Sabbath: The hidden heartbeat of our lives by Nicola Slee (DLT, £9.99 (£9); 978-0-232-53399-6).
“Deep within the woods, amid the harry and hassle of endlessly proliferating demands - from work and loved ones, social media and new technologies, as well as by church and other organisations to which we belong - lies God's invitation to Sabbath, a clearing in which to pause, to breathe, to find light, harmony and regeneration. In this beautiful meditation on the theme of Sabbath, Nicola Slee helps us to discover this treasure within ourselves, guided by poetry (her own and that of Wendell Berry), journal extracts and space for you, the reader, to record your own thoughts and reflections along the way.”
Sabbath Rest: The beauty of God’s rhythm for a digital age by Mark Scarlata (SCM Press, £12.99 (£11.70); 978-0-334-05806-9).
“Why is sabbath so critical for the life of faith? And where does sabbath rest fit into a restless, `always-on' society? Sabbath Rest considers the theological foundations of Christian sabbath-keeping, in first and second temple Judaism, New Testament Christianity and in the early church.”
To Heal and Not to Hurt: A fresh approach to safeguarding in Church by Rosie Harper and Alan Wilson (DLT, £12.95 (£11.65); 978-0-232-53394-1).
“In recent years churches have found themselves all but overwhelmed by safeguarding concerns and allegations of abuse. Rosie Harper and Alan Wilson - who share almost seventy years of pastoral ministry - have listened with increasing dismay to many of the people who have had seriously damaging experiences within the Church. To Heal and Not to Hurt presents 15 narrative examples of these experiences, and examines the deep institutional roots of the abusive attitudes that caused them and the Church's often equally damaging responses. It concludes with the suggestion of a calm, reasoned, and practical basis on which the Church could shape a more adequate and sustainable policy of prevention and response.”
Creative Ideas for Worship With All Abilities: In association with L’Arche by Hazel Bradley and Jim Cargin (Canterbury Press, £24.99 (£22.50); 978-1-78622-119-3).
“This vital resource draws on the vast experience of the L'Arche community to offer practical guidance and ideas for imaginative worship that engages people with learning and other disabilities. It explores the essential considerations of pastoral work with those with learning disabilities, as well as patterns of prayer and worship that are most appropriate.”
The King and the Catholics: The fight for rights 1829 by Antonia Fraser (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £10.99 (£9.90); 978-1-4746-0194-8). New in paperback.
“The story of Catholic Emancipation begins with the violent Anti-Catholic Gordon Riots in 1780, fuelled by the reduction in Penal Laws against the Roman Catholics harking back to the sixteenth century. Some fifty years later, the passing of the Emancipation Bill was hailed as a 'bloodless revolution'. Had the Irish Catholics been a 'millstone', as described by an English aristocrat, or were they the prime movers? While the English Catholic aristocracy and the Irish peasants and merchants approached the Catholic Question in very different ways, they manifestly shared the same objective.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.