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The burden of uemployment and disadvantage falls unequally on our divided society. It hits the urban poor most sharply. These people are robbed of choices which God wills for all human beings. The Gospel is both about changing people from inside out and changing the course of events to set people free. David Sheppard spent many years at the centre of urban life. He writes from first-hand experience from his ministry in London and Liverpool, offering still valuable insights into ecumenical partnership, race relations, the problems of policing and the future of work. Bias to the Poor remains an invaluable contribution to the ongoing debate about justice and Christian responsibility.

In the late 1980s, David Sheppard and Derek Worlock formed an alliance of genuine Christian unity in Liverpool, then a city of strong sectarian loyalties and bitter deprivation. Their partnership was tried and tested in the furnace of an inner city close to bankruptcy. Working together as Anglican and Roman Catholic, the two bishops found a void at the heart of the city in crisis, a gap that had to be bridged by hands reaching not only across the torn community but also upwards to God. The story of the bishops'fight for their city is uplifting and heartening, and remains a courageous and inspiring plea for Christian unity and practical action within one nation.

Since David Sheppard and Derek Worlock's previous book, Better Together published in 1988, six years in Merseyside had brought many about many changes. However, their unique partnership continued to deepen to their commitment to the gospel, to Liverpool and to social justice. With Hope In Our Hearts is in a fascinating insight into their combined thoughts on then contemporary issues, including ecumenism, urban regeneration, the tragedies of Hillsborough and James Bulger, apartheid and unemployment.