Written by two Australian elders who have helped shape our country through the decades of education, church leadership, and public service, Walk in the Spirit is a powerful, story-led exploration of faith lived through action and the desire to leave the world a better place than we found it.
Drawing on a lifetime of experience, Everald Compton AO and Neill Florence offer a novel grounded in compassion, humility, and the belief that our capacity to do good is not measured by religion or doctrine, but by how we treat one another and contribute to our communities.
Set in contemporary Australiam the novel follows people from different walks of life as they navigate belief, doubt, interfaith friendship, and service — a true reflection of Australia's proud multicultural society. It asks poignant questions about religion beyond fear and punishment, and about how spiritual values can be lived honestly in a modern world for the benefit of our shared culture.
This is not a sermon, not a conventional thriller. It is a calm, generous novel that invites reflection and conversation — particularly for readers questioning institutional religion while still seeking meaning, purpose, and connection.
Walk in the Spirit is a story of our time, shaped by nearlu two hundred years of lived experience, and guided by the enduring conviction that a more compassionate world begins with how we choose to walk with others.
Contemporary, Indigenous Themes, Religion, Jesus, Faith, Spirituality, Elders
About The Author
Everald Compton first went to church 93 years ago, when his mother Thelma took him with her to the Linville Methodists when he was just three weeks old. He has attended churches around the world on most Sundays ever since.
Over those years, he was initially a fundamentalist, but has progressively moved on to be a traditionalist, modernist, liberal and reformer.
Now he is a working partner of Jesus the Man. With the decline of churches, plus the fact that fewer than 50% of Australians believe in God and the Australian
Constitution contains no statement of community values, he has been motivated to write Walking with the Man. Everald is the author of six books and is a lifetime elder and lay preacher of the Uniting Church in Australia. He was awarded the Order of Australia twice and is a recipient of the Centenary Medal. He is also a Certified Practising Accountant and a Certified Practising Marketer, and has served as an adjunct professor at three universities.
He founded St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital on Wickham Terrace, Brisbane, created National Seniors Australia, established Compton Gardens Retirement Village in Aspley, and kick-started an inland railway from Melbourne to Gladstone.
He and his wife Helen live in Brisbane, and they enjoy 66 years of marriage. Their four children, eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren live in Australia, Britain and the USA.
