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A rich and flexible resource
The Canterbury Book of Spiritual Quotations, by William GD Sykes, published by Canterbury Press £14.99
The compiler of these quotations exercised most of his (Anglican) ministry as a chaplain to colleges in London and Oxford. It was his experience and vision in the latter appointment that enabled him to share and develop this anthology (previously published under the title The Eternal Vision) through a substantial series of reflections in small groups of university students.
The anthology is divided into 122 sections under topic titles such as: Finding God, Happiness, Music, Power and Suffering. Each section begins with a personal and helpful preface by the compiler. The spirituality that is quoted is predominantly religious in origin although there are numerous 3 contributions from non-believers. The selection of quotations, each fully referenced in notes at the end of the volume, is inevitably subjective. There is a good sprinkling of Free Church authors but it is a pity that the one contribution of Charles Duthie shows up three spelling errors.
A recent quiet day at my local church and a meeting of a discussion group provided excellent opportunities to confirm the value of the book in the kind of situation for which it is intended. The "reflection group" followed strictly the pattern recommended by William Sykes. It worked well for all of us. The material under any one topic heading is also sufficiently brief, yet rich, to provide insight and pleasure even if you have only 15 minutes to spare. Another benefit may be the discovery of authors whose work you would like to study further.
David Butler is a member of St John the Baptist church, Crowthorne
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