When Courage Calls: Josephine Butler and the radical pursuit of justice for women by Sarah C. Williams (Hodder & Stoughton, £12.99 (£11.69); 978-1-399-80374-8). New in paperback

“Butler did as much for women as William Wilberforce did for African slaves within the British Empire, and yet, while Wilberforce remains a household name, Butler is forgotten.

“Underpinning Butler’s public life of political activism lies the full corpus of her writing and the spirituality that grounded her activism. When Courage Calls offers a profound examination of Butler’s inner life of prayer, defined by her radical sense of justice that was able to transform Victorian society. Such conviction offers us a taste of what might be possible for our own time and culture.”

The Theology of the Book of Leviticus by Mark Scarlata (Cambridge University Press, £22 (£20.69); 978-1-108-97011-2).

“In this volume, Mark W. Scarlata analyses Leviticus’ theology, establishing the connection between God's divine presence and Israel’s life. Exploring the symbols and rituals of ancient Israel, he traces how Leviticus develops a theology of holiness in space and time, one that weaves together the homes of the Israelites with the home of God. Seen through this theological lens, Leviticus’ text demonstrates how to live in the fullness of God’s holy presence and in harmony with one another and the land. Its theological vision also offers insights into how we might live today in a re-sacralized world that cherishes human dignity and cares for creation.”

Buried Treasure: The collected Church Times Sunday readings by Cally Hammond (Canterbury Press, £24.99 (Church Times SPECIAL OFFER PRICE £19.99); 978-1-78622-567-2).

“Drawing together three years’ worth of the hugely popular Church Times ‘Sunday’s Readings’ column, Buried Treasure offers both professional preachers and casual readers wise, engaging and relevant insight into the Sunday readings for lectionary years A, B and C in one volume. Cally Hammond’s beautiful and profound reflections break down the division between reading and prayer inviting readers to see that the best way to read scripture is not by excluding error, but by including life in all its messy fullness.”

Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.