Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers in Exile by John Shelby Spong, HarperSanFrancisco, £8.99. "Those who think that Christianity consists of a supernatural deity who invades the world periodically, who works through a virgin birth, a physical resurrection, and a cosmic ascension, will find all that I say a threat to their faith," says the Bishop of Newark, New Jersey.
He's flattering himself, as usual; but if you nurture a desire to be liberated from "the killing, idolatrous limits of the religions of the world", then this is the book for you. Highly recommended by Karen Armstrong, who describes it as "an important contribution to the Christian dilemma of our time".
Every Pilgrim's Guide to the Holy Land by Norman Wareham and Jill Gill, The Canterbury Press £6.50. To visit the country in which Jesus was born and overcame the power of death should be the journey of a lifetime, say the authors. This book offers more than a guide to the main sites of the Holy Land: it includes appropriate excerpts from the Gospels. "A splendid
introduction", says the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey.
The Tower of London: A Thousand Years by Derek Wilson, Allison & Busby £9.99. Many of the most dramatic events in English history took place in the Tower of London. The murder of the boyking, Edward V and his brother; the imprisonment and execution of Anne Boleyn the nine-days' reign and beheading of Lady Jane Grey; and Colonel Blood's attempt to steal the Crown Jewels, to name but a few. The author and broadcaster Derek Wilson draws on recent archaeological research for his history, described by the Financial Times as "a scholarly and highly readable book".
Speeches that Changes the World: History in the Making, compiled by Owen Collins, HarperCollins £10.99. From Paul preaching to the Gentiles to Martin Luther King's "I have a dream", it is all here: the defining
moments of three thousand years of history brought to life in the words of leaders, politicians and visionaries. Speakers include William Pitt, Hitler and Nelson Mandela.