Every day we make choices. Increasingly, we are faced with a wide range of possibilities: whether it is the type of coffee to drink, television channel to watch or religion to follow. Taking as a starting point the story of Jesus, Martha and Mary, and Jesus’s comment that, in taking the time to stay close to him, it is Mary who has chosen the better part, Edmund Newell’s Choice explores how we can choose the better part when confronted by the bewildering array of choices in our globalised society.

Newell is sub-dean of Christ Church, Oxford and was previously Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral and founding director of St Paul’s Institute. He has edited and contributed to many publications including Seven Words for the 21st Century, Seven Words for Three Hours, The Worlds We Live In, What Can One Person Do?, Faith to Heal a Broken World, and Ethics in Investment Banking.