'Three times you will deny me'
The Editor

Cardinal Basil Hume
Adrian Hastings
A year after the death of Cardinal Hume, Adrian Hastings, historian, former professor of theology at Leeds University and author of History of English Christianity 1920-1985, offers this provisional evaluation of him. 'In retrospect what matters most about Basil Hume was not the correctness of every policy or opinion but his spiritual integrity...'

Recovering the historical Jesus
Jerome Murphy-O'Connor OP

Crisis of faith - dark contemplation?
Pamela Hayes RSCJ
Can suffering which provokes a crisis of faith be interpreted as a strengthening of our faith? Pamela Hayes, a religious of the Society of the Sacred Heart, is involved in a ministry of counselling and spiritual directon. Here she employs the teaching of John of the Cross to show how a crisis of faith can also be seen as dark contemplation and a journey which brings spiritual growth.

Parables: Jewish and Christian
Gordian Marshall OP
Parables were central to Jesus' teaching. Gordian Marshall, a Dominican who is lecturer in religious education at the University of Glasgow, and a member of the Standing Conference of Jews, Christians and Muslims in Europe, compares here the ways in which parables are used in Jewish and Christian sources and reflects 'on the effects the parables and their interpretation may have had on our attitudes'.

In praise of friendship
Martin Boland
In a culture dominated by erotic love, what happens to friendship? Martin Boland, a priest of the Diocese of Brentwood and curate at SS Peter and Paul, Ilford, extols its virtues. 'For people who are not ready to marry, for those who choose not to marry or are incapable of doing so, attractive alternatives such as friendship ought to be presented with thought, care and spiritual commitment.'

Teaching adults in the parish
Chris Harris
How can we further adult religious education in our parishes? Chris Harris, who runs distance-learning courses for adult Catholics, suggests some ways in which parishes can take stock, identify their needs, and make best use of the resources available to them.

Preaching and Teaching the Word
Angela Wills
Angela Wills, who teaches Scripture at St John's Seminary, Wonersh, and who works in the Department of Collaborative Ministry in the Diocese of Portsmouth, offers some reflections on the lectionary readings for the Sundays and Holy Days of August.

Correspondence

Book reviews

Hans Küng: breaking through, by Hermann Häring
SCM, £19.95

A Passion for God: the mystical-political dimension of Christianity, by Johann Baptist Metz
Paulist Press, $19.95

REVIEWED BY PHILIP KENNEDY

Educating for Life: a spiritual vision for every teacher and parent, by Thomas Groome
Allen, Texas:Thomas More, $29.95

Catholic Education: inside out, outside in, edited by James Conroy
Lindisfarne Books, £12.99

REVIEWED BY RICHARD PRING

The Time Before you Die, by Lucy Beckett
Ignatius Press, £12.95

REVIEWED BY DAVID McLAURIN

Postscript: A teenager's choice
Vicky Cosstick

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