My latest book, Considering Grace: Presbyterians and the Troubles, co-authored with Jamie Yohanis, was reviewed by William Scholes in today’s Irish News.
Scholes explores some of the themes and stories that feature in the book, including the Rev Ian Paisley’s impact on Presbyterianism; and the challenges ministers faced as ‘first responders’ in the wake of tragedies. Scholes writes:
‘The spectre of Paisley casts its shadow on the pages of Considering Grace, a valuable new addition to the canon of Troubles literature published this week. …
It was commissioned by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, through its ‘Dealing with the Past’ group, but Considering Grace doesn’t spare the denomination criticism about what it did – or did not – do during the Troubles. Such self-criticism, or at least the openness to it, is welcome and may prove essential as broader society continues the struggle to work out how to deal with the past.’
After quoting from several stories in the book, Scholes concludes:
‘The book holds out hope for a gracious remembering that is ethical and shared, where forgiving does not mean forgetting.
But as we descend into yet another election campaign laced with sectarianism, where will grace be found?’