Being Human: Bodies, minds, persons by Rowan Williams (SPCK, £9.99 (Church Times SPECIAL OFFER PRICE £7.99); 978-0-281-07975-9).
“What is consciousness? Is the mind a machine? What makes us persons? What does it mean to aspire to human maturity? These are among the fundamental questions that Rowan Williams helps us to think about in this deeply engaging exploration of what it means to be human.”
Waiting for the Last Bus: Reflections on life and death by Richard Holloway (Canongate, £14.99 (Church Times SPECIAL OFFER PRICE £12.99); 978-1-78689-021-4).
“Where do we go when we die? Or is there nowhere to go? Is death something we can do or is it just something that happens to us? Now in his ninth decade, former Bishop of Edinburgh Richard Holloway has spent a lifetime at the bedsides of the dying, guiding countless men and women towards peaceful deaths.”
Incarnational Mission: Being with the world by Samuel Wells (Canterbury Press, £14.99 (£13.50); 978-1-78622-036-3).
“In this follow-up to Incarnational Ministry: Being with the Church, Samuel Wells explores what it means for Christians and churches to engage with the world. Drawing on the Gospels, Acts, and personal insights gleaned from more than two decades in ministry, he shows how `being with' others includes experiences of presence, attention, mystery, delight, participation, partnership, enjoyment and glory.”
Sacred Strangers: What the Bible’s outsiders can teach Christians by Nancy Haught (Liturgical Press, £10.99 (£9.90); 978-0-8146-4504-8).
“The Bible is laced with stories in which strangers behave better than believers. What do these encounters with "others"-people from different cultures, religions, genders, economic and social classes-teach us about our own spiritual values, about the faith and God behind them?”
Shepherd of Another Flock: The charming tale of a new vicar in a Yorkshire country town by David Wilbourne (Pan Books, £8.99 (£8.10); 978-1-5098-2919-4). New in paperback.
“As the newly appointed Vicar of Helmsley, David was looking forward to working in this picturesque market town, set in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. Admittedly the vicarage, which dated back to the twelfth century, was extremely cold and damp. And not all of his parishioners were impressed by his new-fangled ways. But with the help of the irrepressible Father Bert, a retired cleric and one-time Tail End Charlie, David set about winning over the townsfolk.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the
Church Times Bookshop.