One of my biggest fears as a preacher is to be stale. I can’t do anything about being male and because of my Asian heritage I am unlikely to ever be accused of being pale. But there is always the danger that I get stuck in a rut, churning out platitudes, over recycling talks, addressing a culture that I used to know but has moved on without me even noticing. Or even worse, there is a danger I could settle for some sub-biblical understanding of the Scriptures because I refused to push myself to dig deep into the latest scholarship. The following books are an attempt to push myself to examine contemporary issues just outside of my comfort zone. I believe the church needs to be addressing these issues both internally and externally.
We Need to Talk About Race Ben Lindsay (SPCK, 2019)
It would be a tragedy if the only thing that people knew about Ben Lindsay’s book was that the Guardian claimed its cover is similar to that of another book on race. Dismissing this book based on the colour of its skin would be most ironic. Too often Christians have assumed that being colour blind is the best way to approach race and ethnicity in the church. This compelling book opens up our eyes to this naivety and challenges us to have a more serious conversation. After the Windrush scandal, the hostile environment policy and the Grenfell disaster both immigration and our nation’s relationship with the rest of the world are being negotiated – we are at a critical juncture in our national life. This timely book needs to be read, discussed and acted upon.
God Beyond Words Jill Harshaw (JKP, 2016)
