One might have thought that Paul Barnett had sorted out New Testament history aleady. But the Preface to the new book reveals a ‘regret’: ...after a lifetime of attempting to do so by other means, I am now at last beginning to grasp the message and meaning of the New Testament (p11). Clearly we are invited to look for something fresh and profound that has emerged in this comprehensive study, something not fully grasped in its predecessors.

Diana Williams, a former US corporate high flyer, seems an unlikely partner for an Australian ‘Bush Aboriginal’. Yet in 1984 Diana and (Uncle) Ron Williams married, living in and out of tents, in the desert, creek beds and anywhere they could help meet the needs of Indigenous people.

John Spong’s autobiography has been published to coincide with his retirement as Bishop of Newark. It is hardly surprising then that this book should read like a defence of his ecclesiastical career. It is dominated by Spong’s conviction that his leadership has provided the direction which will allow the Christian church to survive into the next millennium.

Living a life which truly reflects the faith we profess is no new problem. We all relate to the Apostle Paul when he says… I have the desire to do good, but I cannot carry it out… the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing… when I want to do good, evil is right there with me. (Romans 7: 14 ff.) No doubt the problem seems even more pronounced for paid church workers and their families who feel constantly watched and assessed by parishioners and congregation members.

In the turmoil of the abortion debate, the to and fro between pro-choice and pro-life there are voices that are rarely heard. They are the women who have undergone abortions and have been horribly scarred emotionally and even physically as a result.

Stuart Piggin has given us yet another of his reflections on the subject of revival. It has been, as many will know, a special concern of his for many years and his particular brand of historical and personal reflection on the subject has both strengths and weaknesses.

Michael Frost has a growing reputation as a writer and teacher who can invigorate our faith by urging us to see God from new and quirky angles. In his previous book, Jesus the Fool, he argued that Jesus was hardly the pious and bloodless Hollywood hero we often see, but was instead more like a court jester, poking fun and deflating pomposity.

I remember two bits of advice given to me about getting married. Dad’s simple advice was not to do it. A friend told me to forget any idea of the wedding being ‘mine’.

The publication of D Broughton Knox: Selected Works, Volume 1: The Doctrine of God is a highly significant event. This fine volume is, quite simply, a joy to read.

Cultures, even sub-cultures, are rarely static. Their grab-bag of values and practices ebb and flow over the course of years or geography, evolve, adapt or get corrupted. How sad it is that the church, chameleon-like, often simply goes with the flow - that infamous line of least resistance.

Communicating and stewardship are rarely linked. You might expect a book subtitled ‘Christian Stewardship in Community and Media’ to be about how to communicate more effectively or how to improve giving.

Few would deny that the pace of change in society is accelerating. Peter Corney has resourcefully written Change and the Church to aid church leaders, councils or boards initiate and manage constructive change in the local church.

On January 22, 1999, in a remote hill tribal village in the Indian state of Orissa, Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons, Philip and Timothy, settled to sleep overnight in their station wagon.Soon after midnight, the Staines’ vehicle was set upon by an enraged mob. They beat and stabbed the father and his two little boys with tridents before lighting a fire beneath their vehicle, incinerating them.

No evangelism program has enjoyed the success of Alpha with one in six British churches and thousands more worldwide adopting the program. In 1998 it carried its own near-saturation advertising campaign on British television. Alpha is now a highly commercialized international industry providing products from videotapes to cookbooks. Some have heralded it as God's instrument for revival. It has been the subject of numerous articles, doctorates and books, including "Anyone for Alpha? Evangelism in a post-Christian Society" by sociologist Stephen Hunt.