As someone who works in education, I find the summer months to be a fruitful time for many different reasons. In particular, as I am something of a nerd (and a PhD student), I find it to be a great opportunity to read and especially getting into books which I haven’t had the chance to properly digest during a busy academic year. Yes… despite it being an academic year, it’s sometimes hard to find time to read! I was recently asked by a member of the parish if I could recommend some material for others also to engage with during the summer months. The three books below are items which I have actually read… and will be engaging with again myself in the coming weeks. Do take a look and see if there is something that might inspire you!
Something Academic
God’s Companions by Samuel Wells
God’s Companions is one of the first books I read when I was at theological college. I was reading it for a project I was working on in a local parish, where I was tasked with finding new ways to connect what we do in worship with how we serve one another in the local community. This book is written by Sam Wells, a priest in the Church of England, who has spent many years reflecting on how our experience of worship inspires us to go out into our communities and find ways of engaging with others.
The argument of the book is that at each step of the liturgies we experience in our churches, we learn how to interweave the stories of scripture with the stories of our own lives. It is an academic book on Christian ethics, but it might also be of interest to those who want to learn more about what happens in Baptism and Eucharist and how this shapes Christian character. I’ll be reading this book again this summer as part of my own PhD research on school chaplaincy and Christian community. And I am always happy to have nerdy conversations with others who might be reading similar things!
Something Prayerful
St. Augustine’s Prayer Book
I thought I would recommend an actual prayer book as part of this summer reading list. One of the great treasures I’ve discovered since arriving in the Episcopal Church is St. Augustine’s Prayer Book. The book was originally written in 1947 and was designed to be a compendium of particularly Anglo-Catholic prayers and meditations to accompany the Book of Common Prayer.
Over time, the resource has been revised and expanded, and, especially in its current form, it is now something of a “go to” prayer resource for Episcopalians and indeed those of other denominations. It is quite Catholic in its style and content, but it is written—as it is indeed published by Forward Movement—not to enforce Catholic doctrine, rather as a more Catholic spirituality for those in more liberal or progressive traditions within the Episcopal Church, and beyond it. As someone who sees the importance of combining progressive social teaching with traditional theological thinking, I find this book invaluable as both a daily prayer guide and a reminder of some of the essential elements of the Christian faith.
Something Fun
A Field Guide to the English Clergy: A Compendium of Diverse Eccentrics, Pirates, Prelates and Adventurers; All Anglican, Some Even Practising by Fergus Butler-Gallie
Finally, here is something for those of you who want to have a laugh and also learn about how weird clergy really are. This is probably one of the most ridiculous books I have ever read. The writer is a contemporary of mine in the Church of England school chaplaincy world, and a few years ago he became obsessed with learning about all the ridiculous, humorous, and sometimes scandalous stories of famous clergy from centuries past. Although, I hasten to add… scandalous but funny and lighthearted!
The book hysterically charts some of the more obscure moments from the Church of England’s history: from priests who found themselves accidentally becoming pub landlords as well as parish clergy, to the priest who once stole a helicopter (long story), to mad clergy who excommunicated mice from their parish—see, nice stories… albeit weird. It’s basically a hoot, very British, and very, very silly. If you need something absolutely bonkers to take your mind off reality, this is worth a look!
Menu
