Logo

 

Banner Image:   Baptist-Times-banner-2000x370-
Template Mode:   Baptist Times
Icon
    Post     Tweet


Do Not Be Afraid, by Rachel Mann 


'In this Advent book Mann writes with a simplicity that conveys a depth of wisdom both scriptural and theological, and which is related to the ordinary things of everyday life' 

 

Do Not Be Afraid by Rachel ManDo Not Be Afraid   
The Joy of Waiting in a Time of Fear: The Archbishop of York's Advent Book 2024   
By Rachel Mann
SPCK
ISBN 978-0-281-09001-3
Reviewed by Robert Draycott


Why do I like this book, why do I want to recommend it? Firstly I have confidence in the author. I have heard her speak on Radio 4's The Daily Service, and very much appreciated her Advent book based on Jane Austen's novels. She writes clearly, with a simplicity that conveys a depth of wisdom that is scriptural, theological, which is related to the mundane, the ordinary things of everyday life. 
         
As we might expect from the title she writes of times of being scared, of being alone, we can relate to such experiences - and she relates them to the waiting time we call Advent, to the characters in the story.

She also conveys what we might call a realistic faith but above her reflections are very aptly subtitled 'The joy of waiting in a time of fear'. Each of the 25 pieces lead into a prayer and questions, each relates to some form of waiting. Thoroughly recommended.
 

Robert Draycott is a retired Baptist minister (various pastorates here and in Brazil), and a former chaplain of Eltham College


 

Baptist Times, 01/11/2024
    Post     Tweet
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'
Lifelines, by Julian Hoffman
'Part autobiography, part ethnography, part poetic narrative is both a lament and a celebration of the natural world written in attentive, awakened language'
    Posted: 18/07/2025
    Posted: 21/03/2025
    Posted: 04/10/2024
     
    Text Size:  
    Small (Default)
    Medium
    Large
    Contrast:  
    Normal
    High Contrast