Discovering Lectio Divina: Bringing scripture into ordinary life by James C. Wilhoit and Evan B. Howard (IVP, £9.99 (£9); 978-0-83083-570-6).
“Spiritual formation experts James Wilhoit and Evan Howard argue that our ancestors in the faith responded to the special nature of Scripture with special habits of reading. In this step-by-step introduction to the practice of lectio divina, you will learn what it means to read your way into a new and life-changing intimacy with God. Their simple, easy-to-follow explanation of this ancient practice provides a perfect foundation for you to begin meeting God in his Word.”
The Meaning of Christian Liturgy: Recent developments in the church of Sweden by Oloph Bexell (Eerdmans, £11.99 (£10.80); 978-0-8028-6848-0).
“ The Meaning of Christian Liturgy illuminates and explains the changes that have occurred in the liturgy of the Church of Sweden from 1980 to 2000. In the process, this volume asks a number of questions of immense importance not only within Sweden but also for Christian churches in the English-speaking world, including: How does participation in a liturgy make clear what -church- is about? What does liturgical participation say about who or what God is and about the community's encounter with God?”
Growing through the Church: A practical and theological vision for all-age worship by Russell Herbert (Kevin Mayhew, £11.99 (£10.80); 978-1-84867-539-1).
“Russell Herbert believes that it is essential that churches enable all ages to grow together. This book explores how church need not be something to ‘grow out of’ – rather it can and should be something we grow through. Drawing on the theology and psychology of faith development as well as his own experience as a preacher and worship-leader, the author gives practical guidance for engaging the imaginations of all ages through music, prayer, presenting a message and enabling a response.”
The Mystery of God: Theology for knowing the unknowable by Steven D. Boyer and Christopher A. Hall (Baker-Academic, £12.99 (£11.70); 978-0-8010-2773-4).
“Christians have always known that God is a mystery and have developed strategies to aid believers in knowing him genuinely, but in a way that takes seriously the fact that he is beyond knowledge. Steven Boyer and Christopher Hall argue that the “mystery of God” has a rightful place in theological discourse and contend that considering divine incomprehensibility invites reverence and humility on the believer’s part. They investigate the biblical, historical, and practical foundations for understanding the mystery of God and examine its implications for a variety of theological issues and practices.”
The Power of Silence: The riches that lie within by Graham Turner (Bloomsbury, £16.99 (£15.30); 978-1-4411-8223-4).
“Silence is a mysterious and unfathomable realm, perhaps the most under-used of all resources, and one our modern culture has all but obliterated by turning up the volume control. Graham Turner explores the power that can be found in silence through interviewing monastics, religious leaders, composers, actors, psychotherapists, prisoners and peace workers about their experiences of practising silence. Ranging from Christian contemplation in the Egyptian desert to Vipassana meditation in India, from the shared silence of Quaker meetings in Oxford to the profound stillness of the Alps, this is a powerful book about a great gap in modern human awareness.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.