There can be no doubt that these recent weeks have been traumatic and testing for the Church of England and for the public face of religion. Two things have occurred that that bear upon the shape, processes and content of this book which make it importan
Try Softer ? In praise of grounded advice from Kolber.
Posted on by James Woodward
Where do you pick up recommendations for books these days? Half an hour on Waterloo station yesterday yielded a couple of books from Foyles, tempted of course by their buy one get the other half price offer! A trusted source is the Marginalian ( take a look-
On Digging Deep – a cluster of Books from Sacristy Press
Posted on by James Woodward
Perhaps you have some awareness of both the problems and possibilities that emerge from the way we articulate the shape and meaning of our religious convictions. What do you understand by God? How do we convey the presence, rationality and engagement of God amidst the com
Does Belief change in Old Age?
Posted on by James Woodward
On re-reading - Belief and Ageing :Spiritual pathways in later life
Peter G. Coleman (Editor) Paperback, 192 pages Policy Press Bristol 2011
I agreed to offering a session at this years Sarum Centre for Formation in Ministry on what the Bible might show
Seeing beyond the immediate: listening and learning alongside older people
Posted on by James Woodward
From 1998 through to 2009, I had the privilege of working with many hundreds of older people in an Almshouse charity. We lived together in rather splendid seventeenth-century buildings which were surprisingly adaptable for modern use. It was an intentional c
From the Shores of Silence – Learning from feminist voices in Practical Theology
Posted on by James Woodward
From the Shores of Silence
Conversations in Feminist Practical Theology
Edited by Ashley Cocksworth, Rachel Starr and Stephen Burns with Nicola Slee
SCM Press £30.00
(ISBN 9780334060963)
Practical theology has had a slow journey into securing some
Transgressive Devotion : radical, original, unsettling theology at its honest best
Posted on by James Woodward
I remember one of my university teachers sitting in on a seminar that I was leading some 20 years ago. He was attentive and appeared to be making careful notes. On the feedback form his only comment was, ‘clearly expressed and excellent engagement with the group, but
Waking up to God – Exploring faith by asking the right questions?
Posted on by James Woodward
Waking Up to God:
Rediscovering Faith in Post-Pandemic Times by Neil Richardson
Sacristy Press 2022
Neil Richardson has had a long and distinguished ministry as a Methodist theologian. This has included serving as the British Methodist Presid
Coping with the Uncertainty of these Present Times
Posted on by James Woodward
I have just returned for leading a retreat for twenty women and men supporting them as they prepare for their life as clergy. They talked about their communities and families. They shared the stress and strain and anxiety that many are feeling in their families and commun
In a Glass Darkly: The Bible, Refection and Everyday Life
Posted on by James Woodward
In a Glass Darkly: The Bible, Reflection and Everyday Life
Zoe Bennett, Christopher Rowland SCM Press £25
(978-0-334-05422-1)
Moments of honesty and candour can be both refreshing and threatening in equal measure. I recently heard an intelligent and energetic paris
Bradbury on Practical theology and Pierre-Andre Liege : Book Review
Posted on by James Woodward
Practical theology and Pierre-Andre Liege : Radical Dominican and Vatican II Pioneer
Nicholas Bradbury
AshGate 2015 £65.00 ISBN 9781472418708
This is giant of a text from the priest with long experience of ministry, learning, leadership and reflective practice.
Conundrums in Practical Theology : Book Review
Posted on by James Woodward
Conundrums in Practical Theology. By Joyce Ann Mercer and Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, Boston: Brill, 2016. 320 pages. $76. (PBK). ISBN 978-90-04-32423-7.
Reviewed by: James Woodward, Principal of Sarum College, Salisbury and Visiting Professor of Theology, t
Vulnerability and Care: Christian Reflections on the Philosophy of Medicine by Andrew Sloane
Posted on by James Woodward
I have recently seen at close hand the work a busy acute hospital having to deal with an older person suffering multiple challenges to well-being caused in the main by intense confusion as a result of the Alzheimer's disease. The result was shocking and frustrating. Although,of
How do we access the spiritual?
Posted on by James Woodward
Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2015; 280 pages; £19.99 ISBN 9781849054973
I review this book (the second week of July 2016) when two particular conversations were at the forefront of my mind. The first was the smooth transition between Cameron and May into 10 Downing Street and
Performing Pastoral Care
Posted on by James Woodward
Making the case for the relevance of pastoral care today, this book explores the role of pastoral care through the prism of music. Using musical analogies, the author provides a new way of understanding and practising pastoral care, grounded in practical theology. Challenging o