The Most Rev. Justin Welby

How to Inhabit Time

Christian Living

“Annie Dillard memorably wrote, ‘How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.’ There is only the particular. And the Christian faith gives us a distinct place to stand in the present, formed by a specific history and drawn by the eschatological Spirit into God’s future. Yet, as James Smith shows, often proponents of the very faith, which should locate us most clearly in God’s time, settle for the parody—‘nowhen’ Christians. This book has helped me—genuinely. James Smith has helped me think about the subject of time in a fresh way. I greatly enjoyed the distilled wisdom, the broad philosophical engagement, the connecting of Scripture, tradition, and culture. Truly this book is a gift which has engaged my awareness of how we are called to live the gifts which are our lives. My hope and prayer is that the impact of this book on how we live—on the times of our lives—will be exponentially more than the time it took to read it.”

When Church Stops Working

Church Leadership & Ministry

“There are many books written about the state of the church, and they fall into every literary genre: true crime, romance, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. And if they have the word ‘crisis’ or ‘decline,’ they can tip into being self-help, business management, and even home improvement. What I value about this book is that it is theology—as it seeks to address where we are by reminding us of who God is and who we are. Because it puts God in the center, it is a profoundly hope-giving book, engaging us all by diagnosing the real crisis of faith and encouraging us to live alertly and expectantly within that. The church needs teachers like this.”