Longman: 151 books

Philip Pullman’s re-telling of the story of Jesus of Nazareth (The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ) is certainly an impressive achievement. ‘Time and again,’ says Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, ‘when Pullman offers his version of a familiar biblical saying or narrative,...

Attempts to read Jesus’ teachings with an open mind can be hampered by years of being told the ‘right’ interpretation in church. Christians familiar with the texts can gain fresh insights by listening to people coming to it for the first time, who may find the traditional readings far from obvious....

Leaving Faith Behind gives voice to women and men who were born into Muslim families and communities, but who have made the decision to leave Islam or to dissent against some of the most significant aspects of Islamic doctrine. • Aliyah, who realised as a young woman that she did not have...

Fifty years ago, Jean Vanier founded L’Arche, a new kind of Christian community which would welcome people with severe intellectual difficulties in a shared life of freedom and mutual respect. A year later, the Second Vatican Council released its vision of a Church which would put society’s weakest...

Inspiring stories of Padre Pio's miracles, clairvoyance and bi-location. Capuchin monk and spiritual leader, Padre Pio (1887-1968), is known and venerated throughout the world. Drawn by his stigmata (bodily wounds similar to those of the crucified Christ) and by his extraordinary powers of...

There is a huge need for churches to be more inclusive – some might be more inclusive in some areas than others (both in attitude and resources), but on the whole this is a massive failing of churches. Most church leaders recognise this failing but lack the resources and understanding to effect...

Rowan Williams retired as Archbishop of Canterbury on 31 December 2012, and the Crown Nominations Commission elected the Rt Revd Justin Welby as his successor, enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral in March 2013. The Archbishop of Canterbury has an international profile and influence. In this...

The old saying about being condemned to repeat the history we don’t know applies to Church history as much as to anything else. But we are often at a loss to know how to approach it. Much of what passed once for Church history was propagandist; and much of the best now written is brilliantly done...

In this important and timely book Alan Wilson argues that allowing gay people to marry is a moral purpose. Wilson says: ‘I asked myself “what does God want for gay people?”. After re-revisiting the Bible, and more importantly getting to know gay people of all types and varying backgrounds, he...

A wonderful introduction to a collection of Michael Mayne’s previously unpublished pieces, sermons and addresses. With insight and wry humour Michael Mayne shows us how to see the things of God in art and in science, in poetry and in architecture, as well as in the scriptures and in liturgy....

‘Every generation puts “clothes” onto God to help their understanding; but the underlying reality of God still lies beneath those garments. If we go on clothing God only with garments that are suitable for medieval Christendom, or any other age, then we can hardly expect that God will be understood...

‘There’s a wideness in God’s mercy like the wideness of the sea’ Frederick Williams Faber, 1862 (the year that the first deaconess was licensed in England) Maggi Dawn, an ordained priest in the Church of England, currently living in the United States, watched the unfolding story...

‘One of the mysteries of Christianity is why Christians rarely admit that so much of it is a mystery.’ God, people, faith, the universe, the whole of creation … Award-winning comedian Milton Jones considers the biggest questions using the smallest number of words. With short, sharp, surreal...

The most authentic stories of Christian hope in the 21st Century come from the experiences of ‘ordinary’ people living ‘ordinary’ lives. In this engaging book by compiled by John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, 20 people with everyday lives, families and jobs explain how their faith gave...