A Faith to Live By

This book of interviews is a timely one. At a time when Christianity, and religions in general, are under sustained attack from 'new atheists' such as Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens, there is an urgent need for intelligent, thoughtful, clear and honest refl ections on faith which can be widely accessed and understood. In A faith to live by many of the interview subjects explain how they are able to believe in, and live by, their faith, and also deal with questions and doubts from within their belief and practice as Christians. Many of the interviews grapple with diffi cult questions such as 'Why does God allow suffering?'; explore the interviewees' personal prayer and meditation practices and experiences of the divine, eternal and transcendent; and seek wise and prophetic insight into the state of both society and the church today. There is also, in many of the interviews, a sense of the expansiveness of the Spirit, the flame of love which is enkindled in the heart by devotion to Christ and which inspires a generous and compassionate attitude to others, often including great acts of self-giving.