Why the Bible Began: An alternative history of scripture and its origins by Jacob L. Wright (Cambridge University Press, £19.99 (£17.99); 978-1-108-79668-2). New in paperback
“Why did no other ancient society produce something like the Bible? That a tiny, out of the way community could have created a literary corpus so determinative for peoples across the globe seems improbable. For Jacob Wright, the Bible is not only a testimony of survival, but also an unparalleled achievement in human history. Forged after Babylon's devastation of Jerusalem, it makes not victory but total humiliation the foundation of a new idea of belonging. Lamenting the destruction of their homeland, scribes who composed the Bible imagined a promise-filled past while reflecting deeply on abject failure.”
How to Do Christian Ethics: Living the grammar of Christian life every day by Brian Brock (T & T Clark, £24.99 (£22.49); 978-0-567-71750-4).
“Discover how pressing contemporary moral issues can be approached and discussed in a distinct and coherently theological fashion. This book displays a more direct approach that has the distinct advantage of being approachable, dramatic, and contemporary. It introduces the reader to the grammar of Christian moral reasoning and expands upon its intricate inner workings.”
Bewilderment: A spiritual guide by Robert Atwell (Canterbury Press, £14.99 (Church Times SPECIAL OFFER PRICE £11.99); 978-1-78622-647-1).
“In our bewildering age when the mental health of so many is fragile and people feel adrift and uncertain, an unlikely hero can offer surprising and much needed wisdom. We think of prophets as strong and confident figures, but the prophet Jonah is neither of these. In fact he’s barely taken seriously at all and is crowded out of his own story by the whale that swallowed him up. Robert Atwell uncovers how the book of Jonah offers a strikingly relevant theology for our time - one that grapples with isolation, protest, anger, fear, and depression, all under the shadow of divine presence in the midst of personal turmoil.”
Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.