1. Unapologetic by Francis Spufford.
This is the most beautifully written book I've read in a long time. A friend recommended the chapter on Jesus when I was researching for a teaching series for church. I read the chapter on Jesus and was so struck by it that I went back to the start of the book and read it all through in one sitting. It is just stunning, a telling of the Christian story that pulls no punches and is not afraid of using very strong language in making its points! I found it poignant, challenging, inspiring, hopeful and at times disturbing.
It is refreshing to read someone who writes so honestly about faith, and while I didn't agree with some of his conclusions, the book was so good that it made me go and buy other books by the author the day after I finished it! I would highly recommend this whether you are a person of faith or not, as long as you can cope with regular uses of the f word throughout the book!
2. Out of Sorts by Sarah Bessey.
This is the first book I have read by Sarah Bessey and I loved it. She is a brilliant, poetic writer who weaves stories and teaching to great effect and with real passion and emotion. There is so much I could say about this book but you really just need to get it and read it for yourself. She summarises well many of my own experiences of the last few years, for example 'the kingdom is often taking root in small ways - in our kitchens and in our parish halls, in our streets and our subsidised daycare, in youth group mentoring relationships and after school care, in prayer circles and bylaw meetings and city council'.
My favourite section of the book touches on 'the holy work of staying' - the importance of rootedness in a community for the good of our own faith and for the kingdom: 'no one talked about how the places where we live matter to our spiritual formation, how we are shaped by our communities, by our rootedness, our geography, by our families, and by the complex web of connections and history that emerge only by staying'. Love it.
The other thing I really appreciated here is Sarah Bessey's emphasis on the experience and power of the Holy Spirit - 'God's breaking-through power' - 'the wild goose of the Holy Spirit soaring among us, beautiful and ordinary, in this present age'.
3. A People's History of Christianity by Diana Butler Bass.
I am currently obsessed with history. Maybe it's my age or something. And I can't get enough of church history. This appealed to me as she attempts to depart from 'Big-C Christianity' (Christ, Constantine, Christendom, Calvin, Christian America) towards a 'more humble reading' of the story of Western Christianity. It is not just more humble, but actually more hopeful than some of the big famous male stories we are more familiar with.
I first heard the book on audio, and loved it so much I had to buy a hard copy. The section on hospitality alone is worth the price of the book. As with any take on history, you may not agree with all of her conclusions, but this is a great addition to any church history collection! Highly recommended.
4. Forever Young by Oliver Kay
The story of the kid who was better than Ryan Giggs. Of the famous 'Class of 92' that produced the legends who would go on to such great success at Man Utd under Sir Alex Ferguson, not many have heard of Adrian Doherty - football's lost genius. Oliver Kay tells an important story in a moving and uplifting book of a great talent that was lost to football, and a life tragically cut short. A kid who was so good that many rated him higher than Giggs, used to prefer busking on Market Street in Manchester to going to the first team games with his academy friends. He seemed like such a great character and an unlikely footballer with stupendous talent. Whether you're a United fan or not, if you like football you'll enjoy reading this.
5. Sympathy for Jonah by David Blower.
A take on the story of Jonah that you've never heard before! You might think of him as the reluctant or even rebellious prophet, but Blower reframes the whole story and brings it to life for our time. Nineveh - now Mosul in Iraq - is the evil empire the Jonah is called to go to and proclaim a message from God. Blower challenges us to love the 'terrible other' as Jesus commanded us to do, and to see the story, and Jonah himself, in a more sympathetic light. His conclusions and challenges are as disturbing to us today as Jesus' command to enemy love, or God's command to Jonah to call the most corrupt and brutal empire of his day to repentance and ultimately, forgiveness. Don't read it unless you want to be seriously challenged and changed.
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