Coming soon to SCM Press
10:09 03/05/2023
Why is Mary relevant to the whole church? What does theology look like through an autistic lens? How can we untangle the evangelical culture war? Our books in May and June ask all these questions, and more...
May
Whether through suspicion or ignorance, serious consideration of what Mary can teach us has been lacking in large swathes of the church for some time. Drawing on careful biblical exegesis, church history and ecumenical thinking, Mary, Bearer of Life by the Bishop of Coventry, Christopher Cocksworth suggests how a serious understanding of Mary might influence our ethical thought, and considers some of the key theological tensions at the heart of the church's engagement with Mary."A deep, moving and thoroughly enjoyable read", says Isabelle Hamley, while Philip North describes the book as 'wise and wonderful'.
There is an urgent need for clergy and others involved in pastoral care both to attend to their own well-being and to develop resilience. Showing how everything from singing in choirs or joining theatre or dance groups to painting or sculpting can help those in leadership to develop a flexible mindset and give relief to the pressures of responsible roles, Anne Holmes' new book Creative Repair: Pastoral Care and Creativity is essential reading both for those who train others as pastors and those who are themselves in training and preparing to take on pastoral responsibility themselves. "A vitally important text in such challenging times", says Alistair Ross.
June
Let's make clear what Peculiar Discipleship ISN'T. It isn't a 'theology of autism'. Instead, it is a theology from autism. In her ground-breaking and daring theological exploration, Claire Williams, teacher and researcher at Regents Theological College, considers how the experience of God for an autistic person challenges and interrogates our normal theologies about knowing God. Demonstrating how her autistic perspective offers a distinct and fresh hermeneutical lens, Williams shows that a liberation theology of neurodiversity can gift the church a new way of understanding worship, practice, ethics and even the nature of Christian hope itself.
What does it look like when the Body of Christ is in 'total pain'? Now widely recognised within palliative care, the concept of 'total pain' is an intensely theological one at heart. In Light to those in Darkness clinician and theologian Dr Charlie Bell holds up the concept to theological scrutiny. Bell reflects on the ways that the doctrine of 'the communion of saints', might be used to help the church understand how it can address "total pain" within individuals, and collective trauma within the wider community. As such the book offers both an important theological reflection for those in pastoral care roles and a broader challenge to the church to become a place of solidarity and accompaniment.
As debates around sexuality rumble on within certain sections of the church, and become increasingly entrenched and embittered, there is an increasing need from non-evangelicals and evangelicals alike to grasp the historical and cultural context in which current debates about sexuality are happening. Offering a detailed examination of the development, consolidation and fracturing of an evangelical Anglican consensus on the issue, Defusing the Sexuality Debate seeks to explain why current disagreements are so intractible and offer some suggestions as to how all sides could facilitate a more constructive conversation. Author Mark Vasey-Saunders untangles the complexity of the issues, shows the limitations of some of the more simplistic analyses, and suggests some ways in which it is possible for evangelicals to engage constructively with one another across different sides of the conversation.
