Coming this summer

With summer well and truly upon us, here's a sneak peek at what to expect in the next couple of months.

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JULY

Theology for the End of the World, by Marika Rose

"a page turner! It will leave you thinking deeply, questioning constantly and reading it out loud to your loved ones"
Kate Bottley

"...bold, powerful, persuasive, and brilliant"
Karen O'Donnell

It feels like the world is ending. In the midst of apocalyptic times it's tempting to cling on tightly to what we still have. But what if our desire to save the world is part of the problem? Theology for the End of the World suggests that in responding to the deeply entwined systems of capitalism, racism and patriarchy we should stop trying to unearth a 'good version' of Christianity which stands opposed to these forms of violence and seek instead to reckon with the role that Christianity has played in making the world we now inhabit. How has Christianity shaped the histories of marriage and the family? How did Christianity invent race and give birth to capitalism? Grappling with the ambivalent inheritance of Christianity, a tradition passed down by enslaved people and enslavers; by violent husbands, resourceful wives and courageous sex workers; by rich people and the dispossessed, the book suggests Christians should give up on trying to redeem the world - a social order founded on violence and exploitation - and seek instead to end it.

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Deconstructing Whiteness, Empire and Mission, edited by Anthony Reddie and Carol Troupe

"A marvellous achievement...a turning point"
Willie James Jennings

What happens when 'go, make disciples' meets 'Black Lives Matter'? Arising from the Council for World Mission's "Legacies of Slavery" project, this book offers an unapologetic exploration of Christian Mission and its history, and the ways in which this legacy has unleashed notions of White supremacy, systemic racism and global capitalism on the world. Contributors reflect on the past and consider the future of world mission in an age of renewed understandings of empire and its impact. Contributors include Mike Higton, David Clough, Eve Parker, James Butler, Cathy Ross, Jione Havea, Peniel Rajkumar, Victoria Turner, Carol Troupe, Michael Jagessar, Paul Weller, Jill Marsh, Kevin Ellis, Rachel Starr, Kevin Snyman, Al Barrett and Ruth Harley.

AUGUST

"Provocative and deeply engaging. This book is an example of the best kind of Christian Socialism: a theology for the picket line and not the armchair"
Mark Chapman

At the turn of the Millennium, bell hooks wrote "Nowadays it is fashionable to talk about race or gender; the uncool subject is class". Drawing from a variety of sources, experiences, and intersections of identity, this book addresses the relationship between church and class in 21st Century Britain, exploring how to build intersectional solidarity and struggle for justice and the common good. If, as hooks wrote, it is uncool to talk about class, it seems that productive discussions about Church and class might be even less palatable. Writing from their own experiences of class and other intersections of identity, contributors respond to this long silence, offering new and progressive insights on this topic and how it relates to numerous pressing issues for our time and contexts.

With an initial focus on how these issues relate to the established Church of England, the book also contains reflections from other traditions to broaden the perspective. Contributions from Ruth Harley, Rajiv Sidhu, Katherine Long, Selina Stone, Sally Mann, Victoria Turner and Eve Parker. Foreword by Anthony Reddie