Charles Gore (1853–1932), the future Bishop of Oxford and a passionate campaigner for social justice, compiled and edited these twelve theological essays published in 1891. The eleven contributors, all Oxford scholars at some time, shared the conviction that theology must engage with advances in scientific and historical knowledge, learn from them, and use them in interpreting Christian doctrine. In their case, this meant recognising God at work in the material world, in evolution, and in society, not merely at the spiritual level. 'If the true meaning of the faith is to be made sufficiently conspicuous,' Gore wrote in his introduction, 'it needs disencumbering, reinterpreting, explaining'. The essays focus on the Incarnation, as the central doctrine for the whole of theology, which may be applied very differently in different contexts. The book, regarded by some as too progressive, was a great success and sold ten editions in its first year.