Generous Faith: Creating Vibrant Christian Communities (Canterbury Press, 2024)

‘Nearly 30 years have passed since I became a priest. It’s been a winding path, but, looking back, there is a discernible direction underlying the route I’ve travelled for decades. I have fought to reconcile the shadows of my life with the spotlight that shines upon me as a priest. I have wrestled with the Church of England, at times almost to the point of giving up and leaving. I have struggled to understand what it is about the notion of God that continues to engage me.’ –Giles Goddard, Generous Faith

Book Review by Nicky Bull, former Operation Noah trustee

Giles Goddard’s Generous Faith is an incredibly honest and heartfelt book. It weaves together the author’s autobiography alongside the story of the development of outreach at the church, St John’s in Waterloo, of which the author is the vicar – all set against the background of the seasons of the Church of England calendar.

I have known Giles for about a dozen years, since we were both serving as trustees of the climate charity Operation Noah, and greatly admire his commitment both to the Church and to campaigning for the protection of creation. This book tells of the struggles he underwent privately and with the institution of the Church of England, both as a gay man in London and as someone seeking love.

It tells of joy and pain, desperation and hope, and the gradual growth of self-acceptance. What shines through is the triumph of love over all the many and varied challenges and that love, which Giles has shared with his local congregation, has facilitated the building of a strong and vibrant inter-faith network that is supporting far-reaching climate action.