New Edition: Defenders of the Faith - Catherine Pepinster

REVIEWER: Peter Crumpler

Defenders of the faith: fully revised & updated

BOOK: Defenders of the Faith: The British Monarchy, Religion and the Coronation.
AUTHOR: Catherine Pepinster

Timing in life is everything, they say.

No more so in the world of publishing – and anyone who will be preaching in the time before and after King Charles’s Coronation on Saturday May 6th will be grateful for this book.

Catherine Pepinster, a renowned author and broadcaster – and for many years the editor of the Catholic weekly, The Tablet – published the hardback version of this book just months before the Queen’s death last September. In it, she set out an authoritative and timely exploration of the British monarchy, its relationship with faith and religion over the last 500 years, and what the future might look like for the next monarch and the Church of England.

Extensively Revised

Now, Catherine Pepinster has written an extensively revised paperback version of Defenders of the Faith that will – among other features – help preachers to understand the deep religious significance of the Coronation service, and to communicate this to their congregations.

In this new edition, Pepinster includes a new introduction and conclusion, a new chapter on the Queen’s death and the events that followed, an expanded chapter on King Charles’s faith, a chapter on Charles’s accession and a more detailed look at the Coronation.

The Queen’s funeral may have been the most-watched Christian service of all time, with many millions of TV and online viewers across the world. The Coronation is also expected to attract a massive global audience for an Anglican service.

A New Age

The Coronation, Pepinster explains, ‘is a moment when the country will consider values and meaning.’  She sets out what she describes as ‘the toughest challenge of all,’ and asks, ‘Can the Coronation, full of religious meaning, speak to a secular, cynical majority, weary of our nation’s leaders and suspicious of extravagance – or at least a majority that is not so much cynical but sceptical.’

She responds that the Coronation and the Monarchy could be more relatable to modern Britain, if it were ‘patterned less on power and more on justice, wisdom, sacrifice and humility – in other words, a biblical notion of kingship.’

Few TV viewers will be studying in detail the liturgy used at the Coronation, but they will be watching the spectacle, including the crowning, the anointing of the new monarch, and much of the symbolism being used. How much they will understand is debatable.

Enter preachers in pulpits across the land, explaining what kingship and service really means in a Christian context. This book will help them meet that challenge.

Reviewer: Peter Crumpler
Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England priest in St Albans, Herts, and a former communications director with the CofE.

The Hour is Come, Andrew Nunn

The Hour is Come: Passion is Real Time

Andrew Nunn, SCM Press (2021)

RRP £12.99

Have you ever asked yourself, what day of the week the widow dropped her two coins into the temple treasury? Or when the disciples found the man carrying the water jar, who would show them the way to the upper room? In this fascinating book of devotional reflections, Andrew Nunn has put together the well-known events of the last week of Jesus’ life in a fresh and fascinating way. Starting on the Saturday before Palm Sunday and ending at Pentecost. The reflections focus in on key hours in the last week of Jesus’ life, then week by week through the weeks after Easter and ending, finally, with three reflections on Pentecost Sunday.

Although we can’t be sure exactly when each event happened in this last week of Jesus’ life, looking at the events in detail and reflecting on when they might have happened brings a fresh insight to the story. In particular, it allows us to appreciate the growing tension as Jesus’ death comes ever closer and the slow realization, in the hearts of Jesus’ disciples, of what the resurrection meant. Each section is very short – no longer than two pages long – and includes a passage from the Bible, some help into reflection and a prayer. It is a wonderful resource with so much to think about and reflect on. It will be well worth praying with in the lead up to Easter and beyond.

It comes highly recommended from me for anyone who would like to take time to get into the details of the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

[reviewer] Paula Gooder

Dr Paula Gooder is a writer and lecturer in Biblical Studies. She is currently the Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral in London.Reviewed by Esther Longe