Tower and Town, February 2017

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Book Reviews

Rachel Maurice reviews Dethroning Mammon, by Justin Welby

You may have caught a glimpse in the press of Mark Carney (Governor of the Bank of England) reading the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book. Dethroning Mammon is Justin Welby’s first full-length book and addresses the issue of money, Mammon, and its power. His previous experience as treasurer of an oil exploration group has given him an insight into and understanding of the business world and how money ‘works’. Over the last few years he has reflected at depth on the subject of money and materialism: on their impact on our attitudes and the pressures that surround us. He explores the tensions that arise in a society dominated by economics and finance and the pressure to conform to Mammon’s expectations. Following the Gospels towards Easter, the book prods us to explore what it means to ‘dethrone’ Mammon in the values and priorities of our lives, of our society. Who directs our attitudes and actions? God/Mammon? Jesus Christ promises to bring life, truth, hope, freedom. Is Mammon so attractive that we follow a path that tangles, trips and deceives?

A challenging book but not a guilt-inducing one. It offers positive, practical ways forward and I look forward to journeying with it through Lent to Easter.

And now a journey of a different kind: Deborah Reynolds reviews Jesus: A Pilgrimage

James Martin of the Society of Jesuits is a New York Times bestselling author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage. Fr Martin is a gifted writer and in an honest, personal but light-hearted way he describes his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the company of his friend, George, at the same time giving fascinating insights into the historical Jesus combined with profound and wise spiritual reflections. There is never a dull moment in this book and whether I was reading a little or a lot of it I learnt much about Jesus in a refreshing way. A travelogue with a difference and one to savour and read and re-read.

… and Out of the Silence by Terry Waite

- a book of memories, poems and reflections by a remarkable man who has led a remarkable life. From his ordeal as a hostage to his humanitarian work that followed, he gives us glimpses into the depths of faith, hope and love that have sustained him. An inspirational book to be savoured and to return to again and again.

Rachel Maurice and Deborah Reynolds