Search results for: 'Death'

The Entombment

'When Titian painted the Entombment, the plague was raging in Venice. The consciousness of death must have been on everyone’s mind, and perhaps specially on Titian’s, because he was very old'. In this blog post you will find an extract from The Art of Holy Week and Easter by Sister Wendy Beckett. Many will agree that this specific ...
  • 3 Aug 2018

Art that helps through grief

John Bell, author of The Last Journey, chats with us about the inspiration behind ...
  • 28 Jan 2019

Ruining the Moment

James Cary, author of The Sacred Art of Joking, blogs for us during Storytelling ...

Uplifting books for you and others

In this blog post you will find a copy of our enewsletter that went out to subscribers last week. In this you will find a sample chapter from Terry Waite's book Out of the Silence, and some recommendations for uplifting books to read. Those books with eBook editions currently have 50% off (ends 25th ...
  • 21 Dec 2018

Q&A with Janet Morley

Janet Morley, author of Haphazard by Starlight, is on our blog today chatting writing and Christmas ...

"I have no tendency to be a saint" (John Henry Newman)

On 13th October 2019 Blessed John Henry Newman will be canonised a Saint by Pope Francis. Historian Eamon Duffy describes Newman's intellectual journey as one of the most remarkable of the nineteenth century. In John Henry Newman: A Very Brief History Eamon provides an engaging and judicious introduction on the life and legacy of this ...

Saints known and unknown

All Saints' Day is celebrated in honour of all saints, known and unknown. In Every Tribe we learn about saints from a wide range of backgrounds. Pauli Murray is one of them. She was canonized by the Episcopal Church in 2012. In this extract poet and teacher Rachel Laurence reflects on the legacy of this ...

Why life with dementia can be fulfilling and positive

Living with dementia is often accompanied with a negative stigma. Jennifer Bute's story proves that it is still possible to live positively with dementia, and there is much that can be done when living with this ...

Unbelievable? The Conference 2021

This year’s conference is hosted by Justin Brierley & Ruth Jackson. It will bring together world-renowned historians, theologians and communicators, including NT Wright, Tom Holland, Clare Williams and Sean & Josh ...
  • 10 Aug 2018

Living a Heroic Life

Summer is often the time we wish for throughout the year and, if especially if you have kids, can’t wait to get away for some rest and relaxation. How do you spend your summers? Do you use it to jet off to the beach? Maybe you spend time at home with family and a barbeque. Maybe you take your children on an adventure. Before the summer comes ...
  • 23 Jan 2019

Gemma Simmonds on things she'd tell her younger self

Gemma Simmonds is a religious sister of the Congregation of Jesus. She began her ministry teaching at secondary level in the UK and went on from there to missionary work among women and street children in Brazil. She trained in Christian spirituality at the Ignatian spirituality centre in Wernersville, USA and this led to work as a retreat giver ...
  • 27 Jul 2018

5 Questions for Andrew Gant

Andrew Gant has held a number of positions in the field of church music, including singing in the choir of Westminster Abbey and Organist and Choirmaster at Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal from 2000-2013, where he was responsible for the music at many Royal and state occasions. He is a stipendiary lecturer in music at St Peter’s College, ...
  • 20 Nov 2018

5 lighthearted books for Christmas

For most people, Christmas is the perfect time of year to unwind, relax and spend precious time with family. With this in mind, SPCK has handpicked five easy lighthearted books for the ...
  • 6 Jul 2018

What story is your life telling?

By Leila Jennings ‘Narrative is the central function … of the human mind. We turn everything into a story in order to make sense of life.’ - James Bryan Smith Andy Frost’s new book, Long Story Short, provides insight into the narratives that we use to define our path in life. Many of us see life as the pursuit of ...

My Creator Calling: A Poem from Hope Rising 365 by Meg Cannon

An encouraging poem from Meg Cannon’s Hope Rising 365 explores how God meets us in our weakness and calls us from darkness into hope and new ...
  • 28 Aug 2018

How was your journey?

Sean Stillman's memoir God's Biker will be published on 20 September. Here, he chats with us about a different way to frame travel ...

Augustine’s Confessions, the story of his journey to adult Christian faith

On 28th August we celebrate the feast of St Augustine of Hippo. Saint Augustine of Hippo was a Roman African, early Christian theologian and philosopher from Numidia. Saint Augustine of Hippo is just one of twenty Christians that Rowan Williams reflects upon in his new book Luminaries. In this extract we learn about 'Augustine's Confessions' ...

What is it like to be a young carer?

Today marks the start of Carers Week, an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. According to the last census, there are 166,000 young carers in England, but recent research suggests that the actual figure ...

The Legend of St George, an extract for All Saints' Day

On All Saints' Day we remember all saints and martyrs, known and unknown. Little is known about St George, patron saint of England. With the story of his slaying of a dragon recorded 1,000 years after his death, Catherine Pepinster explains here how he '...grew in popularity as he was invoked by Christians caught up in battles.' This is an ...
  • 6 Aug 2018

A Hero in God’s Eyes

We're into the #SPCKBookClub!  Mankind has reinvented its heroes of old slaying dragons into superheroes facing alien invasions. We often have our own versions of a hero we look up to. Maybe it’s your favourite celebrity or social activist. Maybe even your mum or dad. And as Christians, we often have Biblical heroes we admire like Queen ...

A Significant Milestone for the African Theological Network Press

Dr Angus Crichton, SPCK's Global Advocacy Manager gives us an update on ATNP, the African Theological Network Press. ATNP is one of SPCK's charitable programmes, an ecumenical venture, committed to serving the church in Africa and the ...

Lessons from Loss

Baby Loss Awareness Week takes place 9th - 15th October and is an opportunity for the bereaved to unite with others across the world to commemorate their babies’ lives. In this extract from Still Standing, Tola Doll Fisher reflects on the feelings she experienced after losing her daughter ...

The Case for Christianity, as told by a lawyer

'Lawyers are meant to be interested in proof. What’s the proof for Christianity?'. A question often presented to Simon Edwards, the subject of ‘proof’ brings with it much debate. Christianity cannot be demonstrated as true in the same way that a mathematical equation can be, so how can it be ...
  • 11 Nov 2018

Reflections on the end of the Great War

On Remembrance Sunday, Alan Billings shares his ...
  • 12 Nov 2018

Joseph and the Bully Boys

Fiona Veitch Smith is on our blog for Anti Bullying Week. Why do people bully and what can be done to address it?  ...

Who was Miao Zizhong, Cedar of Lebanon?

The Communists earmarked Zhejiang as a 'religion-free zone' in the 1950s and 1960s, yet to the glory of God, Jesus Christ is worshipped today by more than 13 million people throughout the province. The story of Miao Zizhong is one of many personal stories in Zhejiang: The Jerusalem of China that depict the harsh realities of trying to ...

Our first response needs to be silence - a reflection from Fr Laurence Freeman

'The pandemic has reminded us of our inherent solidarity as a human family. It has also exposed the forces at work – like bad government, greedy money-makers and the obscene gulf between rich and poor - that demand correction or punishment'.  Fr Laurence Freeman reflects on the effects of Covid-19. This reflection was originally ...

Remembering Answered Prayers

Why is it important to remember our answered prayers? How might remembering these prayers help us in a pandemic? Find out in this Q&A with Richard Gamble, author of ...

Our charity has been promoting Christian knowledge for over 300 years – now Christians are in the minority

 As a charity who has spent the last 300 years promoting Christianity, we see in the rejection of nominal Christianity (people identifying themselves as Christian out of routine or family tradition, rather than necessarily practicing the faith), an opportunity born out of ...
  • 15 Aug 2018

Why does God allow suffering?

Robin Gill is Emeritus Professor of Applied Theology at the University of Kent and Acting Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Gibraltar. Among his many books are A Textbook of Christian Ethics (4th edition 2014) and Moral Passion and Christian Ethics (2018). Here, he chats with us about his book Why Does God Allow Suffering? and his personal ...
  • 24 Sept 2018

A Chat with Anthony Kenny

Anthony Kenny is on our blog today discussing his new book Brief Encounters. He will be at Church House Bookshop on 17 October with Richard Harries. Details ...
  • 17 Jan 2019

Believe in the power of prayer

Debra Green OBE is the National Director and Founder of Redeeming Our Communities (ROC), founded in 2004; a registered charity and Limited company. She is frequently asked to speak at events and conferences. She also speaks at conferences organised by statutory authorities and public services. Debra has 25 years of experience in bringing ...
  • 6 Feb 2019

#ReclaimSocial – Post Positive in 2019!

Social media has so much potential to be a force for good. We can re-connect with old friends easier than ever before, share important news articles and keep distant family up to date with changes in our lives. Social media has also been central to campaigns and protests, as demonstrated by the viral #metoo campaign. But it is impossible to deny ...

National Poetry Day with Janet Morley

In the lead up to National Poetry Day we speak to Janet Morley about her latest anthology Love Set You Going: Poems of the ...

SPCK January New Releases

Explore our fantastic six new titles out this ...
  • 13 Nov 2018

Different Kinds of Kindness

Andrew Adam, author of Thomas Cochrane and the Dragon Throne, is on our blog today for World Kindness Day. Thomas Cochrane showed extraordinary kindness during his work has a doctor in China. How can we show similar kindness to ourselves and ...

Q&A with David Wilbourne, Author of Just John

David Wilbourne has been a 'John Habgood observer' for 37 years. Just John: The Authorized Biography of John Habgood has been a long time in the making, as we learn in this Q&A with David it took four years to complete just one chapter. Find out in this first part of our Q&A what it was like to write this biography and whether David, ...
  • 1 Aug 2018

A Chat with Stephen Cottrell

1 August is Play Day, which encourages the value of play and imagination. Our author Stephen Cottrell has always told stories to his children. Now, he has written a children’s story too. Read about the origins of his new book The Sleepy ...
  • 18 Dec 2018

Ruth Clemence's thoughts for International Migrants' Day

Blogger Ruth Clemence shares a review of They Called Us ...

Loneliness Awareness Week 2022: what can faith teach us about isolation and despair?

For Loneliness Awareness Week 2022, we’re highlighting some of our books that speak profoundly to mental illness, and how to pursue faith amid loneliness and ...

How many of Sister Wendy's favourite paintings have you seen?

How many of Sister Wendy's favourite paintings have you seen in real life? Many paintings from the recently published Sister Wendy's 100 Best-loved Paintings are hanging up inside the National Gallery. We decided to visit the gallery to see how many we could ...

UK Bible Sales Are Up 134% Since 2019

Discover why more people, especially younger readers, are returning to the Bible and how Scripture continues to speak into everyday ...

The Challenges of Urbanization

From one end of Eurasia to the other, societies are now either already highly urbanized or in the process of becoming so. In The Human Odyssey Stephen Green explores the challenges that are posed by this change. In the following blog post Stephen introduces us to his chapter on 'The forces unleashed by ...

Jesus, the Earth, and Environmental Justice (an extract from Justice for Christ's Sake)

Twenty years before Greta Thunberg arrived on the scene, Bishop James Jones asked young people how worried they were about the future of the world. In an assembly of 250 young people, all of them raised their hand to show concern. In this extract from his memoir, Justice for Christ's Sake, James reflects on this time and how it led him explore what ...

Our Bestselling Lent & Easter Books for Children

Explore our bestselling Lent and Easter books for children. Add our favourite Easter books to your basket - perfect for entertaining little ones this Easter! ...

Very Brief Histories Event

The Very Brief History series is a collection of short, accessible introductions on histories, legacies, and movements that have shaped the world written by industry experts. Our event on Saturday features four speakers uncovering the lives of Thomas More, Immanuel Kant, Byzantine Christianity, and Julian of Norwich. ...

Understanding the Bible: 10 Essential Books to Deepen Your Christian Faith

Discover 10 essential SPCK books that make understanding the Bible easier, deepen your Christian faith, and help you connect with the teachings of the Bible in a meaningful way. ...

SPCK Author Sir Terry Waite appointed Knight Commander

We're thrilled to congratulate SPCK author Sir Terry Waite on his appointment as Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) for his services to ...

Coronation Sale: Enjoy 20% OFF the entire website!

Celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty The King Charles III this Saturday, the 6th of May, with 20% OFF our entire website until May ...

Announcement: David Adam

With great sadness, we have to announce that the much-loved Celtic spirituality writer, David Adam, died suddenly at home on Friday 24 January, aged ...