Through this story of the Rev Luke Paul, the issues of opening up inter-religious dialogue and learning about inter-cultural sensitivity are thoughtfully and carefully explored. it should inspire and encourage those who might be hesitant to follow his example. (Review by Rev Dr Sheilagh Kesting, Ecumenical Officer, Church of Scotland)

The author, a former editor of The Herald, was commissioned by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland to undertake an intensive investigation into all aspects of the contemporary church.This book, written in 2002, led to much discussion at the time. It is worth reading again. Harry Reid made 21 proposals which could revitalise the Kirk.
Have any been adopted? Has the Kirk changed? Read the book and make your own mind up.

In 1999 Simon Guillebaud arrived in the war torn country of Burundi, Africa to work with Scripture Union. The prayer that had taken him there was straight from his heart - "God, I'll do anything, I'll go anywhere. Just make it clear". God did make it clear and this book covers the next ten years of Simon's journey and how through him and his colleagues God brought hope and healing to the people of Burundi. This is not just Simon's story though but speaks to us as we live here in Aberdeen that if we are willing to take God at His word what amazing things can be accomplished. An inspiring read that asks us to think "If God is worth anything, then He is worth everything", read it and see if you agree.

John Polkinghorne's new book ... is the first to apply a modern understanding of the physical world to questions of prayer and providence. Do miracles happen? Can prayer change anything? Why does evil exist? Science and Providence brings new and often surprising insights to bear on these familiar questions, and will inaugurate a new stage in the science and religion debate.

" ... The story Mr. Morison has told of the betrayal and the trial of Christ is fascinating in its lucid, its almost incontrovertible, appeal to the reason. For me, he made those scenes live with a poignancy and vividness that I have found in no other account, not even in the various attempts that have been made to present the same facts in the guise of a novel." (J.D. Beresford)

John Ortberg takes an honest look at the misgivings and uncertainties that often obscure our view of God. he candidly describes grappling with his own personal doubts as well as walking with others through the faith-shaking storms of life. Then he reveals how we can celebrate the gift of uncertainty as we allow the right kinds of doubt to actually deepen our faith and intimacy with God.

"Here, in these pages, is the authentic voice of Christian prophecy in our day. Unafraid to proclaim with urgency the truth about apartheid as the evil and destructive force it is. Unafraid to challenge the ... assault on human dignity and human rights. Unafraid to risk the consequences for himself of making such a proclamation. But always in hope: always in love: always in the certainty that God is present within the situation and that therefore his purposes must prevail ... Thank God for this book and for each word in it!" (Trevor Huddleston)

Martin Luther King, the Christian champion of human rights whose leadership changed the whole course of history, brought a new dimension of dignity to human life, new hope for freedom and the community of man. This selection from his speeches and writings is a living memorial to the vision, the passion and the faith of a man whose message will never die.

The centrality of the Cross is accepted by all Christians - but what is its true meaning? Here Richard Holloway follows Christ's journey to Calvary and explores the significance of the killing of Christ. In his contemplation of the way of the Cross he shows what it can teach us, not only about our own nature but about the nature of God himself.

This book is intended to help the layman discover what is going on in theology. in clear, nontechnical language, it traces the rise of orthodoxy since the sixteenth century, and proceeds to examine schools such as fundamentalism, liberalism, and neo-orthodoxy. Because of their great influence and importance, the theologies of Karl Barth, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Paul Tillich are treated separately, and this revised and expanded edition contains new chapters on Rudolf Bultmann, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the God is dead controversy.

This book aims to be a straightforward introduction to Christian theology.

After the Bible, The Imitation of Christ is probably the best known and best loved book in Christendom. Its author, Thomas a Kempis (1380 - 1471) had a wide knowledge of the Scriptures and classical philosophy, and although most of his life was spent in a Dutch monastery, he also possessed a deep understanding of human nature. His acquired wisdom convinced him of man's complete dependence on God's love and the empty futility of life without it. The book has exercised a profound influence for over 500 years, and Thomas More, Ignatius Loyola and John Wesley are among the many who have acknowledged their debt to it.

In Leadership in Christian Ministry, the author offers an approach to leadership that is grounded in Scripture, enriched by experience, and informed by modern leadership theory his sensible guidelines give leaders the opportunity to grow in competence and effectiveness as they guide their churches.

The book traces the vocation of the [ Taize ] Community, from its beginnings to the great international gatherings of young and not so young that Taize prepares in major cities of the world; it describes Brother Roger's initiative for peace, the 'Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth', and a number of the pilgrims express what Taize means to them.

David L. Edwards, a prominent liberal church historian, engages John Stott, an internationally respected evangelical leader, in a stimulating and insightful dialogue that gets to the heart of key theological differences. Edwards begins with an appreciation and critique of major evangelical positions based on a reading of Stott's most significant books. Chapter by chapter, Stott responds, offering his own challenges to Edwards's positions.

Understanding Bible Topics explains the biblical teaching on 40 topics that Christians are all too often vague about. Bible references are included for every topic, and there is space for you to add your own notes.
This is an invaluable handbook for coping with difficult questions from people who aren't Christians, and for clearing up ideas in your own mind too.

Next to Jesus, Paul is the most famous figure in Christian history. His writings make up a third of the New Testament. His dramatic conversion and subsequent travels dominate the Acts of the Apostles. Yet it is surprisingly difficult to unravel his story from the various accounts, and to discover the real person.
This book brings together passages from the Book of Acts and from Paul's own letters to tell the story. It reveals a passionate and deeply caring personality, Paul and his fellow Christians turned the world of their day upside-down. Lives were changed, life-styles altered. What was the secret? Not power of personality, but the power of the message - good news of new life as the gift of God. Extracts fro the letters highlight Paul's teaching, in his own words. They also throw into sharp relief the suffering, and the glory.
Illustrated with photographs.

Dr. Ball's study details Paul's missionary journeys, imprisonment and an interesting account of the apostle's last days. He includes helpful information on Paul's home and education.
The Life and Journeys of Paul will help Christians to understand Paul and his ministries. This volume provides an aid to studying the Scriptures which surround Paul and his life and journeys.

Lives of Famous Christians is a comprehensive biographical dictionary containing entries of over 100 well-known Christians from the first century to the twentieth. Concise, readable, and reliable, it offers fascinating information on an international selection of Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox statesmen, scholars, reformers and saints.
This handy encyclopedia provides an accessible guide to basic information regarding the lives of men and women who have shaped Christian history.

The Christians - the basis of Granada Television's internationally acclaimed series, and illustrated with over 200 photographs - cuts a clear path through the complicated history of the followers of Christ and their religion by concentrating on moments of significance and on the lives of some of the individuals who helped develop Christianity. It is a story of colossal undertakings and spectacular success as well as ferocious intolerance, greed and bloodshed - of politics and power - side by side with the most intimate personal experience of God.

Luke's gospel gives a close-up of Jesus. Luke retraces Jesus' steps, talks to those who knew him well, and listens to many of the people Jesus helped and healed.
Now the Good News makes Luke's picture of Jesus live. This book brings the reader face to face with the same Jesus the disciples met in their times. It moves with great pace in short sentences and has flashes of great insight on the way.

Kate McIlhagga was a minister and a member of the Iona Community until her death in 2002. Her intimate, insightful prayers and poems are loved and used by people far and wide for both personal and group prayer and reflection. The Green Heart of the Snowdrop presents the best of her work in one collection. It includes poems and prayers of gathering and beginning; creation and self; Advent and Epiphany; Lent and mothering; Easter and Pentecost; pilgrimage and endings and blessings.
The green heart on the underside of the tiny snowdrop flower, which so captured Kate's imagination, symbolised for her an aspect of God's purpose for our lives, as did so much else in her surroundings. Her passion for the integrity of creation and right relationship with the environment, in city or countryside, and with one another clearly provided inspiration for her writing. the wonderful inclusiveness of her work reflects an ecumenical outlook in the truest sense.

The inspiring story of one family's courageous journey through the ordeal of lung cancer.

An insightful, compassionate account of the grieving process that helps us through the pain and isolation experienced with the loss of a loved one.

[ This ] is a book filled with hope and with strength - the two commodities most precious to the cancer patient. It is a collection of brief meditations, written by a cancer patient coming to terms with his disease. They recount with unflinching honesty ( and honest humor) his physical, emotional, and spiritual trials. And they reveal the profound and irreversible changes - for the positive - that come when one sees life from the perspective of cancer.

A bereaved father's inspiring guide to overcoming tragedy. When Goodbye is Forever walks us along the author's path to acceptance and recovery ... [ It ] is also a guide for relatives and friends who wish to discover when and how to aid the bereaved. Everyone who has lost a beloved child will find something for themselves in this generous book. It speaks to every bereaved person's grief, guilt, anger, and pain - and helps open the way to healing and peace.

Many people experience grief as the result of loss. This book describes what happens to us whenever we lose someone or something important.
We all need a better understanding of the small griefs in life as well as those larger grief experiences which can overwhelm us.
Here is a volume to be kept close at hand. It can be used over the years as you encounter a wide variety of grief experiences or as you assist friends in moving beyond grief to good grief.

A Grief Observed will be a comfort and inspiration to anyone who has ever lost a loved one.
In April 1956, C.S.Lewis, a confirmed bachelor, married Joy Davidman, an American poet with two small children. After four brief, intensely happy years, Lewis found himself alone again, and inconsolable. To defend himself against the loss of belief in God, Lewis wrote this journal, an eloquent statement of rediscovered faith. In it he freely confesses his doubts, his rage, and his awareness of human frailty. In it he finds again the way back to life.

Becoming a parent is very often the cause of people beginning to think hard about what they believe. Some may find that they want to pray with their children, but because they have not prayed themselves for years and years they are unsure about where to start.
Praying with sticky fingers offers a number of possible places to begin. It looks at ways in which parent and child together can learn to pray as they share in the everyday experience of home and family.

Delia Smith's journey through Advent touches the season beautifully. it is hopeful, full of love and trust, and encouraging to all those who wish, like her, to break the bread of God's Word and to share it with others.