Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Summer Reading
For many, August is the last opportunity before the return of the schools and colleges, to catch up on sone serious reading. Happily, despite justifiable concerns about the state of religious publishing, there is much on offer from an Anglian perspective.
Two new volumes of the Braemor Studies series have appeared . The series is an initiative of the General Synod’s Literature Committee to promote theological writing by publishing the best of the final year dissertations in the Church of Ireland Theological Institute. Volumes 18 and 19 are ‘The Spiritual Quotient of Leadership’ by Kyle Flanigan, who is attached to St Mary’s, Ballybeen, and ‘We Being Many are One Body – Fostering Autistic Belonging at the Holy Table’ by Jonathan Watson, curate in Ballyholme, both in the Diocese of Down. These are valuable contributions in the field of applied theology.
Also associated with CITI is ‘Perspectives on Pastoral Ministry’ by Canon Maurice Elliott, Director of CITI, and Revd Dr Patrick McGlinchey, Lecturer in Missiology. The book completes a three–volume series, the earlier titles of which considered preaching and spirituality & prayer. The book has been published by Wipf and Stock.
From Hinds Publishing has come Bishop Kenneth Kearon’s, ‘Marriage and Relationshios. An Anglican Exploration, Contraception, Divorce and Humna Sexuality’ which h seeks to inform readers in a calm and measured way about issues which have been, and in some instances continue to be, controversial in the life of the Church. A former Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Bishop Kearon provides an admirable perspective on important moral issues.
The same publisher is also responsible for a different kind of book by the Revd Robert Kingston’, Chaplain of The Mageough in Dublin. ‘Benjamin Culme, DD, Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin 1625–1657: An Overlooked Dean’ is the first study of Dean Culme who served as Dean for 32 years in the turbulent time leading up to the Cromwellian take over.
History is also to the fore in a book by the recently appointed Historiographer of the Church of Ireland, Professor Brian Walker. ‘Irish History Matters. Politics, Identities and Commemoration’ was first published by The History Press Ireland in 2019 and its reappearance in paperback is a clear indication of its success.
From a wider Anglican perspectives two biographical studies are likely to appeal. Andrew Atherstone’s ‘Archbishop Sarah Mullally’ is an introduction to the new and first woman Archbishop of Canterbury which has been published by Hodder & Stoughton. Richard Truss’ ‘The Pattern of God. David Jenkins’ Theology in Church and the Public Space’ is a welcome evaluation of a theologian with a strong social conscience who was, at times, a controversial Bishop of Durham. This has been published by Sacristy Press, appropriately from Durham.
These books are available in the RCB Library (www.library.churchofireland.org) and all will be reviewed in forthcoming issues of the Church of Ireland journal, ‘Search’ (www.searchjournal.org).