The Rev. Sarah Mullally, newly named Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England and the global Anglican Communion, is a Dame, a former National Health Service nurse, a wife and mother—and, as if that isn't enough, an author as well.
Mullally has two books out with SPCK, a British Christian publishing house, and a third coming in 2026. Her first book, written when she was Bishop of London, was A Good Advent, timed to the 2018 Christmas season. Her 2020 book Rooted in Love: Lent Reflections on the Life of Christ offered biblical insights that not only Anglicans but "Christians of all traditions might appreciate," according to the publisher.
Her first book as Archbishop of Canterbury will also be a Lent book of prayers and reflections. Dancing to the Heartbeat of God will be a "message of enduring hope to those who most need it," says SPCK Group CEO Sam Richardson. SPCK Group has world rights to Mullally’s three titles, which are being distributed in the U.S. through Two Rivers.
These are not the only books with Mullally's name on the cover, as at least 11 instant biographies of Mullally have been churned out in Kindle format, posted on Amazon since her October 3 selection.
And Mullally is one for the record books as well.
Conservative Anglicans, for one, are concerned about both Mullally's gender and her views on same-sex marriage. She is the first woman to lead the Anglican Communion, which includes several national groups that do not ordain female bishops or accept same-sex marriage.
A review of church teachings on LGBTQ acceptance, "Living in Love and Faith," is currently underway and expected to be completed by March, when her formal installation takes place. According to a Christianity Today backgrounder on Mullally, she "led the Living in Love and Faith project, which produced the prayers, though she stepped back from holding a prominent role as churches implemented the blessings."
