The Universal Christ: How a forgotten reality can change everything we see, hope for and believe by Richard Rohr (SPCK, £9.99 (£9); 978-0-281-07862-2).
“Across the 30,000 or so varieties of Christianity, believers universally love Jesus. They have no trouble accepting his humanity and his divinity. Many express intimations of his close presence in their lives; a fear of his judgment and wrath as well as a love of his compassion; a justification for their worldviews and politics (of all persuasions), and firm convictions about his atonement for their sins and thus his centrality in their personal salvation. But who is Christ?”
Love Without End: A story of Heloise and Abelard by Melvyn Bragg (Sceptre, £18.99 (£17.10); 978-1-473-69092-9).
“A classic love story, retold for our times. Paris in 1117. Heloise, a brilliant young scholar, is astonished when the famous, radical philosopher, Peter Abelard, consents to be her tutor. But what starts out as a meeting of minds turns into a passionate, dangerous love affair, which incurs terrible retribution.”
Leading a Church to Maturity in Love: A theological and practical guide to church leadership by David R. Tomlinson (Sacristy Press, £12.99 (£11.70); 978-1-78959-023-4).
“Building on extensive experience of leading churches at times of change, David R. Tomlinson shows how through critical theological reflection and modelling good practice church leaders can facilitate church life that is grounded in and transformed by the love of God.”
Atheist Overreach: What atheism can’t deliver by Christian Smith (Oxford, £12.99 (£11.70); 978-0-19-088092-7).
“In recent years atheism has become ever more visible, acceptable, and influential. Atheist apologists have become increasingly vociferous and confident in their claims: that a morality requiring benevolence towards all and universal human rights need not be grounded in religion; that modern science disproves the existence of God; and that there is nothing innately religious about human beings. In Atheist Overreach, Christian Smith takes a look at the evidence and arguments, and explains why we ought to be skeptical of these atheists' claims about morality, science, and human nature.”
100 Churches, 100 Years by the Twentieth Century Society, edited by Susannah Charlton, Elain Harwood, and Clare Price (Batsford, £25 (£22.50); 978-1-84994-514-1).
“Following on from 100 Buildings 100 Years and 100 Houses 100 Years, this book illustrates and describes 100 churches and chapels built in the UK since 1914, charting the development of buildings for worship. In this period concrete and steel gave a new freedom to construction, while new ideas about how congregations could participate in services changed assumptions about traditional layouts, bringing celebrants and people closer together.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.
