Listening to the Music of the Soul

‘She was speaking at her official bishop’s residence in the Essex village of Margaretting before the publication of her book for Advent, called Listening to the Music of the Soul’ and ‘Her book notes, however, that the Church of England must get used to being “Smaller, less influential and more marginal” and warned against targets that “heap pressure on clergy and congregations to grow and increase in size”. She said churches should simply be encouraged to be “places of resonance where the weary find rest and refreshment”’. – The Times“Running through the book is the author’s insistence that black-and-white solutions can never do justice to the reality of human experience and to the depth of God’s love. In faith… we are often searching for clarity and simplicity, but we cannot find it without first engaging with the mysterious and the complex.” Listening to the Music of the Soul will be a congenial companion through the coming season of darkness and light, judgement and hope… The book may be personal, but it touches on public issues: the global refugee crisis, the domestic housing problem and, quite pointedly, the situation in Gaza, “where the international community is largely turning a blind eye and continuing to provide arms to Israel”. – The Revd Philip Welsh, CHURCH TIMES“A deeply personal and poignant accompaniment to Advent, this book is a balm to the soul. Bishop Guli leads us on a journey of music and Scripture with a multilayered depth that provides room for both questioning and a lasting hope.” – Arun Arora, Bishop of Kirkstall on LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF THE SOUL“The quest for authenticity has been a hallmark of Guli’s journey since she arrived in this country as a refugee forty years ago. She enters with tenderness the places “where beauty and pain reside together and where we encounter God.” She has an extraordinary ability to hear the music not only of the soul but of the future, and emboldens us to dance to it today.” – Robert Atwell, former Bishop of Exeter on LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF THE SOUL“This beautiful book is infused with explorations into identity, belonging, and worth - as any book to be read through Advent should be. The Advent desire to be touched back into life, a call to be drawn to the native tranquillity of the soul, is given a textual music here. To read it is to find yourself wanting to listen with a refreshed depth worthy of the gift of life.” – Mark Oakley, Dean of Southwark on LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF THE SOUL“This is a very personal book of reflections on themes for Advent, and yet, at the same time, it makes space for each reader to enter into their own attention to the powerful, peaceful, challenging and joyful action of God in Christ. There are riches to be found in every chapter - books to follow up, writers and speakers to explore and, above all, music to listen to. There is nothing sentimental here, but there is fearless emotion and boundless hope.” – Jane Williams, McDonald Professor in Christian Theology at St Mellitus College on LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF THE SOUL on LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF THE SOUL“One of the men who unknowingly taught me to preach many years ago said that all good preachers were at heart good plagiarists. Come Eastertide, I shall be stealing material from this book in abundance.” – Church Times on STATIONS OF THE RESURRECTION

Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani is Bishop of Chelmsford, having previously been Bishop of Loughborough. In January 2021, she was appointed the Lead Bishop for Housing for the Church of England, and she has served as a member of the Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords since November 2021. She is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4s Thought for the Day.

Born in Iran, Guli’s family left the country in the wake of the Iranian Revolution in 1980, when she was 13 years old, and to date she has been unable to return. She is married to Lee, also a priest, and they have three children.