Theologian Janet Soskice has written a fascinating book about the discovery of one of the most ancient Gospel manuscripts. It reminds us that to understand the search for meaning in the present we have to value the past properly, says Simon Barrow.

The work of reparations does not stop in Tulsa, Oklahoma or in Northern Ireland, says Deirdre Good. When we bring our troops home out of Iraq and Afghanistan, what process of reparations will we engage? And can people in power ever take such steps if the rest of us do not lead the way?

Hospitality to strangers is a mandate in most non-Western societies and a virtue in most religious and civic traditions, says biblical scholar Deirdre Wood. It is a practice which challenges us spiritually, personally, socially and politically.

To some the doctrine of the Trinity looks to be modern Christianity's achilles heel in a rationalistic age, but Simon Barrow argues that it points to the coherence of God-talk as well as the challenges the Gospel poses.

An opportunity to hear Professor Good, from the Episcopal Church's prestigious General Theological Seminary, at Ste Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace (78 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AG) at 11am on Thursday 31 May 2007.

At a seminar in London tomorrow, a leading biblical scholar will suggest that churches anxious about family values will get a shock if they pay more attention to Jesus and the Gospels - which don't appear very 'family friendly'.

Deirdre Good says that reflecting on Jesus' family values can help Christians understand a changing world where being single will be normal for longer periods of time and where more single women are heads of households.