The Spring of Hope

Douglas Dales is a scholar priest whose learning is grounded in the soil of pastoral ministry. He has written widely and lucidly about Dunstan, Alcuin, Bonaventure, and Ramsey. His commitment to informed, reflective and grounded theology shines through this meticulously organised collection. Five Parts (Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week and Easter, Ascension and Pentecost, Trinity and Transfiguration and The Communion of Saints) contain fifty-three pieces that invite the reader into a deeper engagement with the cycle of the Churches year and the gift of asking the right questions about God, the faith and Christian witness. It is impossible to know how the reader might use these reflections. The preacher might turn to them for inspiration and guidance. It might be a trusted companion for a retreat or Lenten discipline. Students will be both reminded and challenged to think beyond the vicissitudes of present times to know more about our history of Christian witness in the company of Saints and those who have mined deeply for truth and love. Hope, a longer view and a resistance to take refuge in easy or trite theology characterise these pages. For those who might imagine that what we have in the volume is what a Sarum ministry student once described in a conversation about theology as 'dislocated intellectualism' beware! Dales inhabits a wider view of the Kingdom that includes a heart for all and a commitment to a bigger, fairer, and more loving world. In a Church where preaching is not always and art and craft for the pulpit or pew Sacristy press are to be commended for publishing these pieces. The wise and distinctive voice of Dales deserves to be heard. -- James Woodward * jameswoodward.info/blog *