The Narnia books had a very significant role in shaping my Christian faith. I read them as a young teenager and then around the time I decided to be a Christian at 16, I re-read them. No books, before or since, have given me the experience of entering another world like these did. Yet it… Continue reading ‘The Lion’s World: A journey into the heart of Narnia’ by Rowan Williams [Review]
Category: Recommended books & reviews
‘Everyone can be great, because anyone can serve’
Photo by Hugo Magalhaes on Pexels.com ‘Long before and after Jesus, prophets and philosophers have been trying to reconcile the fullest individuality with the most just community. Greatness of servanthood may have been as good an answer as any ever found. The best woman or man was the one who did the most for the… Continue reading ‘Everyone can be great, because anyone can serve’
How ‘Surprised by Hope’ changed my whole outlook on life & death – by Mari Williams
What is the Christian hope? What does the Bible say about life after death? What are the implications for life before death? Tom Wright tackles these and other questions in his seminal book Surprised by Hope. It’s dense but engaging, rooted in Scripture, and it’s changing the way I think, pray and act. I won’t… Continue reading How ‘Surprised by Hope’ changed my whole outlook on life & death – by Mari Williams
John Bunyan’s warning to bloggers
Recently I read John Bunyan's classic tale Pilgrim's Progress, published in 1678. Like some of the most powerful Christian writings, for example Martin Luther King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Letters from Prison and Paul's Letter to the Philippians, it is a book written from a prison cell. What makes it such a brilliant book… Continue reading John Bunyan’s warning to bloggers
Faith Under Fire by Andrew White: Awful and Awe-full
Faith under Fire is both one of the most Awful (in what it recounts) and Awe-full books that I have read in recent years. Andrew White is better known as the stubborn and inspiring 'Vicar of Baghdad', serving his 3500 strong congregation of St. Georges – the only Anglican church in Iraq. He daily faces the… Continue reading Faith Under Fire by Andrew White: Awful and Awe-full
I find praying hard
Since becoming a Christian I have always found praying hard. I know its important and valuable – but I find it difficult. I have tried various books to help me. Many have stimulated my thinking and intellectual reflection about my faith. Too often though, in the words of the band Switchfoot, this just 'adds to the noise’. I get loads of… Continue reading I find praying hard
‘Life’s not always easy: Children & pain or disability’ by Gordon Kuhrt
My Dad, Gordon Kuhrt, wrote a book for his nine grandchildren which has just been published. Its about his experiences of growing up and how he coped with the challenges of both a disability and being separated from his parents for almost his entire childhood. The following excerpts in italics are taken from the book: Why the book was written… Continue reading ‘Life’s not always easy: Children & pain or disability’ by Gordon Kuhrt
Cricket, justice and political action
Just as you cannot separate faith and politics, it is impossible to separate the world of international sport from politics. Recently for my birthday I got two brilliant examples of the role cricket can play within the political sphere. Firstly the DVD of the acclaimed documentary film Fire in Babylon, which is about the great West Indies… Continue reading Cricket, justice and political action
‘Empire of Illusion’ by Chris Hedges
"We have transformed our culture into a vast replica of Pinocchio's Pleasure Island, where boys were lured with the promise of no school and endless fun. They were all, however turned into donkeys - a symbol of ignorance and stupidity" In Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle Chris Hedges pulls no… Continue reading ‘Empire of Illusion’ by Chris Hedges
Tom Wright For Everyone by Stephen Kuhrt
I am excited about my brother's new book Tom Wright For Everyone: Putting the theology of N.T. Wright into practice in the Local Church which has just been published by SPCK. I will not attempt an impartial review but I do think its going to be prove to be a significant book. NT Wright is one of… Continue reading Tom Wright For Everyone by Stephen Kuhrt
Grace + Truth 