Spiritual Intelligence in Seven Steps by Mark Vernon (Iff Books, £14.99 (Church Times SPECIAL OFFER PRICE £12.99); 978-1-80341-032-6).
“Writer and psychotherapist Mark Vernon examines the type of intelligence that, whilst often dismissed and overlooked, is crucial to understand and cultivate if we are to survive and thrive in our times. Spiritual intelligence is the foundation of who we are and our particular type of consciousness. It is the perception identified across wisdom and religious traditions, and known by many names, which can be summarised as the awareness of awareness, and so of being itself. It is the foundation of peace, even in the face of death, as well as purpose and solidarity. The challenge today is to recover and live according to that knowledge.”
The Rebel Christ by Michael Coren (Canterbury Press, £12.99 (£11.69); 978-1-78622-479-8).
“In The Rebel Christ, Michael Coren explores what Jesus said about the pressing issues of his and our day. Jesus may not have mentioned sexuality, but welcomed outsiders and the marginalised; he never spoke of social security systems, but did criticise the wealthy and complacent and called for the poor to be protected; he didn't side with the powerful but did condemn those who judged and exploited others and turned their eyes away from those in need and from the cry for justice. This was Jesus the rebel, Christ the radical, who turned the world upside down and who today demands that his followers do the same.”
Listen to an interview with Michael Coren here
Becoming Human: The Holy Spirit and the rhetoric of race by Luke A. Powery (WJK, £17 (£15.30); 978-0-664-26722-3).
“The dominant story told in our society about race has many components, but two stand out: (1) racial difference is an essential characteristic, fully determining individual and group identity; and (2) racial difference means that some bodies are less human than others. The church knows another story, says Luke Powery, if it would remember it. That story says that the diversity of human bodies is one of the gifts of the Spirit.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.