Books by Alan Billings

An intriguing contribution to the literature published to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War in August 2014. The book's primary focus is an attempt to explain why Christianity changes its mind about war at different points in its history.

In trying to understand the relationship of the British people to religion - specifically Christianity - we tend to say that people: believe - or do not; attend - or do not. The argument of Lost Church is that the majority of people do not really fit either of these categories.

What are clergy for? In this lively and provocative book, Alan Billings argues that they serve the mission and ministry of the Church, which is to make God possible (or findable).

Most funerals in Britain continue to be conducted according to the rites of one or other of the Christian churches. This work seeks to give those engaged in the pastoral ministry two things: a sense of how the nature of the funeral service has changed and some pointers to good practice today.

Secular Lives, Sacred Hearts contends that the traditional sociological account of secular Britain is misleading and that we should learn to think in terms of the nation being 'culturally Christian'. The church should therefore take seriously those occasions when ministry is sought - such as baptisms, weddings and funerals - and try to puzzle out what it is that people are seeking. Offering some clues based on small scale research done in his own parish, the author argues for a recovery of the idea of the local church as a parish church - concerned for all within its boundaries.