Alison Webster – författare

This is the first book in the new SCM "Society and Church" series, which attempts to make sense of the Church and Christianity in a secular society and context, and explore what the former can legitimately contribute to the latter. "Wellbeing" is an absolutely central concept in our secular lives, is used with increasing frequency in all sorts of contexts - eg. the Boots website is "www.wellbeing.com" - and it is therefore crucial that we understand how it relates to life, meaning and personal identity in the 21st century. Through a combination of story, personal reflection and philosophical analysis, Alison Webster attempts to get "under the skin" of wellbeing, and show how the concept is evolving in contemporary culture. She shows how the agenda generated by wellbeing is like that which traditionally has been generated by religion and spirituality: which is why "meeting spiritual needs" is such big business in health and social care. Webster argues that the Christian tradition still has much to offer in transforming our society into one in which sickness, disability and death are put into their rightful place - and in which overly-commodified and individualistic notions of sickness and disability are overcome.

As a society we aren’t good at talking about death, and as individuals we may try and avoid thinking about it. But death is part of life, and we must all face it eventually. For Christians, dying and death are not the end but a transition point in a story that continues. Reflecting well on our own mortality can help us to make peace with the prospect of death and to live more fully in the here and now.This research-based book includes all you need to plan and deliver a course enabling people – old or young, healthy or frail – to prepare practically, emotionally and spiritually for their last months on this earth. The course covers six topics: Legal practicalities; Life stories; Funeral planning; Physical aspects of dying; Spiritual aspects of dying; and The life to come. It also offers a range of materials on the theme of living well in the light of mortality: a creative workshop, sermon starters, Bible studies, meditations, and a set of prayer stations which combine to form a prayer walk.