"A rich layering of motive and emotion . . . robust dialogue, streetwise humour and muscular, mischievous vernaculour" Independent Set on the streets of Brixton, south London, BRENTON BROWN is a fatal love story about a man who never got over his first love, a perfect love with his half-sister Juliet that has left him unable to form any real relationships since they both decided it must end. "Wheatle's dialogue sings" Guardian Juliet is consumed by guilt because she knows that her half-brother, Brenton, grew up in children's homes with no family to speak of, while she received all her mother's love. She has a career with good prospects in politics, and has married Clayton, a successful banker, to please her mother. He treats her daughter, Breanna, like his own - but secretly he has always suspected that there has been something going on between Juliet and Brenton. Unable to let go physically or emotionally, Brenton takes the advice of his longstanding friend Floyd, and decides to start a new life in another country. When their good intentions fail, Juliet and Brenton must pay the ultimate price. A story about family ties, forbidden love and life, BRENTON BROWN is shot through with robust humour, unforgettable characters, unerringly pitched dialogue and towering emotion.

Two years after its initial publication, and aftersales of 120,000 copies, this Presentation Edition of Singing The Faith, the authorised hymn book of the Menthodist Church, is published to public demand. More than just a hymn book, the Church famously expresses its theology through its hymnody and thus it hymn book is also a devotional and theological resource. Seven years in development, Singing the Faith contains the classic, best loved hymns of Christian tradition and also incorporates many exciting new hymns, songs and liturgical chants from the world church. A large proportion of its 830+ items are 20th and 21st century compositions, offering a feast of musical choices spanning centuries and continents. It is arranged thematically in three parts: * God's Eternal Goodness - the Trinity, praise and adoration, creation, gathering for worship, Scripture and revelation. * God's Redeeming Work - the life of Christ revealed throughout the Christian year * God's Enduring Purposes - the Holy Spirit, our life in God, prayer, the sacraments, our human journeys, the saints and the life to come.

Whilst Contemporary Worship Music arose out of a desire to relate the music of the church to the music of everyday life, this function can quickly be called into question by the diversity of musical lives present in contemporary society. Mark Porter examines the relationship between individuals’ musical lives away from a Contemporary Worship Music environment and their diverse experiences of music within it, presenting important insights into the complex and sometimes contradictory relationships between congregants’ musical lives within and outside of religious worship. Through detailed ethnographic investigation Porter challenges common evangelical ideals of musical neutrality, suggesting the importance of considering musical tastes and preferences through an ethical lens. He employs cosmopolitanism as an interpretative framework for understanding the dynamics of diverse musical communities, positioning it as a stronger alternative to common assimilationist and multiculturalist models.

Every culture has a way of perceiving and practicing marriage. Many contemporary Western Christians mistake what their culture prescribes regarding marriage with what the Bible portrays, and thereby take as biblical what is merely cultural. Uncritical conformity to cultural imperatives of marriage then becomes a Christian virtue, and a sweet surrender. Few recognize, much less question this confusion, even when its consequences are unhealthy. In Sweet Surrender Dennis Hiebert challenges Christians to comprehend what is cultural in their view of marriage, hold as optional what is not explicitly required by the Bible, and live out their marriages within the transcendent grace of God. Gaining greater awareness can free marriages from the control of culture for something more simply but deeply Christian. Marriages benefit when they are released from cultural directives that are not biblical callings, even if they choose to retain them as cultural practices. This book is for Christians who are ready to rethink their assumptions about marriage.

Stretch your faith through this collection of intimate interviews with today's top worship songwriters. Even before King David sang his praises, God has been drawing men and women to "sing a new song." Join author and hymnologist Lindsay Terry as he sits down one-on-one with the writers of today's most inspiring and powerful worship songs including: "Here I Am to Worship" "Open the Eyes of My Heart" "Shout to the Lord" "He is Exalted" "I Can Only Imagine" Includes Bonus CD of songwriters telling their own stories!