The Hardest Problem: God, evil and suffering by Rupert Shortt (Hodder, £9.99 (£8.99); 978-1-399-80272-7). New in paperback.

“Rupert Shortt argues that belief in a divine Creator is intellectually robust, despite apparent signs to the contrary. Having cleared the ground, he goes on to show how a Christian understanding, in particular, points the way forward through terrain where raw feeling, intellectual inquiry and the toughest trials of the spirit often overlap.” 

The Bible and Poetry by Michael Edwards (New York Review Books, £16.99 (£15.29); 978-1-68137-637-0).

“In The Bible and Poetry, the poet and scholar Michael Edwards seeks to transform how the Bible and Christianity are understood, arguing that poetry is not an ornamental or accidental feature of the Bible but is central to its meaning.”

Confounding the Mighty: Stories of church, social class and solidarity, edited by Luke Larner (SCM Press, £19.99 (Church Times SPECIAL OFFER PRICE £15.99); 978-0-334-06357-5).

“At the turn of the millennium, Bell Hooks wrote ‘Nowadays it is fashionable to talk about race or gender; the uncool subject is class.’ Drawing from a variety of sources, experiences, and intersections of identity, this book addresses the relationship between church and class in 21st-century Britain, exploring how to build intersectional solidarity and struggle for justice and the common good. If, as hooks wrote, it is uncool to talk about class, it seems that productive discussions about Church and class might be even less palatable.” 

Selected by Frank Nugent, of the Church House Bookshop, which operates the Church Times Bookshop.