I have just finished reading The Seven Storey Mountain, the spiritual autobiography of Thomas Merton. Its a beautiful book which chronicles his journey through childhood and student days to becoming a Trappist monk. Merton was born in 1915 and experienced an eclectic upbringing in USA, France and London. However, his early life was marked by… Continue reading Thomas Merton on self-idolatry and solitude
Category: Recommended books & reviews
The five best books on Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement
I have been taken aback by the response to my last post on the Secularisation of Martin Luther King. A few people who have got in touch admitted that they did not even know MLK was a Christian, let alone a church minister. Over the years I have gained a lot from reading about the… Continue reading The five best books on Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement
‘Stories from the Street: A Theology of Homelessness’ by David Nixon [Review]
As a Christian who has been working with homeless people over the last 20 years, I was very excited to see the publication of this book. Christians working and volunteering in this field need a strong theology to inform, guide and nourish their activism. Despite the fact that the majority of homelessness organisations and projects… Continue reading ‘Stories from the Street: A Theology of Homelessness’ by David Nixon [Review]
The power of the F-word
On Sunday at our youth group we were looking at forgiveness. It is such a big issue for everyone: How can we find forgiveness for the things we feel guilt for? And how can we forgive others who have hurt us? Forgiveness in South Africa One of the other leaders had just got back from… Continue reading The power of the F-word
Share or Die: why collaborative consumption is the future – by Neal Gorenflo
R&R were contacted by the publishers of a new US book 'Share or Die'. Below is the Editor's Preface which is reproduced as a guest post with permission. About six months ago, a weather-beaten, middle-age man asked me for money on the platform of the Mountain View Caltrain station. I gave him three dollars. He thanked me,… Continue reading Share or Die: why collaborative consumption is the future – by Neal Gorenflo
Do Hard Things – a rebellion against low expectations
Do Hard Things is an unusual book. It was written by two teenagers for other teenagers. Its message is blunt and challenging: that young people should rebel against the culture of low expectations of what teenagers are capable of. The book starts like this: ‘Most people don’t expect you to understand what we’re going to… Continue reading Do Hard Things – a rebellion against low expectations
‘Christians cannot be passive about hunger, sickness and injustice’ Tim Keller
On holiday recently I read Tim Keller's book The Prodigal God. This is a short, accessible and beautifully fresh description of the heart of the Christian faith. I would recommend it to anyone - but especially to those who those who are outside of the church and who are sceptical about Christianity. The book focusses… Continue reading ‘Christians cannot be passive about hunger, sickness and injustice’ Tim Keller
The resistance and renewal of John Bunyan – by Peter Morden
John Bunyan lived in a time of political turmoil. The Puritan Commonwealth, which ran the country following the overthrow of Charles I, had collapsed. The monarchy had been restored. And the new regime was not favourable to Christians who dissented from the authority of the established Church. Bunyan was imprisoned for 12 years for refusing to… Continue reading The resistance and renewal of John Bunyan – by Peter Morden
A vital subject but a narrow perspective: Tim Chester’s ‘Unreached’ [review] – by Greg Smith
Tim Chester and his group of collaborators are to be praised for the work they do in living incarnationally in some of the toughest neighbourhoods in Britain. They seek to bring the Good News of Jesus to local residents and to plant culturally relevant churches among them. The book draws on this experience and is… Continue reading A vital subject but a narrow perspective: Tim Chester’s ‘Unreached’ [review] – by Greg Smith
The Fifty Shades of Christian Fiction: ‘Cross Roads’ by Wm Paul Young [review]
What has Wm Paul Young, author of The Shack, got in common with EL James, author of record breaking series Fifty Shades of Grey? Well, for a start they have both sold millions of books. But also, both writers have catapulted a relatively marginal genre of literature, namely erotica and Christian fiction, into the global… Continue reading The Fifty Shades of Christian Fiction: ‘Cross Roads’ by Wm Paul Young [review]
