Heretics and Believers: A history of the English Reformation by Peter Marshall (Yale, £30 (£27); 978-0-300-17062-7).
“Centuries on, what the Reformation was and what it accomplished remain deeply contentious. Peter Marshall’s sweeping new history—the first major overview for general readers in a generation—argues that sixteenth-century England was a society neither desperate for nor allergic to change, but one open to ideas of “reform” in various competing guises.”
The Mighty and the Almighty: How political leaders do God, edited by Nick Spencer (Biteback Publishing, £18.99 (£17.10); 978-1-785-90191-1).
“If we elect our politicians to do our democratic will, do we really want them praying to God for advice?The Mighty and the Almighty looks at some of the biggest political figures of the past forty years - from Thatcher and Reagan, through Mandela and Clinton, to May and Trump - and looks at how they ‘did God’. Did their faith actually shape their politics, and if so, how?”
Doubt, Faith and Certainty by Anthony C. Thiselton (Eerdmans, £16.99 (£15.30); 978-0-8028-7353-8).
“Pastoral reflections on doubt from an internationally respected theologian In this book celebrated theologian Anthony Thiselton provides clarity on three complicated and long-misunderstood theological concepts that raise urgent practical, pastoral problems for Christians: doubt, faith, and certainty. According to Thiselton, doubt is not always bad, faith can have different meanings in different circumstances, and certainty is fragile.”
Rain Falling by the River: New and selected poems of the spirit by Christopher Southgate (Canterbury Press, £11.99 (£10.80); 978-1-84825-968-3).
“As a spiritual director, theologian, teacher and chaplain, Christopher Southgate’s poetry resonates deeply with human experience and has received wide recognition. Here he collects together new and some of his most popular poems that touch on spiritual themes.”
Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love (The Grantchester Mysteries) by James Runcie (Bloomsbury, £14.99 (Church Times SPECIAL OFFER PRICE £12.99); 978-1-4088-7902-3).
“The sixth book in the James Runcie’s much-loved series, adapted for ITV’s Grantchester which stars James Norton as Sidney Chambers. It is May 1971 and the Cambridgeshire countryside is bursting into summer. Archdeacon Sidney Chambers is walking in a bluebell wood with his daughter Anna and their ageing Labrador Byron when they stumble upon a body. Plunged into another murder investigation, Sidney discovers a world of hippies and psychedelic plants, where permissive behaviour seems to hide something darker.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.