# Roundup: Books of 2012, US religion, British religion, military chaplains

> Like all aspects of ministry, we should never forget that we are doing God’s work and that the ministry we perform can have a profound effect on the lives of our soldiers, sailors and airmen and women. This realisation is sharpened in a war zone.

24 December 2012 · News

Canonical: https://insights1.uca.org.au/articles/roundup-books-of-2012-us-religion-british-religion-military-chaplains/

## [Christmas greetings from the Middle East](https://www.defenceanglicans.org.au/christmas-greetings-from-the-middle-east-2012/)

Like all aspects of ministry, we should never forget that we are doing God’s work and that the ministry we perform can have a profound effect on the lives of our soldiers, sailors and airmen and women. This realisation is sharpened in a war zone. Not only are service people putting themselves at risk, but they do so believing that they are making a difference by what they do and that they are serving their country.

## [A British Christmas has lost faith in rituals, but not religion](https://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/23/lost-faith-in-rituals-not-religion)

While most of us no longer believe in Christ the saviour, we still speak of ourselves as spiritual.

## [One nation under God?](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/opinion/sunday/american-christianity-and-secularism-at-a-crossroads.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&)

Religion has been a feature of human society since [Neanderthal](https://news.discovery.com/history/neanderthal-burial-ground-afterlife-110420.html) times, but so has religious indifference. Our illusions of the past as a golden age of faith tend to cloud our assessment of today’s religious landscape.

## [Ben Myers’ best books of 2012](https://www.faith-theology.com/2012/12/best-books-of-2012.html)

There were some terrific new books published in the past year, including some experimental works that altered the usual forms of scholarly writing.