Spells, Sorcerers and Spirits

Spells, Sorcerers and Spirits: Magic and the Occult in the Bible by Kirsten Birkett

Cultures, for as long as we have had history, have had some sense of magic.  This book contends that some of it, at least, is real; it describes what that is, and why the Bible is so negative about it.

However, to say ‘magic is real’ in our contemporary culture could be very misleading. In fact, wrong. For what our culture thinks of as ‘magic’ – as vague and diffuse as that is – is likely to be very different from what was practised in the Ancient Near East (the things that modern English translations of the Old Testament call, for instance, sorcery or witchcraft) or in the Greco-Roman world (what the New Testament calls magic). It also may be very different from what is called ‘magic’ or ‘witchcraft’ in animistic or ancestor-worshipping cultures today.

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Thinking Aloud

Thinking Aloud: Responding to the Contemporary Debate about Marriage, Sexuality and Reconciliation by Martin Davie

Christians today are faced with pressure to change and accommodate, both from outside and from within the church community.  Nowhere does this seem to be more true than on the issue of human sexuality.

This volume discusses the issue with particular interest in the impact of recent events and publications on the Church of England.
Its collection of papers and reviews aims to spell out the biblical foundations for Christian thinking about sexuality and to offer an incisive critique which can inform our response to this pressure.

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Commemorating War and Praying for Peace

Commemorating War and Praying for Peace: A Christian Reflection on the Armed Forces by John Neal

The Centenary of the ‘war to end all wars’ has brought to prominence both the pain and the pride of the armed forces. But it also raises some perennial questions about such forces, the place of Christians within them, and the Christian response to commemorating the events of war. This booklet sets out to outline the place and role of armed forces and the ‘Just War’ theory, to look at some of the pressures under which personnel of the modern Western world’s militaries serve as well as some of the moral issues surrounding the existence and the use of these same forces. 

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True Devotion

True Devotion: In Search of Authentic Spirituality by Allan Chapple

This book is about how God’s Word shapes and rules our devotion to him. What is the best way of talking about this? ‘Spirituality’ is what many people call it, but this is not the ideal word. It can mean a great many things, some of them very far removed from anything the Bible teaches. ‘Piety’ is another possibility, but this is sometimes used in a rather negative way. Preferable is ‘Devotion’. When we speak of a couple being ‘devoted’ to each other, we mean that their relationship is strong, loyal, and loving – which is how we should relate to God.

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Shadow Gospel

Shadow Gospel: Rowan Williams and the Anglican Communion Crisis by Charles Raven.

“There have been other discussions of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s theology, but this is the first serious attempt to link it with his ecclesiastical policy. The parallel seems to be drawn very tellingly.” - The Revd Dr Roger Beckwith, formerly warden of Latimer House, Oxford.

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The True Profession of the Gospel

The True Profession of the Gospel: Augustus Toplady and Reclaiming our Reformed Foundations by Lee Gatiss.

"Whilst the Calvinistic doctrines were the language of our pulpits as well as of our Articles, the Reformation made a swift and extensive progress. But ever since our Articles and our pulpits have been at variance, the Reformation has been at a stand.” Augustus Montague Toplady

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