Today is the publication date of my book: The Vicar’s FAQ: All you ever wanted to know
about Christianity and the Church, published by Darton Longman & Todd.
As you might expect, I’m pretty excited about it! Here are
some things you might want to know.
Is it just for vicars
/ Christians?
No! It’s deliberately aimed at those people outside the
Church who are curious about what we believe and do. I’ve tried to avoid jargon,
or explain it where it’s unavoidable, and hopefully have managed to address all
those questions you’ve been burning to ask!
What’s it about?
The book seeks to answer a vast range of questions that I
have been asked both while training to be ordained in the Church of England,
and since becoming first a deacon and then a priest. These range from simple
questions about whether vicars get holidays and how much they’re paid to deeply
complex questions about what members of the Church of England believe God is
like or what our attitudes are towards same-sex marriage.
I answer all of these questions as myself. That is to say, I
make no bones about the fact that I’m firmly at the ‘liberal’ end of the
liberal-conservative spectrum, and reply accordingly. I try to present
alternative points of view where appropriate, and in as even-handed a way as I
can, but in the end will always make clear what my own stance is. Be warned!
What’s the style
like?
It’s informal, with one question running into another in a
conversational style. I try to answer complicated questions simply.
What topics do you
cover?
There are five main chapters:- Being a Vicar (questions about
the nature of the job)
- The Church of England:
Past and Present (questions about the history of the C of E, going back to
Jesus)
- The Worship of the Church
of England (questions about our services and worship in general)
- Christian Doctrine
(questions about what Christians believe)
- Ethics (questions about
some recent hot-button topics)
Where can I get it?
It’s on sale in the UK (not the USA yet I'm afraid!), available at all good bookshops, and
of course through Amazon. Here’s a handy link: