Unveiled: Women of the Old Testament and the choices they made by Clare Hayns (author), and Micah Hayns (artist). (BRF, £12.99 (£11.69); 978-1-80039-072-0).
“Some women of the Hebrew scriptures are well known, but many others are barely remembered. Even when they are, we often don’t pause on them long enough to think about what we might learn from them. Unveiled, written with frankness and humour and illustrated with striking artwork from a young Oxford-based artist, explores the stories of 40 women in 40 days. Each reflection ends with a short application to everyday life, guidance for further thought and a prayer.”
A Great Place to Grow Old: Re-imagining ministry among older people by Tina English (DLT, £12.99 (£11.69); 978-0-232-53458-0).
“We live in a time of increasing numbers of older people, and the Church is ageing even faster than the world around us. Yet few churches have a strategic plan for seniors' ministry. Zechariah 8:4-5 tells us that the Church should be a great place to grow old, as well as a great place to grow up, and Tina English has written this book to show us how we can make it so. A Great Place to Grow Old offers advice and resources to help individuals and churches reach out effectively to the older people in their communities, to visit and support seniors in local care homes, and come alongside those living with dementia and their carers. It is full of inspiring stories of lives impacted by successful ministry among seniors, practical advice and guidance for churches both with and without premises for hosting work with seniors, and teaching with an underlying biblical foundation of what it means to be human, and God's heart for people of all ages.”
Zwingli: God’s armed prophet by Bruce Gordon (Yale, £25 (£22.50); 978-0-300-23597-5).
“Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531) was the most significant early reformer after Martin Luther. As the architect of the Reformation in Switzerland, he created the Reformed tradition later inherited by John Calvin. His movement ultimately became a global religion. A visionary of a new society, Zwingli was also a divisive and fiercely radical figure. Bruce Gordon presents a fresh interpretation of the early Reformation and the key role played by Zwingli. A charismatic preacher and politician, Zwingli transformed church and society in Zurich and inspired supporters throughout Europe. Yet, Gordon shows, he was seen as an agitator and heretic by many and his bellicose, unyielding efforts to realize his vision would prove his undoing. Unable to control the movement he had launched, Zwingli died on the battlefield fighting his Catholic opponents.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.