Journeying with God in the Wilderness
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Queering the Prophet
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God’s Church for God’s World
God’s Church for God’s World
Author Stephen Spencer (ed.)
Publisher SCM £19.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9780334065517
This book is a transcript of the Lambeth Conference held in summer 2022, comprising reports, keynote addresses (three good, wide-ranging speeches from Archbishop Welby); and what are known as ‘Lambeth Calls’ – policy statements and debates on important Anglican issues. I found the book alternately inspiring and bland – sometimes bold, sometimes understandably cautious. It is difficult to imagine how several hundred bishops from a range of cultures, from communities of affluence and poverty, could hold collective views. Yet, to paraphrase our Archbishop, there was unity in filling ‘our hearts with desire for friendship with Jesus’. This was evident in the excellent Bible studies (on 1 Peter) and in the worship and imaginative liturgies in Canterbury Cathedral. Another significant unity was the day spent at Lambeth Palace – a time of prayer and commitment to the environment. The book is a snapshot of current Anglican thinking – valuable for all who take our world strategy to heart. But will it chime in the pews of rural England and South Sudan, to name but two parts of our Communion?
Reviewed by LEONARD RICKARD
Anglican Communion
Gospel of the Trinity
Gospel of the Trinity
Author Patrick Whitworth
Publisher Sacristy £12.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9781789592825
This is the fourth in a series of ‘explorations’ into the gospels for deeper knowledge and understanding written by this author. He reviews in an interesting way the familiar issues of date, context, authorship and initial audience, concluding that it was John the Evangelist who wrote the gospel in Ephesus, around 90 AD. He transliterates key Greek words, and draws on the work of other writers, sometimes including long pertinent quotations in the text and many references to both OT and NT passages. He illustrates the extent to which Jesus draws attention to the intimate love of the ‘Persons’ of the Trinity, and that to believe in the ‘Three in One’ by love in action is the goal of humankind, outweighing specific rules and rituals. There are many references to people across the ages that illustrate exactly this level of loving commitment to believe (e.g. Mother Teresa and Desmond Tutu) while those who fall short are treated with respectful forgiveness, such as the resurrection conversation with Peter; and even at the Last Supper with Judas Iscariot. Throughout there is a light touch and gentle humour. He concludes each chapter by offering questions to facilitate discussion. These could be used by Readers to enhance their sermons on John.
Reviewed by DAVID SELLICK
Commentary
Defusing the Sexuality Debate
Defusing the Sexuality Debate
Author Mark Vasey-Saunders
Publisher SCM £25
Format pbk
ISBN 9780334063544
This book makes the case that current conflicts over sexuality are symbolic of deeper disagreements over the place of Christianity in the modern world. The author is an Anglican priest working as a tutor at St Hild College. Although he identifies as evangelical, the book is not defensive and provides an honest critique of the evangelical perspective concerning the sexuality debate. The book aims to help defuse a debate that the author claims has become corrosive to the spiritual health of all those caught up in it, on both sides. It tries to unpick exactly what it is we are arguing about and why it has aroused such passionate intensity. The suggestion is made that the pressing ethical question before us is not actually the question of sexuality itself, but the question of how we live together as brothers and sisters in Christ, with disagreements. This is a scholarly, yet accessible, book which makes a positive contribution to the current battle between progressives and conservatives over the sexuality debate; I recommend it.
Reviewed by MICHAEL FOSTER
Advent, Nativity
The Treasure Hunt
The Treasure Hunt
Author J M Evans
Publisher Dernier £4.99
Format pbk
ISBN 9781912457489
This children’s adventure is perfect for 8 to11-year-olds. Four Christian friends face a mystery involving people-trafficking that needs faith and prayer, as well as courage and obedience. With God’s protection and guidance, they choose to do what is right even when there’s danger. My 9-year-old grandson loved the story and said, ‘It was really exciting. When I got to the end of a chapter, I wanted to read the next one. When the children in the story found something that they thought was wrong or hard, they prayed and told their parents and then did something about it, even though it was scary. I think my friends would like it, and I hope my school library will get it. I’d definitely like to read another adventure by this author!’
Highly recommended!
Reviewed by HOWARD ROWE and JONAS ROWE (aged 9)
Children’s book
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