thinking honestly about life and faith
It was the year after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination that the thin paperback version of his Strength to love was published and, it appears, I bought it for 80 cents! This is another of those thin books, but again … Read More »
I have never forgotten the declaration by a much esteemed teacher of theology to me, a student: ‘This is the age of thin books and thin theology’. True, I came to love the theology contained in large volumes, such as … Read More »
Many of us are enjoying immensely the collection of conversations between Nick Cave and Sean O’Hagan, Faith, Hope and Carnage. (Melbourne: Text Publishing, 2022). Recorded over a couple of years, while Cave was forced to remain in Britain, during lockdowns and other … Read More »
Chris Womersley’s latest novel, The Diplomat (Picador, 2022) is a superbly written but gut-wrenching tale. As the cover blurb says, ‘Shot through with grief and dark comedy, The Diplomat is a powerful story of love and recovery—and a stark evocation of … Read More »
I have so enjoyed The Lincoln Highway. Towles is a fabulous story-teller with a superb insight into the human condition. Having really appreciated his A Gentleman in Moscow, I am amazed by this author’s skill in evoking the social and … Read More »
I thought to share the reflections I offered recently when we had a mini launch of my biography of my biography of Mervyn Himbury, at the Collins Street Baptist Church, Melbourne. Simon Holt has kindly invited me to share with … Read More »
I’ve just finished Douglas Stuart’s fabulous novel, Shuggie Bain, winner of the 2020 Booker Prize. It’s the story of a deeply unhappy woman and her son Shuggie, set in desperately poor housing in suburban Glasgow, over the years 1982 – 1992. … Read More »
I want to conclude this offering of good books that have enriched my life with a biography that has influenced me in several ways—but actually to sneak in another book as well.(Perhaps together they could be classed as a Tome. … Read More »
This is not only a big book, it is a really huge subject and full of rich insights: Walter Brueggemann, Theology of the Old Testament, (Fortress Press, 1997). It is a work worthy of spending a long time with—it’s over … Read More »
God For Us: the Trinity and Christian Life, by Catherine Mowry LaCugna (HarperSanFranciso 1991) is without a doubt one of the most valuable books I have read in the years of my teaching career. Catherine LaCugna (1952 – 1997—she died … Read More »