Recent titles
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Academic
Textbooks for Students and titles suitable for readers of Academic books.
The Challenge of Christian Discipleshipby William Cosgrave This book is a volume of essays on moral and pastoral theology. The essays deal with the Christian message regarding morality, spirituality and the pastoral life of the Church. Written in an easy, accessible style, they cover a wide range of subjects, including emotional intelligence, the mid-life cycle as one passes from adulthood to middle age, the structures of authority, the equality of men and women, concelebration, the theology of sin and reconciliation, and a dozen other contemporary pressing issues. The author does not shy away from investigating recent clerical scandals and deficiencies. Although most of the references are to Catholic practice, the book will appeal to all Christians who want to be witnesses to their faith. Review by John Irvine (19/04/12) |
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| Paperback Price: £16.99 Publisher: Columba Press Published: 18 February 2012 ISBN: 978-1-856-07765-1 View this book on its own page >> |
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The Face of God- The Gifford Lectures 2010by Roger Scruton The first sentence of Chapter 1 reads:- 'Lord Gifford was not an orthodox adherent of any religion, but someone who nevertheless believed that our relation to God is the most important relation we have'. The book is the published version of the Gifford Lectures 2010 given at the University of St Andrews. Compare Lord Gifford's belief to the non-belief of the atheist culture which dominates the thinking of so many people today, and you are following the direction of this book. The understanding of the stuff of the world revealed by scientific research has led some people to the belief that there is nothing beyond what science is able to discover. In this book Roger Scruton uncovers the unreason of unbelief in God. He looks at the “I - you” experience we all have; at the awareness of beauty: at the idea of the holy, and of the giveness of grace.. Alongside these common experiences, he sees the faceless and brutal results of life without judgement which comes with understanding beyond what atheist culture can give. Many of us will benefit from this philosophical book at a time when the noise of unbelief is loud. Review by Sam Burrows (14/04/12) |
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| Hardback Price: £18.99 Publisher: Continuum Published: 01 March 2012 ISBN: 978-1-847-06524-7 View this book on its own page >> |
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Christianity At Its Bestby Donal Harrington 'I am trying to give expression to Christianity as it can be, as it is meant to be....In that sense the book is idealistic....[and] is written in a spirit of ...critical loyalty.' ('Introduction', p. 7). The thirty chapters are divided into three sections: what Christian faith is, the Christian perspective on the major questions we ask about life and some practical aspects of living as a Christian. Each chapter ends with a question 'For reflection'. Initially, the book needs to be read straight through; only after that may one return to an individual topic. Father Harrington has an easy style, and presents a Catholic understanding of Christianity. References are few, and there is no bibliography or index (which are not required). The above quotation indicates his approach; this is not a catechism or compendium of faith. Rather, it is discursive of beliefs and often challenges the 'institution': 'The God of Jesus Christ...is more like one who subverts our human traditions and breaks the boundaries of what we think possible.' (p. 127). The author intends the book to be for those who 'might not have strong links with church and organised religion' and for 'churchgoers' (pp.8-9). He hopes that the former group will find out 'what Christianity is all about.', and that the latter will be able to 'refresh their understanding', or are those who 'sense the gap between Christianity and church.' (ibid.). One needs a well informed theological mind to appreciate or evaluate many of Father Harrington's statements, suggestions and comments. The reviewer would be wary of giving this book to someone who is on the margins of faith and the Church; one has to encourage people to come into a fuller relationship with God through the Church, albeit one which is imperfect, not through something that does not (yet) exist. However, it could be entrusted to a committed Christian, who might reject some views without having 'the hope that is in you' (1 Peter 3:15) undermined, and be enthused to pray and work even harder for the ideal to be realised. Review by J.Nicholas Latham (14/04/12) |
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| Paperback Price: £12.99 Publisher: Columba Press Published: 24 January 2012 ISBN: 978-1-856-07760-6 View this book on its own page >> |
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The Last Things- A New Approachby Anthony C. Thiselton This remarkable book is driven both by a sense of personal urgency and by distinguished scholarship. Professor Thiselton confronts his own old age and experience of illness in employing hermeneutics to increase understanding of biblical and theological explorations of death and resurrection. He addresses both doubt and belief about the resurrection of the dead. He explains contrasting ideas about God’s covenant and about both the sacraments and scriptural authority. He deploys biblical scholarship, theological history and secular academic philosophy to define and expound belief about the second coming, or return, of Christ; about personal resurrection; about holiness, and teachings about purgatory and punishment; about judgment and justification; and about the beatific vision of God. The scholarship employed in this proclamation of faith makes it a complex book demanding repeated readings. It also makes it a marker for serious Christians confronted by trivialisation of faith through popular science, secular assertiveness, and simplistic conservative notions of moral authority. It demands hard work from readers who are not academic theologians, but the rewards are very great. Review by Su Reid (12/04/12) |
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| Paperback Price: £17.99 Publisher: SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge) Published: January 2012 ISBN: 978-0-281-06347-5 View this book on its own page >> |
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Fathering Leaders, Motivating Mission- Restoring the Role of the Apostle in Today's Churchby David Devenish This latest offering is much like Devenish’s other writings – packed full of well-considered material ideal for the serious lay reader who wants to explore an area of Christian practice. His assessment of the role of the apostle today is detailed and includes a good mix of Biblical material with personal anecdotes from his extensive experience. Chapters include a defence of the proposition that the apostolic role continues in today’s church, details of the foundations which apostles are to lay in the churches they serve and an interesting discussion of the intricacies of contextualisation. A final chapter dealing with ‘common questions’ rounds up this book well. My feelings were mixed about this book. I don’t agree with all that it teaches and do feel that it is very clearly written with an agenda: namely, to be an exposition and defence of the Newfrontiers churches’ stance on apostleship. I also found the style a little too dense at times to be easily readable. However, Devenish’s material is well-researched and thought through; he engages with some scholarship and his work will be a helpful addition to current thinking on apostleship. Review by Chloe Lynch (10/04/12) |
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| Paperback Price: £8.99 Publisher: Authentic Media Published: 07 July 2011 ISBN: 978-1-860-24837-5 View this book on its own page >> |
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The Divine Name(s) and the Holy Trinity: Volume 1- Distinguishing the Voicesby R. Kendall Soulen Kendall Soulen’s particular concern in this book is the name of the Trinity. He identifies three ‘patterns of Trinitarian naming’, which are distinct, of equal value and interrelated. The three are: theological (the three Persons of the Trinity viewed in terms of the giving, receiving and glorification of the divine Name, the unspoken Tetragrammaton – a central, recurring notion in the book. This pattern does occupy a special place, as a kind of ‘fountain of divinity’, because the Tetragrammaton does ‘orbit the personal proper name of God’); Christological (the three Persons identified as Father, Son and Holy Spirit); and pneumatological (an open-ended variety of ‘ternaries’ is in mind here, such as ‘Love, Lover, Beloved’. There’s a gorgeous long list, on pages 249-250, of ternaries that faith has ‘coined’. And that’s only ‘a few’, according to the author!). Each of these ways of naming ‘illuminates the mystery of the Holy Trinity’, but it is the three together, ‘in their reciprocal supplementation, overlaps and differences that most fully illuminate the mystery of the Trinity revealed in the man named ‘Jesus’, who is the Lord, the Son of God, the Bright and Morning Star.’ I was interested to read about the special orthography by which early Christian scribes would highlight the so-called ‘nomina sacra’, Lord, God, Jesus and Christ, described here as a kind of ‘embryonic creed’. I was glad to have persevered with this well-written, though demanding book. You, too, may find it leads you into unfamiliar yet rewarding territory. Roll on, Volume 2! Review by Barry Vendy (10/04/12) |
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| Paperback Price: £19.99 Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press from Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd Published: September 2011 ISBN: 978-0-664-23414-0 View this book on its own page >> |
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Justification- Five ViewsEdited by James K. Beilby and Paul R Eddy |
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ISBN: 978-0-281-06734-3 Price: £15.99 |
Published: February 2012 |
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Doctrine- What Christians Should Believeby Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears |
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ISBN: 978-1-433-52757-9 Price: £10.99 |
Published: 21 October 2011 |
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Confident Christianity- Conversations That Lead to the Crossby Chris Sinkinson |
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ISBN: 978-1-844-74524-1 Price: £8.99 |
Published: 20 January 2012 |
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A ‘Down and Dirty’ Guide to Theologyby Donald K. McKim |
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ISBN: 978-0-664-23405-8 Price: £10.99 |
Published: July 2011 |
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Ecclesial Movements and Communities- Origins, Significance, and Issuesby Brendan Leahy |
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ISBN: 978-1-565-48396-5 Price: £12.50 |
Published: 2011 |
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Engaging With Calvin- Aspects of the Reformers Legacy for TodayEdited Mark D. Thompson |
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ISBN: 978-1-844-74398-8 Price: £19.99 |
Published: 19 September 2009 |
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Child Sexual Abuse & The Catholic Church- Gender, Power and Organizational Cultureby Marie Keenan |
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ISBN: 978-0-199-89567-0 Price: £40.00 |
Published: 20 September 2011 |
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Paul’s New Moment- Continental philosophy and the Future of Christian Theologyby John Milbank, Slavoj Zizek & Creston Davis |
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ISBN: 978-1-587-43227-9 Price: £14.99 |
Published: 01 December 2010 |
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The Cowshed Revolution- A New Society Created by Downwardly Mobile Christiansby Ray Simpson |
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ISBN: 978-1-848-67467-7 Price: £12.99 |
Published: 02 December 2011 |
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Christian Apologetics- A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faithby Douglas Groothuis |
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ISBN: 978-1-844-74539-5 Price: £24.99 |
Published: 16 September 2011 |
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Dishonest to God- On Keeping Religion Out of Politicsby Mary Warnock |
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ISBN: 978-1-441-14542-0 Price: £10.99 |
Published: 10 October 2011 |
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Death and Afterlife- A Theological Introductionby Terence Nichols |
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ISBN: 978-1-587-43183-8 Price: £12.99 |
Published: 01 April 2010 |
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Jesus and the Subversion of Violence- Wrestling With the New Testament Evidenceby Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld |
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ISBN: 978-0-281-06068-9 Price: £14.99 |
Published: September 2011 |
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Why People Don't Believe- Confronting Seven Challenges to Christian Faithby Paul Chamberlain |
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ISBN: 978-0-801-01377-5 Price: £9.99 |
Published: July 2011 |
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