Andre Agassi’s autobiography Open is a brutally honest book about what was going on in Agassi’s mind as he became a globally famous tennis player. As he continually repeats throughout the book, despite the wealth and fame it gave him, Agassi hated playing tennis. It is the best sports biography I have ever read Agassi… Continue reading The superficiality of success
Category: Recommended books & reviews
A modern Ecclesiastes: Matthew Perry & the Big Terrible reality of addiction
Matthew Perry’s memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is a poignant and moving book which is rendered tragic by the author’s death last year aged just 54. Matthew Perry had just about everything most men could dream of. He had ‘the best job in the world’ starring in the world's most popular TV… Continue reading A modern Ecclesiastes: Matthew Perry & the Big Terrible reality of addiction
Henri Nouwen on leadership – by Ed Walker
‘Leadership requires deep spiritual formation involving the whole person – body, mind and heart.’ In the Name of Jesus: reflections on Chistian Leadership is a great little book. As with all Henri Nouwen's writing – it is best read slowly. You need to allow its wisdom to sink deep. Many of us have read leadership… Continue reading Henri Nouwen on leadership – by Ed Walker
Comfortable beliefs or a shipwrecked faith?
St Paul's Islands, Malta This summer I went on holiday with the Apostle Paul. Well, sort of. I went to the Mediterranean island of Malta where Paul in AD59, under arrest, was shipwrecked on his way to a trial before Caesar in Rome. The traumatic voyage is recorded in dramatic detail by Luke in Acts… Continue reading Comfortable beliefs or a shipwrecked faith?
The power of personal conviction
I have just read For the Glory, a biography of Eric Liddell by the brilliant sports writer, Duncan Hamilton. Eric Liddell was the Scottish sprinter who famously refused to run in the 100m in the 1924 Olympics because the heats were on a Sunday. Liddell was subject to severe ridicule for his stance from some… Continue reading The power of personal conviction
‘Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story’ by Bono [review]
I remember walking back from the shops after buying U2’s The Joshua Tree as a 14 year old and bumping into someone from my church who was about 10 years older than me. He said "Umm, I’m not really sure about U2" and started reading the album’s lyrics sheet. He read out these words from… Continue reading ‘Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story’ by Bono [review]
‘Saving Liberalism from Itself’ – by Ian Geary
A review of Saving Liberalism from Itself: The Spirit of Political Participation by Timothy Stacey, 2022 Understanding the contemporary variant of liberalism which dominates the West at this time is an important subject for the Church in order to understand its mission and witness. Liberalism places human freedom at the centre of economics, politics… Continue reading ‘Saving Liberalism from Itself’ – by Ian Geary
‘A toolbox for peace & liberation’? An activist reads the Bible
Review of Open for Liberation: an activist reads the Bible – by Tim Gee (Christian Alternative, 2022) Tim Gee believes the Bible is chiefly a narrative of liberation for the oppressed. In Open for Liberation, he claims Jesus led an anti-colonial movement of the dispossessed which affirmed women's leadership, racial equality and sexual diversity. Gee… Continue reading ‘A toolbox for peace & liberation’? An activist reads the Bible
Is church just for the middle class?
Excerpts from the new book: Invisible Divides: Class, Culture & Barriers to Belonging by Natalie Williams & Paul Brown (SPCK, 2022) Paul: I remember the culture shock I experienced when I first walked into a church as a 25 year old bricklayer. I'd only gone because my girlfriend persuaded me. I felt completely out of my… Continue reading Is church just for the middle class?
Charity Detox: the difference between the crisis & the chronic
Two months ago, I read US activist Robert Lupton’s book Toxic Charity: how churches and charities harm those they help. I have just finished his follow up book Charity Detox: What charity would look like if we cared about results. Lupton acknowledges the controversy stirred by his previous book but his views are forged by… Continue reading Charity Detox: the difference between the crisis & the chronic
