Living God’s Future Now: Conversations with contemporary prophets by Samuel Wells (Canterbury Press, £17.99 (Church Times SPECIAL OFFER PRICE £14.39); 978-1-78622-415-6).
“Arguably the most imaginative and energetic church response to the pandemic has been that of HeartEdge, the interdenominational church renewal movement founded at St Martin-in-the-Fields by Samuel Wells but now extending beyond the UK to Europe, North America and Australia.
“From serving thousands of meals on London’s streets to becoming, in all but name, an online conference centre and theological college offering hundreds of events, one outstanding feature of its programme has been Samuel Wells’s monthly conversations about the future of the Church with leading figures from Britain and America, attended by large online audiences.
“This volume offers a distillation of those conversations which, instead of being preoccupied with decline, focus on what Christian presence and practice might look like in the world that is being reshaped by what the pandemic has revealed, and the theology that is needed to sustain such a vision.”
The Heart of Things: On memory and lament by Richard Holloway (Canongate, £10.99 (£9.89); 978-1-83885-497-3). New in paperback
“Richard Holloway is one of our most beloved public thinkers. Throughout his life he has turned to poets and writers to help answer the big questions, and for solace and guidance in the face of life’s challenges. Now he shares those poems and words which have been his own guide, offered in the hope they will help us too. This is a book to turn to for inspiration, guidance and comfort. It offers lessons from those who, in Richard’s words, ‘know best how to listen and teach us to listen’, all united by ‘the sensual appeal of words, the pain and pleasure they impart’. It is a book to treasure.”
Anselm: A very short introduction by Thomas Williams (OUP, £8.99 (£8.09); 978-0-19-289781-7).
“These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.