My Theology: Spectres of God by Rachel Mann (DLT, £8.99 (£8.09); 978-1-913657-52-9).
“Priest, poet, and broadcaster Rachel Mann believes the world is charged with a divine spark. She explains how in our encounters with what she terms ‘the spectres of God’, one can become at peace with limitation, precariousness, lack of certainty, and one's fragility and fractures — and at the same time find in divine fragility the hope of the world. Drawing on her own experiences, in three short chapters (on the body, on love, and on time) Mann explores how God invites us, repeatedly, to live in a rich three-dimensional mystery that subverts the depressing flat-earth of modern life.”
English Grounds: A pastoral journal by Andrew Rumsey (SCM Press, £19.99 (Church Times SPECIAL OFFER PRICE £15.99); 978-0-334-06114-4).
“In this journal of short, lyrical reflections, Andrew Rumsey takes the reader on an exploration of faith, place, and identity. Focusing on the author’s home in Wiltshire, as he arrives to take up an ancient role in a testing time, English Grounds is both an affirmation and critique of this country’s Christian heritage. Together the essays challenge us to think more deeply about the place of the Church in the consciousness of the English, and the place of England in the consciousness of the Church.
Means of Grace: A year of weekly devotions by Fleming Rutledge, and edited by Laura Bardolph Hubers (Eerdmans, £19.99 (£17.99); 978-0-8028-7870-0).
“Means of Grace is a weekly devotional culled from the sermons of beloved pastor and theologian Fleming Rutledge, organised according to the framework of the liturgical calendar. Each entry, compiled and edited by Rutledge's friend Laura Bardolph Hubers, begins with a biblical passage and ends with a short prayer. Those familiar with Rutledge's work will recognise both her genuine empathy for human experience and her deep reverence for God. Anyone longing for the wise pastoral guidance of an adept veteran preacher — one who views Scripture not as bland life lessons or timeless teaching but as ‘the living God present and acting in the story of redemption’ — will find here a meaningful companion through the seasons of their spiritual journey that they can return to year after year.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.
