Vista 49 (September 2026) on Listening to the Church in Ukraine

The latest issue of Vista is devoted to ‘Listening to the Church in Ukraine: Voices from a Country at War’.

Jim Memory notes on behalf of the editors that the articles ‘were all written by Ukrainians or, in one case, by a missionary who has lived in Ukraine for nearly twenty years’, and so the ‘privilege for us to offer up their unique perspective on mission from a context of war to the world church’.

The edition closes with two collections of book reviews – one on ‘three key theological responses to the war that were published last year’, and the other ‘a list of books that cover cross-cultural mission work and missionary pastoral care with a particular focus on Ukraine’.

The articles and reviews are available from here.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Resources

For those who might be interested, the MLJ Trust has updated its website with several free downloadable resources featuring the teachings of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones – pdfs, study guides, and supplementary materials – available here.

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care Supplement Issue

A supplement volume of the Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care on ‘The Past, Present, and Future of the Protestant Spiritual Formation Movement’ is available as free access here.

Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology 28, 1 (2026)

The Journal of Asian Evangelical Theology – the flagship journal of the Asian Theological Association – is now open access.

The latest issue (with contributions on spiritual formation and mission in Asian contexts) is available from here, and downloadable as a pdf from here.

Paul S. Fiddes on Spirit

Paul S. Fiddes, Spirit, Elements in Religion and Monotheism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2026).

The above short (72-page) book is available as a free pdf download until 15 October 2026.

Here is the summary:

‘The Element begins by surveying the image of spirit within Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It explores the duality between the experience of spirit “from beyond” and spirit “within”, and finds a consistency in the idea of spirit as the presence and activity of God in the world. Attention is given to the image of spirit as an “overflow” in Islam and late Judaism. Moving into discussion of a dialectic between “spirit” and “letter”, or spirit and written text, gives a context for investigating the place of spirit in the New Testament, modern romanticism and idealism, and finally in the late-modern protest against structures of spirit. Finally, the development of spirit into the “Holy Spirit” of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity is considered, arguing that an experience of spirit as an inexhaustible relation and flow of love will oppose forces of domination in human life.

The book can be downloaded as a pdf from here.

Edward J. Creedy on Clement of Alexandria and Catechesis

Edward J. Creedy, Clement of Alexandria, Early Christian Instruction and the 'Catechetical School', Elements in Early Christian Literature (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2026).

The above short (86-page) book is available as a free pdf download until 15 October 2026.

Here is the summary:

‘With a scant biography and a notoriously complex oeuvre, Clement of Alexandria survives as one of the most enigmatic early Christian figures. He was traditionally understood as the head of an Alexandrian Catechetical School, succeeding Pantaenus and preceding the more famous Origen. With Eusebius traditionally read as our earliest witness to such a school, however, the anachronism of formal catechetical institution in the second century has long divided scholars. This Element both reintroduces this complex figure and reconsiders the Eusebian presentation of the so-called Catechetical School. Through a close reading of both Eusebius and Clement a new understanding of Clement's pedagogical context is explored. Eusebius does not suggest an early formal institution but is in fact deliberate in describing a far looser, retrospective association between these early Christian intellectuals. With the spectre of an anachronistic Catechetical School banished, the historical reality of Clement's second-century instruction can be retrieved and reevaluated.’

The book can be downloaded as a pdf from here.

Evangelical Alliance UK on Evangelicalism in the UK

The Evangelical Alliance has published a report on ‘Understanding UK Evangelicals: Who are They?’

Here are some snapshots:

‘This report presents the findings of a landmark survey that sought to measure the size, shape and identity of the evangelical population across the United Kingdom.’

‘Most practising Christians in the UK are evangelicals and evangelical Christianity is growing. Evangelicals are younger, more ethnically diverse, and more likely to be male than the wider population.’

‘Using the narrowest definition there are now an estimated 2.6 million evangelical Christians in the UK.’

‘Evangelical Christianity is thriving among young people, ethnic minority populations and men. The UK church is growing, and this looks set to continue, given the demographics.’

See here for more information and to download (with an email required) the report itself.