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How To Be a Church Minister

Nov 23, 2020 | 2019 - Summer, Book Reviews, Free Summer 2019

How To Be a
Church Minister

Author Nigel Wright
Publisher BRF £10.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9780857466891

Yet another sober, balanced and thoughtful account of the minister’s craft and calling? Who needs it, I wonder, when there are so many? A glance at the chapter headings – build the congregation; pastor the people; conduct worship well – tells us what is in store. That said, Wright covers the ground well. His writing is clear, practical and wise. There is good biblical reference, honest personal reflection, and a strong sense that ministry may be energising and fresh. A chapter headed ‘stay on the boil’ draws from Richard Baxter and is excellent. ‘When our hearts grow cold, our preaching grows cold… If we forbear to take food, then others will be famished’, he writes – not to discourage, but to urge readers to carry on finding ways to ‘nurture the springs of living water – that refresh every aspect of our service.’ I was glad to have read this.

DAVID HANSON

Ministry, Ministerial Formation

 

 

Haunted by Christ

Nov 23, 2020 | 2019 - Summer, Book Reviews, Free Summer 2019

Haunted by Christ

Author Richard Harries
Publisher SPCK £9.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9780281079339

This is a very ambitious book. A testament to a lifetime of reading and thinking about all aspects of theology, it strives to give a picture of twenty writers whose struggle for faith, or rejection of it, has been central to their work. From Dostoevsky to Marilynne Robinson, via Hopkins, Beckett, Auden, Eliot and Golding to name but a few, each chapter begins with a brief biography of the author under discussion. If you already know the life and work of a particular author well, then you may not find much new to stimulate thought. If, on the other hand, you have never tried Stevie Smith or Elizabeth Jennings, for example, then this might just prompt you to take up their work and discover a fresh voice. I found the chapter on the competing myths of C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman particularly interesting. It might well form the basis for a discussion in a Christian book group.

KIRSTY ANDERSON

Biographical Essays, Literature

 

Reimagining Worship

Nov 22, 2020 | 2019 - Spring, Book Reviews, Free Spring 2019

Reimagining Worship

Authors Anna de Lange, Trevor Lloyd, Tim Stratford & Ian Tarrant (eds)
Publisher Canterbury Press £21.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9781848259133  2017

‘What does the ever-present God…desire from us as we worship?’ Is our worship ‘dynamic, on the move, going somewhere’? Do people ‘grow in their faith more through preaching, Bible reading or home groups’? ‘Does our welcome demonstrate a God who cares?’ Put together by a group of twenty, experienced Church of England leaders from the Group for the Renewal of Worship, Reimagining Worship is a comprehensive, practical handbook that methodically examines how worship works (or does not work) in today’s evolving churches. Four main sections correspond to liturgical patterns of Gathering, Word, Responding and Sending. Further subdivisions break up the text into manageable chunks, with boxed examples and suggestions to discuss or think about. This is not a book to read through but to work with. Groups of church leaders, PCCs, ministry or music groups might select relevant parts to discuss together. Probing questions, quoted above, encourage examination of what worship should look like and how to be creative and transformative within the local context. Readers, particularly those in training, should find this material helpful and challenging.

APRIL McINTYRE

Worship, Liturgy

 

The Song of Hild

Nov 22, 2020 | 2019 - Spring, Book Reviews, Free Spring 2019

The Song of Hild

Author Vibeke Vasbo
Publisher Sacristy Press £12.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9781910519868

And now for something completely different. If you are looking for hagiography, you will be disappointed, equally if you are looking for something scholarly in church history. The Song of Hild is a historical novel built around the skeleton of Bede’s life of Hilda of Whitby; the flesh and blood have been invented (her words) by the author. Vasbo reconstructs the life of Hildeburh, married first to a Northumbrian nobleman, then to the pagan King Penda, finally to Christ as a nun and then abbess. There is significantly more action in the first half of Hild’s life, with a bewildering cast and series of battles – the map at the beginning of the book and the website detailing characters and locations help. Sex and violence seem commensurate with a tale set in Britain in the seventh century. Other reviewers remark how contemporary the themes of the book are; I can’t help thinking that there are at least a few instances where the author has read twenty-first century themes into a seventh century story: when the Abbess discovers two nuns in a lesbian relationship, I groaned. This book is not going to help you preach a sermon on Hilda of Whitby, but if you are looking for some light relief in your reading, I recommend it as a page-turner and a cracking good yarn.

GERTRUD SOLLARS

Novel

 

Reimagining Britain

Nov 22, 2020 | 2019 - Spring, Book Reviews, Free Spring 2019

Reimagining Britain

Author Justin Welby
Publisher Bloomsbury £16.99
Format hbk
ISBN 9781472946072

This important book argues powerfully that the current political uncertainties, the economic divisions and the general prevalence of cynicism throughout Britain require fundamental and practical action. The time is ripe for reimagining our future on a scale not seen since 1945. We need to generate better shared values and create communities which give hope for generations as yet unborn. After chapters considering the building blocks of our national society – health, education, housing, economics and finance – Welby presents a radical case for virtue. He argues for more positive foreign policies, wise and humane action on immigration and integration, and better progress in mitigating climate change. He draws, unsurprisingly, on our historic Christian heritage, and some of his best passages are inspired interpretations of Jesus’ parables. The Good Samaritan personifies the need for ‘active love in pursuit of our common humanity’ – a concept that should determine our public policies. Our Archbishop has produced a fertile series of ideas to provide foundations of hope. Although sometimes complex and densely argued, this book is highly recommended for all who long for a stronger Christian influence in British society.

LEONARD RICKARD

Social Policy

 

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