Hugh’s books

The Contented Life – Spirituality and the gift of years, by Robert Atwell, Canterbury, 9781848250765

Here is a series of talks given by the author on the spirituality of growing older and the gifts that wait to be discovered; the talks generated an unprecedented response, not only throughout his diocese, but on blogs and websites around the world. The author’s background in Benedictine life, with its profound understanding of what makes for a balanced and rich life, flavours a book of timeless value.

The God Debates – A 21st century guide for atheists and believers (and everyone in between), by John Shook, Wiley, 9781444336429

A comprehensive, non-technical survey of the quest for knowledge of God, allowing readers to participate in a debate about the existence of God and gain understanding and appreciation of religion’s conceptual foundations

Keep Your Courage – A radical Christian feminist speaks, by Carter Heyward, SCM, 9780334043782

One of the most influential and controversial theologians of our time reflects on how movements for gender and sexual justice reverberate globally and witness to the sacred struggles to topple oppressive power. These pieces illustrate feminist theology’s bold and transformative engagement of its cultural, political, social and theological contexts.

Faith, by Margaret Silf, DLT, 9780232527940

A simple but profound exposition of the nature of faith in our contemporary world. In fifteen concise chapters Margaret Silf opens up searching questions, offers her insights, and invites the reader to think about his or her own responses. A gentle yet profound exploration of what we mean when we speak about ‘faith’; from a well-loved spiritual writer.

Dancing With Dinosaurs – A spirituality for the twenty-first century, by Mark Hederman, Columba, 9781856077354

The abbot of Glenstal Abbey in Ireland describes a spirituality for the 21st century that requires us to recognise the dinosaur nature of all institutions, including the Catholic Church. We would do well to study the species in depth and in detail to learn how to dance with them without doing serious damage to ourselves.

All Is Grace – A biography of Dorothy Day, by Jim Forest, Orbis, 9781570759215

Dorothy Day (1897-1980), founder of the Catholic Worker movement, and one of the most prophetic voices in the American Catholic Church, has recently been proposed as a candidate for canonisation. In this lavishly illustrated biography, Jim Forest provides a compelling portrait of her heroic efforts to live out the radical message of the Gospel for our time.

Disruptive Grace – Reflections on God, Scripture and the Church, by Walter Brueggemann, SCM, 9780800697945

Walter Brueggemann has been one of the leading voices in Hebrew Bible interpretation for decades. These chapters gather his recent addresses and essays on every part of the Hebrew Bible, many of them never published before, bringing his erudition to bear on prophecy, lament, prayer, faithful imagination, a holy economics and more.

Passion of Christ, Passion of the World, by Leonardo Boff, Orbis, 9781570759093

A new edition of this 1970 classic work of liberation theology explores the meaning of the Cross, both as it has been interpreted in the past and how it should be interpreted in the context of contemporary faith and circumstances. Originally written in the context of military dictatorship, torture, and violent repression in Latin America, Boff notes in his new Preface that this context must be enlarged today to include the passion of the Earth – a continuation of the Passion of Christ in our time.

New Feminist Christianity – Many voices, many views, Mary Hunt and Diann Neu (eds), Skylight, 9781594732850

The contributors to this book are the leaders of the future who are shaping, and being shaped by, the emerging directions of feminist Christianity. They speak from across the spectrum, and from the many racial and ethnic groups that make up the Christian community.

The New Spiritual Exercises – In the spirit of Teilhard de Chardin, by Louis Savary, Paulist, 9780809146956

During the 20th Century, Jesuit priest Teilhard de Chardin developed a truly revolutionary spirituality, integrating into it the discoveries of science and a comprehensive evolutionary perspective – a perspective never conceived of before by traditional spiritual writers. Through his integration of science and faith, Teilhard offered us a new way to understand the Word of God and the immensity of the universal Christ.

Process Theology – A guide for the perplexed, by Bruce Epperly, Continuum, 9780567596697

Provides an accessible introduction to process theology, aimed at nurturing the theological imagination of priests, ministers, theological students and interested laypersons. It describes the major themes of process theology and relates them to the everyday lives and spiritual commitments of people today.

Alive To The Word – A practical theology of preaching to the whole church, by Stephen Wright, SCM, 9780334042013

Offers a constructive introduction to preaching as an existing and varied practice throughout the church and reflects on its nature and the context, not least in a communications culture; and sets a constructive agenda for the development of preaching as a core practice of the Christian church for the preacher, the congregation and the wider church.

On Shepherding – Reflections on the priesthood, Gearoid Dullea (ed), Columba, 9781856076814

Eleven Irish priests who are working at home and abroad, offer some reflections on various dimensions of priestly ministry.

Reimagining Ministry, by David Heywood, SCM, 9780334043676

Considers our understanding of ministry, in particular ordained ministry, in the context of the social and cultural setting of the 21st Century, several significant theological developments and a perception of the way God through the Holy Spirit is leading the church; and offers a new and different paradigm of ministry for the church of the future.

God And Evil – in the theology of St Thomas Aquinas, by Herbert McCabe, Continuum, 9780826413048

The Dominican theologian who died in 2001 left many unpublished manuscripts. Here, he tackles the problem of evil through a Thomist lens. As God is the highest good and is the benevolent creator of all, how can he be the cause of evil? As God is the first cause, surely the secondary cause of evil must be attributable to him? How do we solve this apparent contradiction, of a God who is the highest good with no apparent defect? How can we say evil is caused by a defective agent and not by God?

Bonhoeffer – Pastor, martyr, prophet, spy, by Eric Metaxas, Nelson, 9781595553188

A definitive, ground breaking and highly readable biography of one man’s moral courage in the face of the monstrous evil that was Nazism and who, since his death, has grown to be one of the most fascinating, complex figures of the 20th century.

Up With Authority – why we need authority to flourish as human beings, by Victor Lee Austin, T & T Clark, 9780567020512

Authority is something we experience every day, but is it necessary? While it is true that authority can be used to remedy human inadequacies, it has a higher and nobler function: to enable us to do more complex activities, to understand more of the world we live in and to transmit that understanding, to flourish in political communities, and ultimately to enjoy God. This book shows the human importance of authority.

The Future of Preaching, Geoffrey Stevenson (ed), SCM, 9780334043621

Preaching remains a central feature of almost all Christian worship, with thousands of men and women who preach on a regular basis. This book, edited and contributed to by some of the leading authors in this field, makes a substantial and authoritative contribution to the teaching and learning of preaching.

Hugh McGinlay is Academic Theological Representative for Mosaic Resources. www.mosaicresources.com.au