Search results for: 'origin the'

Making the Bible Engaging for Children

How do you take an ancient and complex book and make it accessible and interesting for children? Our children's editor, Juliet, shares some of the challenges . . ...

Revd Dr Thomas Bray, a man of humble origins

Today we're celebrating Bray Day, a day when SPCK and USPG come together for a church service and time of thanksgiving in remembrance of our co-founder the Revd Dr Thomas Bray. In this blog post, Duncan Dormor,Chief Executive of our sister society USPG, shares the history of our co-founder and the legacy he left ...
  • 3 Jan 2019

The peace that passes all understanding

Has your therapist or acupuncturist ever encouraged you to develop a mindfulness practice? Do you sit in front of YouTube tutorials and wonder if you’re doing it right? Do you feel frustrated because you’re afraid that you’ve done it wrong? You’re not alone. Christopher Dines talks us through mindfulness. There is no right ...

Identifying the components of safer, healthier culture

Learn about healthier spiritual culture with this extract from Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr Lisa Oakley and Justin ...

What is Resilience? And Why Now is the Time to Practise It

Several years ago when Meg Warner began writing the drafts for Joseph: A Story of Resilience Brexit was only a 'pipe dream'. Later, in the editing stages Brexit had become the greatest challenge to have struck the UK for many decades. In March 2020, the book entered the final stages of publishing and the coronavirus pandemic had threatened to ...

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 ...

Australian Christian Book Of The Year

Jesus Through Muslim Eyes by Richard Shumack has been shortlisted for the 2021 Australian Christian Book of the Year Award! Find out more in this blog ...

SPCK Authors Rowan Williams & John Lennox Speaking at The Hay Festival

SPCK Authors Rowan Williams and John Lennox will be speaking at The Hay Festival: How The Light Gets ...

Explore Our February New Releases

Discover our amazing new releases this month! From the perfect baptism, christening and dedication gifts to our multimillion bestselling children's Bible - The Children's Bible in 365 Stories, there is sure to be something for every child this ...

Discover Our CRT 2024 Award-Winning Books!

We're delighted that two of our books have been awarded CRT awards - Brighter Days by Patrick Regan for Christian Life Book of the Year and Tom Wright's My Big Story Bible for Children's Book of the ...
  • 25 Jan 2018

4 Key Ingredients for Success

Does your organisation have the right ingredients for success? Primavera Quantrill writes about our recent 1698 Club ...
  • 25 May 2018

Comedic timing: Paul Kerensa on his newest writing venture

Headlining our Comedy and Cheese event on 23 May, Paul Kerensa spoke about the importance of humour in faith and parodied some popular songs, giving them a scriptural interpretation. The set had everyone laughing.  For those who were unable to attend the event, we've asked him to report why it was important to him to retell Biblical stories ...
  • 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, ...
  • 3 Aug 2018

Art that helps through grief

John Bell, author of The Last Journey, chats with us about the inspiration behind ...
  • 13 Aug 2018

6 Questions for Rachael Newham

We will publish Learning to Breathe by Rachael Newham this week. Here, we chat with her about writing, hobbies, and taking photos for ...
  • 8 Oct 2018

Catching Up With Cole Moreton for Libraries Week

Cole Moreton is on our blog for Libraries Week. His new book The Light Keeper publishes in May of next ...
  • 12 Oct 2018

6 Questions for John Bowker

We chatted with John Bowker recently about his new book Religion Hurts, which publishes 18 ...
  • 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 ...
  • 12 Feb 2019

What is freedom?

What is freedom? Diffusion workshop at HMP North Sea Camp Did you know that SPCK provides free easy-to-read books to prison reading groups? Our Diffusion books are specially written to help prisoners who need to improve their reading confidence so that they are better able to find employment on release. We also work to change, attitudes, thinking ...

Natural Holy Places: Britain's Top 10

Nick Mayhew-Smith, author of The Naked Hermit, rounds up a five-year journey into the wild sacred spaces of Britain with a top 10 list of the most enchanting holy ...

Converting to Orthodoxy

Martin Dudley was a prominent Anglican priest at St Bartholomew's in the heart of the City of London. In March 2018 he was received into the Orthodox Church. Martin's upcoming book Being Orthodox is an accessible guide for those who seek to become or live as Orthodox Christians. In this blog post you will find out when and why he made the move to ...

Why do jokes go wrong?

It may have been an established tried-and-tested joke but for one reason or another it wasn't well received, and it's now obvious that people haven't found it funny. Why does this happen? In this extract from The Sacred Art of Joking James Cary talks us through the many reasons why jokes can sometimes ...

How to write a Communications Strategy

Hear the author of So Everyone Can Hear Mark Crosby speak with Elizabeth Neep on the importance and the simplicity of creating a church communication ...

"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 ...

Black History Month and Extraordinary Saints

Black History Month allows us to take time to consider the individuals who have been relegated not just to the side-lines of history but forgotten through the ages. Sharon Prentis, Intercultural Mission Enabler and Dean of BAME Affairs for the Church of England in Birmingham tells us that whilst there has been a marked improvement in acknowledging ...

Why storytelling is a vital skill for everyone in ministry

Paula Gooder and Bob Hartman tell us about their latest book The Tell-It-Together Gospel: Mark, and why storytelling is a vital skill for everyone in ...

10 ways to improve your church's physical presence

Have you ever looked at your church's physical presence through the eyes of a visitor? Ensuring that your church is easy to find, has clear signage, and is accessible are just some of the things that need to be considered when mapping your visitor's journey. In this blog post Mark Crosby, author of So Everyone Can Hear lists 10 steps for improving ...
  • 11 Nov 2019

Top 3 Biographies

If you're looking for your next biography or in need of some inspiring wisdom why not check out our biography recommendations. New books by Rowan Williams and Tim Farron are featured, as well as an introduction to the life and legacy of John Henry ...

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 ...

What can I buy an Ordinand this Christmas?

Whether it's a book that celebrates the tradition of ordained pastoral ministry or a resource to help them communicate church in our ever-changing digital culture, there's sure to be a thoughtful and meaningful gift in our hand-picked selection of Christmas gifts for those training in ministry. Make sure you place your order before 19th December ...

An Irrepressible Journey

‘I sometimes feel we are sold a myth that we somehow download our purpose in our twenties and then work on that until we “achieve our dreams”,’ speaker, writer and coach Cathy Madavan shares with SPCK ahead of the launch of her new book, Irrepressible: 12 principles for a courageous, resilient and fulfilling ...

Digital Platforms for Churches During Coronavirus

How do you meet and connect with your church in place of gathered environments, small groups and pastoral conversations? Mark Crosby, author of So Everyone Can Hear explains the many digital platforms that are available and when best to use ...

Words for Worrying Times

Rachael Newham, author of Learning to Breathe has provided some encouraging words to reflect upon during these challenging ...

Lesson 90: Be Nice

Tola Doll Fisher reflects on Ephesians 4.31, and how it can be used to remind us to not engage in behaviour that can negatively impact another's mental health. This extract from her book Still Standing is Lesson 90: Be ...

But Where Are You Really From?

‘Where are you from?’ I’m asked.‘The UK,’ I reply. ‘I mean where are you really from?’ ‘Zambia,’ I reply. In this blog post you will find a short video of Amanda Khozi Mukwashi reading from the opening chapter of her book But Where Are You Really From? The extract is also ...

National Poetry Day 2020 - Hope by George Herbert

National Poetry Day is celebrated every year on the first Thursday of October, and encourages everyone to enjoy, discover and share poetry. With this in mind, we are sharing a poem by George Herbert called Hope, with a commentary from Mark Oakley. This is an extract from Mark Oakley's volume My Sour-Sweet Days: George Herbert and the Journey of the ...

Thoughtful Gifts for Her

If you’re unsure what to buy your wife, girlfriend, sister, mother, or daughter, then look no further as we suggest some gift ideas to help you find that perfect ...

Are UK churches doing enough to fight climate change?

Just 1 in 10 young people believe their church is doing enough to respond to the climate crisis. What can the Church do to combat this concern among young ...

SPCK Group Press Release 21 April 2021

The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) and the AFD Group today announce it has been agreed that SPCK will acquire from AFD the publishing business of Lion ...

SPCK Group Press Release 4 October 2021

The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) and the Catholic Bible School today announces the merger of the Catholic Bible School into SPCK’s range of publishing and ministry activities, strengthening further SPCK’s offering to the Roman Catholic ...

Join SPCK author John-Paul Flintoff on an Online Pilgrimage

Join John-Paul Flintoff, author of Psalms for the City, on an online pilgrimage as he etches exquisite and quirky illustrations on to the streets of ...

John C. Lennox Speaks at IFES Revive Europe

John C. Lennox, SPCK author of Cosmic Chemistry, will be speaking at IFES Revive Europe 2022. ...

Share Your Love of Reading this World Book Day!

Share your love of reading this World Book Day! With over half of children saying they don't enjoying reading, it's more important than ever to support children in learning how to love reading. We've compiled some of our bestselling children's books we know children and young readers will ...

Children Interview Tom Wright: My Big Story Bible

Watch children chat with bestselling author and theologian Tom Wright about his new Bible for children: My Big Story ...

Discover our New May Releases

Explore our fantastic new releases for ...

A New Editor for Theology Journal

SPCK announces the appointment of George Pattison as the new editor of Theology journal, ushering in a new chapter for one of the world's leading platforms for accessible, peer-reviewed Christian ...