consistent gender differences in approaches to ministry.

The psychological type profile of Anglican clergymen : are rural clergy different?

Abstract This study employs psychological type theory to discuss the profile of Anglican clergymen serving in the Church in Wales and to explore whether there are distinctive characteristics among those serving in rural ministry. Data provided by 94 clergymen serving in rural ministry and by 135 clergymen serving in non-rural ministry revealed no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the two orientations (introversion and extraversion), the two perceiving functions (sensing and intuition), the two judging functions (thinking and feeling) and the two attitudes (judging and perceiving).

A Celtic Primer: the complete Celtic worship resource and collection by Brendan O'Malley

This is an excellently-structured workbook which has much to commend it. It opens with two overviews, ‘Rural Britain’ and ‘The Rural Church’, and continues with an introduction and six group studies under the corporate heading ‘Sustaining the Rural Church’ before concluding with ‘Purpose Fulfilled?’, a chapter on chapel closure, and ‘Everyday Stories from the Rural Church’. Appendices detail the work of the Arthur Rank Centre and ‘Useful Websites’, including, I am pleased to say, the website of the Rural Theology Association.

Do Villages Remain Christian Communities

A house-to-house survey of a rural English community of around 400 people resulted in 100 completed questionnaires. Respondents were asked to rate a series of questions on a five-point scale to indicate whether they saw themselves as Christians, whether they considered themselves regular churchgoers, and other related indices of religiosity. The results show the sample to be more Christian than the national average in respect of both avowed belief and church attendance. This would seem to confirm that Christianity remains strongest in the countryside and that the community model of the church survives in rural areas. This in turn raises questions about the style of ministry most appropriate for rural parishes in England and Wales.