23 mins
REVIEWS
SAY IT TO GOD
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book 2018
Written by: Luigi Gioia
Published by: Bloomsbury
Price £9.99
Prayer is very much to the fore in the 2018 Lent book endorsed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
But this is not simply a collection of prayers or instructions or insights into how to engage in prayer, but rather encouragement for those already praying and offers hope and a thoughtful perspective on why we pray, leading readers seamlessly into the theological basis and aspects of prayer, derived from reflection on the New Testament.
The chapters are deliberately short and not numbered and are designed to be read daily during the period of Lent, which begins this month, for those seeking daily reflection during this Christian season.
The author is a Benedictine monk, Professor of Systematic Theology at the Pontifical University of Sant’ Anselmo in Rome and Research Associate of the von Hugel Institute in Cambridge and an advocate of spiritual retreats.
Endorsing the book, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby writes: “Luigi Gioia encourages us to respond to God’s prompting, to face what gets in our way and to follow with child-like trust to explore a new way of being with God: to pray as, and with Jesus, in freedom and trust.”
STORIES OF ENCOUNTER
Pray Now prayers, Devotions, blessings and reflections on ‘how they prayed’
Published by: Saint Andrew Press
Price: £9.99
The Church of Scotland’s prayer book has had a tweak in publishing schedules and was published towards the end of last year.
Based around a theme of everyday stories, regardless of age and stage of life, they are shaped by encounter of many types and forms – other people, the natural world, personal experience and emotion and ultimately with God.
The collection of original prayers, meditation and blessings will, as always, be a useful addition to the bookshelves of worship leaders or for personal devotions or group study. The book can also be read daily and enjoyed by individuals, but is equally useful for leading devotions.
Seventy short sections contain quotations from scripture, prayers for the start and end of the day, a short meditation and a suggested reading based around the theme of encounter, from those Jesus met, to everyday chance meetings to personal encounter with God in prayer.
The spiritual richness and evocative imagery of this high-quality work ensures it is another fine addition to the long-standing Pray Now legacy.
A PLACE FOR GOD
Written by: Graham James
Published by: Bloomsbury
Price: £9.99
Published ahead of Lent, this 40-chapter book is designed to be read every day in the season leading to Easter. Each centres around a passage from scripture and ends with a short prayer or blessing and looks at 40 different places that have helped to shape his life.
The author, the Bishop of Norwich, will journey with readers from Papua New Guinea, to Brazil and from Cana in Galilee to Cornwall, drawing on the divine discoveries made in each, reaching across many continents of the world. Some are obscure and quirky (Holborn Tube Station in London and Center Parcs at Longleat to name but two) whilst others are very well known, (The Pantheon in Rome and Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro and in the UK, the Jorvik Centre in York) but each encounter with the featured place has shaped or influenced the author’s life in some way.
James, a regular contributor to Thought for the Day, has produced a lively, entertaining but equally thought-provoking work that is part-travel journal, part diary and part theological reflection. It is written in accessible language and would be a very easy book to pick and read every day as part of the Lenten journey.
In a foreword he explains that the book is not restricted to being read during Lent book and could be enjoyed during any season of the church year.
Describing the premise of the work, James writes: “What’s written is an invitation to travel, but the destination is not the sort found in travel brochures; rather it is in our pilgrimage with and to God revealed in Jesus Christ.”
REALITY, SCIENCE AND THE SUPERNATURAL CAN SCIENCE SUPPORT BELIEF IN A CREATOR GOD?
Written by: John Brain
Published by: Amazon
Price: £6.99
This book is the latest in a raft to tackle and offer a counterpoint to the arguments of the so-called ‘new atheists’, led by the scientist Richard Dawkins.
The author has produced the book as a contribution to the Scientists in Congregations Scotland programme, centred at the University of St Andrews, led by Dr Andrew Torrance.
For anyone interested in the academic side of the debate, this book will be worth a read and adds another contribution to the Science v Religion debate.
Lynne McNeil
This article appears in the February 2018 Issue of Life and Work
If you would like to view other issues of Life and Work, you can see the full archive
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