Christian social thought & activity – The Bell Bookshop

I’m Still Here

Emma — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

‘An example of how one woman can change the world by telling the truth about her life with unflinching, relentless courage’ GLENNON DOYLE

Austin Channing Brown’s first encounter with racism in America came at age seven, when she discovered her parents named her Austin to deceive future employers into thinking she was a white man. Growing up in majority-white schools and neighbourhoods, Austin ‘had to learn what it means to love Blackness,’ a journey that led to her becoming a writer, speaker and expert helping organisations practice genuine inclusion. In this bestselling memoir, she writes beautifully and powerfully about her journey to self-worth and how we can all contribute to racial justice.

‘A leading new voice on racial justice’ LAYLA F SAAD, author of ME AND WHITE SUPREMACY

‘Most people say, “that books has legs”; I measure the impact of a book by how often I throw it across the room. [Austin’s book] has serious wings. It broke me open’ BRENE BROWN

‘A deeply personal celebration of blackness that simultaneously sheds new light on racial injustice and inequality while offering hope for a better future’ SHONDALAND

Priests De La Resistance!

Emma — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000

‘A hugely enjoyable, eccentric account of clerical heroism in the face of evil.’ Observer

‘Comedy and tragedy run side by side? Bracing and lively.’ The Times

‘An admiring study of priests and ministers who have put their lives on the line.’ BBC History Magazine

Who says you can’t fight fascism in a cassock?
Wherever fascism has taken root, it has met with resistance. From taking a bullet for a frightened schoolgirl in Alabama to saving Greek Jews from extermination by way of fake IDs, each of the fifteen hard-drinking, chain-smoking clerics featured in this book were willing to risk their lives for what they believed.

The Oxford illustrated history of the Renaissance

Emma — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The Renaissance is one of the most celebrated periods in European history. But when did it begin? When did it end? And what did it include?Traditionally regarded as a revival of classical art and learning, centred upon fifteenth-century Italy, views of the Renaissance have changed considerably in recent decades. The glories of Florence and the art of Raphael and Michelangelo remain an important element of the Renaissance story, but they are now only a part of a much wider story which looks beyond an exclusive focus on high culture, beyond the Italian peninsula, and beyond the fifteenth century.The Oxford Illustrated History of the Renaissance tells the cultural history of this broader and longer Renaissance: from seminal figures such as Dante and Giotto in thirteenth-century Italy, to the waning of Spain’s ‘golden age’ in the 1630s, and the closure of the English theatres in 1642, the date generally taken to mark the end of the English literary Renaissance.Geographically, the story ranges from Spanish America to Renaissance Europe’s encounter with the Ottomans-and far beyond, to the more distant cultures of China and Japan. And thematically, under Gordon Campbell’s expert editorial guidance, the volume covers the whole gamut of Renaissance civilization, with chapters on humanism and the classical tradition; war and the state; religion; art and architecture; the performing arts; literature; craft and technology; science and medicine; andtravel and cultural exchange.

After the Fire: Finding words for Grenfell

Emma — Wed, 30 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000

In the immediate aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, the local parish church became a focal point of the relief effort, and a gathering place for a traumatised community. In the months that followed, it worked closely with other community and faith groups to provide a compassionate network of support.In this bold and prophetic challenge, Alan Everett shows that the church’s response was possible only because it had opened its doors long ago, building relationships with the most marginalised in the community. Its effectiveness was born out of a patient, faithful, unheroic ministry that is all too easily underestimated.Through gripping reportage and searching theological reflection, After the Fire demonstrates how parish ministry can be a living symbol of God’s love, and a vital sign of hope.

On Rock Or Sand

Emma — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The aim of this book is nothing less than to assess and reset the terms of the debate about what kind of nation we want to be. It asks: What are the essential values we need for building a just, sustainable and compassionate society in which all can participate?