Most popular reviews in 2018

**These were the top five most read book reviews in The Baptist Times in 2018.**

1 Gathering Disciples: Essays in Honour of Christopher J. Ellis. Myra Blyth and Andy Goodliff (editors)

"A wonderful collection of essays, each addressing an area of vital importance to our Baptist way of being church"

2 Interrupting Silence: God’s Command to Speak Out. By Walter Brueggemann

"A book about justice, where Brueggemann analyses eight Biblical passages in which silence is broken. Deceptively simple prose; profoundly challenging ideas"

3 Reclaiming the Common Good. Compiled and edited by Virginia Moffatt

"For Christians who want their faith to shape their politics and view of the world, this thought provoking and challenging collection of essays is a must read"

4 The Art of Lent: A painting a day from Ash Wednesday to Easter. By Sister Wendy Beckett

"This beautiful, pocket size book is the perfect gift for those who are on the fringes of church as well as for those who want to explore alternative and creative ways of praying around the spiritual themes of Lent and Easter"

5 A Unicorn Dies - A Novel of Mystery and Ideas. By Paul Fiddes

"Theologian Paul Fiddes ventures into fiction for the first time, and the result is both gripping and complex"

Baptist Times, 02/01/2019

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How Real is Hell? by Steve Barber

'Covers a lot of ground in a mere 80 pages. Barber considers the evidence for and against the three principle views of hell - a concise primer on this difficult and complex doctrine'

Unmaking Mary, by Chine McDonald

'Fascinating book' which deconstructs the myth of perfect motherhood and shines a light on the dark side of parenting

The Church, the Far Right and the Claim to Christianity, edited by Helen Paynter and Maria Power

Timely book which charts how rhetoric may be cynically employed by those whose allegiance and values are quite contrary to Christian ones - 'By their fruit you will know them.’

Forming Communities of Hope in the Great Unraveling, by Alan J. Roxburgh and Roy Searle

'Full of wisdom and discernment - it argues we cannot make the church work by following the current narrative of control and strategies; we need to reorient our attention, changing from the drive to fix things in order to stop, be still and listen'

Reclaiming Quiet, by Sarah Clarkson

Focuses on a deep inner quiet in which, if we cultivate it carefully, we might be more likely to catch the whisper of God - well written and challenging

The Art of Preaching Old Testament Poetry, by Steven D Mathewson

'After 55 years of ministry I found this book a great help, and the sample sermons are an encouragement to develop our own preaching from Old Testament poetry'

How Real is Hell? by Steve Barber

Posted: 04/10/2025

Unmaking Mary, by Chine McDonald

Posted: 27/09/2025

The Church, the Far Right and the Claim to Christianity, edited by Helen Paynter and Maria Power

Posted: 19/09/2025

Forming Communities of Hope in the Great Unraveling, by Alan J. Roxburgh and Roy Searle

Posted: 12/09/2025

Reclaiming Quiet, by Sarah Clarkson

Posted: 05/09/2025

The Art of Preaching Old Testament Poetry, by Steven D Mathewson

Posted: 29/08/2025