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Dear England: Finding Hope, Taking Heart and Changing the World
'Stephen Cottrell writes about Christ as if he were here now. As if redemption were possible for all of us, as if the void that threatens to engulf us all could be filled by a personal relationship with Christ in the present. He is a compelling writer.' - Russell Brand Inspired by a conversation with a barista who asked him why he became a priest, this is the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell's extended answer to that question - as well as the letter he'd like to write to a divided country that no longer sees the relevance or value of the Christian narrative. Archbishop Stephen is a much-admired voice within the church, but in this book he writes for a more general audience, and those who might call themselves spiritual seekers - as well as anyone who is concerned about the life and unity of the UK. A short, beautiful book, this is at once both contemplative and deeply practical, which will speak to both Christians and those on the edges of faith.'A deeply thoughtful exposition of faith's transformative power, Dear England gave me hope, not only for the future of Christianity, but for a changed world too.' - David Lammy MP
181 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 4, 2021
15 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Cottrell
129 books25 followersThe Right Reverend Stephen Cottrell is Church of England Bishop of Chelmsford, and a prolific and much-loved author. He is a co-creator of the Emmaus course and a co-author of the Pilgrim course.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 9, 2021
This is an important and heart-warming book in which the Archbishop of York sends a love-letter to England. Inspired by a conversation started by a young woman at Paddington Station, who asked him "What made you become a priest?" and his answer was first, God, and second, Jesus.
Cottrell is trying to do what C. S. Lewis did in the 1940s with Mere Christianity: presenting the message of Jesus but without overloading it with Scripture or theology. Lewis started from the universal human sense of morality: that some things are right and some wrong. Cottrell starts with the sense that we all have of something deeper, more meaningful in love: things that cause us to feel awe, wonder - it may be nature, music, love. All these are pointers to God who has made us for these very things that point us and draw us to God. It's also based on the sense we have that something is wrong with the world (quite a lot, in fact), and that we are inextricably bound up with that. This sense too is a gift from God to draw us to God who means to do something about it.
Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, this is also a heart-felt statement and plea about how we can make a better country and a better world, that will not only rise above the disaster of the pandemic, but also the far greater approaching disaster of the climate emergency.
It's a book full of faith, passion. heart and hope, and will repay reading and reflection.
Cottrell is trying to do what C. S. Lewis did in the 1940s with Mere Christianity: presenting the message of Jesus but without overloading it with Scripture or theology. Lewis started from the universal human sense of morality: that some things are right and some wrong. Cottrell starts with the sense that we all have of something deeper, more meaningful in love: things that cause us to feel awe, wonder - it may be nature, music, love. All these are pointers to God who has made us for these very things that point us and draw us to God. It's also based on the sense we have that something is wrong with the world (quite a lot, in fact), and that we are inextricably bound up with that. This sense too is a gift from God to draw us to God who means to do something about it.
Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, this is also a heart-felt statement and plea about how we can make a better country and a better world, that will not only rise above the disaster of the pandemic, but also the far greater approaching disaster of the climate emergency.
It's a book full of faith, passion. heart and hope, and will repay reading and reflection.
July 25, 2022
An elegantly written, clear and passionate book by Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, about why he believes, how his faith affects his life and his vision of a better way of life than currently exists in our individualist society – a way based on humility, loving and caring for each other and throwing off our innate selfishness, based on the Biblical concept of a ‘household’, and extended to encompass community, country and world.
Cottrell examines how the ideas and largely Christian social vision that came out of the Second World War (and to which all political parties agreed to a greater or lesser extent) and that underpinned the creation of the NHS and the beginnings of the European Community need to be reborn, as without this narrative we are slipping further apart from each other, caring less for the vulnerable and seeing the divide between rich and poor increasing as never before.
Cottrell debunks some of the assumptions that sceptics may have about the Bible but without using jargon. For example, how there is no distinction between nationalities, status or gender (‘no Jew or Greek, no slave or free, man or woman”) in Christ, and is honest about how the Church has got it wrong in the past (e.g. it took several hundred years to formally abolish and renounce slavery) and is still working on some issues today.
He explains how Christ has given him a new heart and can change others’ hearts too but is not dogmatic and repeats often that he is merely setting out the story of Jesus for consideration. Woven through the book is the premise that God’s Love does not coerce and is only Love if it allows you to reject it, as in any human love relationship.
A book for both those who know nothing about Christianity or who would like to consider its claims, and those who would like to explain the hope they have in Christ but often do not have the words.
Cottrell examines how the ideas and largely Christian social vision that came out of the Second World War (and to which all political parties agreed to a greater or lesser extent) and that underpinned the creation of the NHS and the beginnings of the European Community need to be reborn, as without this narrative we are slipping further apart from each other, caring less for the vulnerable and seeing the divide between rich and poor increasing as never before.
Cottrell debunks some of the assumptions that sceptics may have about the Bible but without using jargon. For example, how there is no distinction between nationalities, status or gender (‘no Jew or Greek, no slave or free, man or woman”) in Christ, and is honest about how the Church has got it wrong in the past (e.g. it took several hundred years to formally abolish and renounce slavery) and is still working on some issues today.
He explains how Christ has given him a new heart and can change others’ hearts too but is not dogmatic and repeats often that he is merely setting out the story of Jesus for consideration. Woven through the book is the premise that God’s Love does not coerce and is only Love if it allows you to reject it, as in any human love relationship.
A book for both those who know nothing about Christianity or who would like to consider its claims, and those who would like to explain the hope they have in Christ but often do not have the words.
November 16, 2024
On the whole I enjoyed the book, and wholeheartedly agree with many of the ways that Stephen Cottrell argues that following Jesus should lead us to seek a changed world. I loved the chapter on the economy and challenging the lie and deception of ‘trickle down economics’. Yes, Jesus challenges Christians to seek a society that treats all people as being of equal worth and takes care of the poor and vulnerable, not one that neglects them for the sake of following a false economic policy that’s only real result is making the already wealthy, wealthier. But in his chapter explaining the rôle that Jesus’ plays in Christianity, his explanation is ambiguous and sounds dangerously like universalism. His explanation totally neglects to mention the choice that we’re all left with: to follow Jesus or to choose some other way. Without explaining that there’s a choice to make, it just sounds like he’s saying that Jesus will ‘save’ everyone.
October 16, 2025
I think of my top 10 favourite churstian books, three of them are written by Stephen Cottrell! I'm a big fan. This book, Dear England, is very different from the others because it's a letter to our country, off the back of a brief conversation he had in a coffee shop! Dear England gives a good grounding in apologetics (something CofE training does not!), and I'd say it's a must-read for anybody exploring or new to faith.
October 5, 2022
Some wise words and well thought out reasoning.
It would be so nice to know if the young lady that had asked the question at Paddington Station knew about this answer
It would be so nice to know if the young lady that had asked the question at Paddington Station knew about this answer
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews