Download or read book Lives Entrusted written by Barbara J. Blodgett and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Behind all the issues of ministerial conduct and character lies a simple reality. The heart of ministerial ethics and integrity, argues Barbara Blodgett, is trust - trust expected, trust earned, trust practiced. In Lives Entrusted, Blodgett shows how trust is not an emotion or intention but a transaction. People entrust each other with things they value, and that interaction endows a relationship, which in turn helps to create community. Trust, however, is undermined by a number of trust-busters common in the church, including secrecy, auditing, gossip, and b.s. By focusing on crucial practices of trust-identified in terms of risk, vulnerability, and power-Blodgett shows us how we may practice better trust and thus create a unique new framework for ministerial identity and ethics.