Found Out: Transgressive faith and sexuality by Alison Webster (DLT, £12.99 (£11.70); 978-0-232-53263-0).
“More than twenty years after Found Wanting, her acclaimed critique of Christian approaches to women’s sexuality, Alison Webster presents a positive book of practical theology that gives voice to the experiences of marginalised women making sense of their spirituality and sexuality. She explores what has changed over two decades, and the challenges that remain. She puts forward a new model of faith identity based on Jesus as a boundary crosser (divine/human) and reclaims as positive the often painful and challenging place of being ‘in-between’, of not belonging.”
Heart of Oneness: A little book of connection by Jennifer Kavanagh (Christian Alternative, £6.99 (£6.30); 978-1-78535-685-8).
“Our screens and newsfeeds are full of violent images; our world is full of poverty, inequality and injustice. We find it hard to live together, in our families, communities, or in the world at large. At the same time, we are surrounded by the beauty of the natural world, and daily life is full of acts of compassion, kindness, friendship and love. How do we reconcile these differences? Science, religion and our own experience teach us that the whole of creation is a web of interconnectedness. This book explores the oneness at the heart of existence – and what this means for how we act in the world.”
Followers of the Way: Ancient discipleship for modern Christians by Simon Reed (BRF, £7.99 (£7.20); 978-0-85746-538-2).
“If, in simple terms, discipleship is about connecting more deeply with God and connecting God with the whole of life, Simon Reed argues, we’re looking at a life-long process for which we require long-term skills rather than short-term courses. The Celtic and desert Christians, drawing on Old and New Testament practices, taught and modelled how to do this through the practice of living by a Way of Life. By drawing together today’s need for disciples and Celtic Christianity, Followers of the Way inspires authentic Christian discipleship for the contemporary world.”
Science and Religion in Wittgenstein’s Fly-Bottle by Tim Labron (Bloomsbury, £22.99 (£20.70); 978-1-4411-5119-3).
“The core concern is not the relation between science and religion, it is realism in science and religion. Wittgenstein's philosophy and developments in quantum theory can help us to untie the knots in our preconceived realism and, as Wittgenstein would say, show the fly out of the bottle. This point of view changes the discussion from science and religion competing for the discovery of the `true reality' external to us (realism), and from claiming that reality is simply whatever we pragmatically think it is (nonrealism), to realizing the nature and interdependence of reality, language, and information in science and religion.”
The Brass Eagle Lecterns of England by Marcus Van Der Meulen (Amberley, £14.99 (£13.50); 978-1-4456-6820-8).
“The brass eagle lectern is regarded as a quintessential piece of English church furniture which reflects the wealth of late medieval English towns and their connections with Europe. Many are products of the Victorian age inspired by their early Tudor counterparts. In this fascinating book, the author traces the development of the lecterns from the tenth century and provides a comprehensive picture of the lecterns found in East Anglia (where most of the early lecterns are located) and throughout the whole of England, including the ones used in Cambridge and Oxford colleges.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.