The Christian Bookshops Blog

So You Think You’re Chosen?

Jacques More
ISBN 9781898158127 (1898158126)
Jarom Books (288pp)
£15.99, hardback
Trade Stockist: CLC Wholesale

Revelation TV have scheduled a debate “Is Calvinism biblical?” between myself Jacques More as author of this book and Revd Dr Steve Jeffery a Minister of Emmanuel Evangelical Church in North London, and co-author of Pierced for Our Transgressions. He is a contributor to BBC Radio 4′s ‘Beyond Belief’, and has spoken and debated widely on various aspects of the Christian faith.

Calvinism is the teaching that God has predestined all those to be saved and all those to be lost.

• THE DEBATE – Revelation TV
• Sky Guide 581 and Freesat 692
• Live online at revelationtv.com/watchrev.php
• 9pm, Tuesday 25th May 2010
• With an audience of 50

About the Book…

A COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE TO CALVINISM

Some SPECIAL FEATURES

• Exclusive: For the first time in a book is the evidence for ‘elect’ and ‘chosen’ as found mistranslated in the New Testament from the Greek word eklektos. The exhaustive research in the bible quoted by Jesus and the apostles – ‘The Septuagint’ the Greek version of the Old Testament – show the following for example:

Eklektos in the Septuagint

With quality as the recognised emphasis it is no wonder when Jesus said “many are called, few eklektos” he meant “few are fit” or “few are up to it”. My translation of this passage thereby is “Many are called few have mettle.” Or “few are fit for it” When referencing a group of people all that is meant by eklektos thereby is ‘the good guys’ or ‘the saints’, as in ‘the quality people’. Not the ‘selected ones’: i.e. not ‘elect’ or ‘chosen’.

• The early Church Fathers are liberally quoted to demonstrate that Augustine of Hippo at the beginning of the 5th century is the departing point from the universal teaching of conditional predestination (i.e. Augustine began Calvinism) and that this new theology was not taught for up to 4 centuries before that: “In harmony with the foregoing views as to human freedom and responsibility, conditional predestination is the doctrine inculcated by the Greek Fathers.” History of Christian Doctrine page 165 by George Park Fisher DD LLD. T&T Clark – Fisher was Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale University – Inculcated: The teaching urged or impressed persistently

• Exclusive: Paul’s teaching of conditional predestination in Romans 8:14-30. Paul mentions foreknowledge before predestination, then a call, and then justification, and then glorification in Romans 8:29-30. This is known as the ‘golden chain’ in Calvinist circles as part of teaching unconditional predestination. But, this reading cuts off the preceding verses where Paul mentions God’s knowledge in Verse 27 in contrast to the person’s knowledge in Verse 26: we do not know what to pray for, but God knows after searching the heart (V.27) and this foreknowledge of God (V.29) thereby focuses on God’s knowledge preceding the person’s knowledge; nothing else is suggested by foreknowledge. The condition of loving God (as per V.28) as seen in the heart (as per Verse 27) is what makes God work all things together into good. The person is then set up – predestined – to a call. This is Paul’s teaching of conditional predestination. Can it be true, Paul was off on a tangent when he was step by step sharing his thinking, so that Verses 18-27 have nothing whatsoever to do with verses 28-30?

• God’s knowledge is discussed and seen to involve the reality that evil never originated from Him in the 1st place – “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” 1 John 1:5 – And as evil did not come from God, as it occurred, it is manifest that it was learned about. The Flood is an example of God changing the rules for life on earth: this change 17 centuries after Creation was thereby not planned and therefore known before Creation. It is explicit God learns in the case of testing Hezekiah “God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.” 2 Chronicles 32:31 – knowledge gained is true as time exists irrespective of Creation: In Micah 5:2 we read about the coming of Jesus, “Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” The Hebrew for the last words is literally ‘from the days of eternity’ (as found in many margins): yomyomowlam = ‘daydayeternity’ = ‘days of eternity’. It makes clear therefore that there were set moments i.e. one after the other, before the world was made and that it is thus nonsense to separate time from eternity. Time and God have always been.

• The Calvinist is challenged with such questions as: Do you believe God planned or decreed someone other than Himself to receive worship? Especially when God says: “I am the LORD, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another; nor My praise to graven images.” Isaiah 42:8

• John 6 where Jesus says “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him” Jn.6:44 is explained in context with Jesus also saying “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learnt from the Father comes to Me.” Jn.6:45 Jesus did not say everyone who has heard from the Father come to Him, but everyone who has heard and learned come to Him.

• Ephesians 1 is well known for “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” Eph.1:4, “having predestined us to adoption” Eph.1:5, but the group is in view as seen by the multitude of pronouns: Ephesians 1:3 “us”; 1:4 “us”; “we”; 1:5 “us”; 1:6 “us”; 1:7 “we”; 1:8 “us”; 1:9 “us”; 1:11 “we”’; 1:12 “we”. If the group is in view and not the constituent members, how would Paul have written it differently?

• Ephesians 2:1 is known for its use as a proof text by Calvinists to say men are totally depraved: man is “dead in trespasses and sins”, but the word “in” is not in the Greek. The words “the trespasses and the sins” are in the Dative, and it is the instrumental use of the Dative that enables “in” to be used: it means whilst in sins and trespasses (men) are dead. Thus pointing to the inherent ability to not be in sin: to choose.

• Acts 13:48 The verb ‘to be’ in Greek is as follows in the imperfect tense (English Past Continuous):
  

  Greek	English
  Ésen	I was
  és or éstha	you were
  én	he, she, it was
  émen or émetha	we were
  éte	you were
  ésan	they were

  ésan = They were, so that “and they believed as many as THEY were determined to eternal life”

• Romans 9 Pharaoh hardened his heart 6 times (Exodus 7:13-14; 7:22; 8:15; 8:19; 8:32; 9:7) THEN God hardened [CHAZAQ – strengthened] it a further 6 times (9:12; 9:35-10:11; 10:20; 10:27; 11:10; 14:8; 14:17), God’s Modus Operandi is discussed: “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy” R9:15 is seen in the context that Moses wanted Israel spared, but God told him only those who had not sinned against Him would be…

• God “desires all men to be saved”, “is not willing that any should perish”, “has no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9, Ezekiel 33:11): What other words could God use to say He wants everyone saved?

For Bookshop Managers: Please feel free to copy and paste this information and the image for your regular promotion emails and publications to your clientele. I trust I have included sufficient information on the title to whet the appetite of your theology minded customers.

Happy sales,

Jacques More

Hodder Faith Announcement 23.04.2010 (pdf, 70kb)

Jean Whitnall leaves Hodder

In a message to trade partners issued 23 April 2010, Hodder Faith have announced the departure of Sales and Trade Marketing Director Jean Whitnall “to pursue a portfolio of new interests.” Exactly what those interests are has yet to be revealed but booksellers and other colleagues are promised “a fulsome farewell” to Jean at the Retailers and Suppliers Retreat in May.

My thanks to Jean for her support over the years and my best wishes for wherever the future takes her.

Lucy Hale, Sales Director, writes:

After 13 very successful years with the Hodder Faith team Jean Whitnall has decided to leave Hodder in order to pursue a portfolio of new interests. We are extremely sorry to lose her as she has been a key member of the Faith team during a transformative time for the business. Jean has worked successfully over the years to build strong relationships on behalf of Hodder Faith within the Christian trade, proving herself to be both a positive and popular ambassador for the company.

She has been instrumental in securing the position of the NIV Bible as the most popular Bible in the trade, and in fuelling the groundswell of enthusiasm that has led The Shack to sell over 500,000 copies in our markets alone. Jean will leave us after CBC in May where we will have a fulsome farewell.

Hodder plan to recruit for a replacement soon, but in the meantime any queries should be addressed to Lucy: contact details in the full announcement (pdf, 70kb). You can also find Hodder Faith on facebook or follow them on twitter @hodderfaith.

Tom Wright returns to academia

Bishop of Durham to Leave Diocese, 27.04.2010

By an ironic twist of timing, just as Jean prepares to move on from her role as Hodder’s champion of the NIV, news has emerged that NIV arch-critic, Bishop Tom Wright — who describes the NIV as “a visibly and demonstrably flawed translation” — is also preparing to move on, retiring as Bishop of Durham to return to academia and pursue his “vocation to be a writer, teacher and broadcaster”. Whether the Bishop’s new role as Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, will really allow him to focus on his writing remains to be seen, but given his antipathy to the NIV I guess it’s unlikely that we’ll see him switch publishers from SPCK to Hodder or Zondervan (who publish the NIV in the USA) anytime soon…

Another chapter closes in the 200 year long story of the UK’s Christian bookshops as Ray & Vera Meacham of the Nutshell Bookshop, Stowmarket, prepare to retire with a two-week long closing down sale commencing today. In a letter sent out to customers last week, they wrote:

Dear Customer,

Welcome to this shop news April 2010 edition.

We would like to thank you for your custom over the past ten years.  It is now time for me to retire and close the shop.

With this in mind we are having a retirement sale – all stock is to be reduced to 1/2 price (unless otherwise marked).  The sale will commence on 27th April for two weeks.

If all goes to plan the shop will close on 8th May 2010.
It goes without saying ‘first come first served’.

Once again thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you next week.

Regards,
Ray & Vera Meacham

After the Nutshell closes, the nearest alternative Christian bookshops for Stowmarket residents will be in Ipswich (CLC) or Bury St Edmunds (St Andrew’s or St Edmundsbury Cathedral Shop).

My thanks to Robin Parry, Editorial Director for Paternoster, for kind permission to reproduce the following message sent out by him to Paternoster’s authors this morning. I myself only had the privilege of meeting Jeremy once, when he helped co-ordinate a book launch at LST: he was the very model of courtesy and helpfulness, a kind and gracious man.

Robin writes:

Jeremy Mudditt – colleague, friend, and Christian brother – died on the morning of Wednesday 21st April at the Eden Valley Hospice in Carlisle. He was 71.

Jeremy was diagnosed with cancer of the colon just over a year ago and had secondary tumours in his liver. Four weeks ago his liver started to fail and he was admitted to the Infirmary in Carlisle and then to the Hospice.

The Funeral will be held at Carlisle Cathedral at 12:00 on Tuesday 27th April. Anyone who wishes to attend is most welcome to do so.

Please remember his family in your prayers. It is only six months since Jeremy’s beloved wife Meg died of cancer so the children have lost both parents in a short space of time.

I wanted to say a few words in honour of Jeremy who was, as all who knew him would agree, an extraordinary fellow – one of a kind.

Jeremy’s father, Howard Mudditt, founded The Paternoster Press in London back in 1935 and Jeremy lived in the shadow of Paternoster for literally all of his life. He joined the company in 1957 and replaced his father as its Managing Director in 1975. In 1988 heart problems required a lifestyle change and so he sold the business to STL who moved it up to Carlisle. Jeremy moved to Carlisle with Paternoster and continued to work freelance for it until recent months. So he has walked with Paternoster through its London period (1932-1962), the Exeter years (1962-1992), the Carlisle phase (1992-2004), and its more recent Milton Keynes incarnation (2004-present). He has been the ongoing link with our historic roots and his passing is literally the end of an era.

In his time Jeremy worked in just about every conceivable area of publishing: from commissioning to editing, typesetting to proofing, printing to warehousing, marketing to selling into shops (and even to working in bookshops). If you ever wanted to know about, say, the virtues and vices of various fonts or paper-types then Jeremy was the man! But far more than being a living encyclopaedia of publishing, Jeremy had a passionate faith in the triune God and saw the mission of Paternoster very much in terms of divine calling. This was not just business, it was mission!

Jeremy oversaw the launch of landmark books and series such as the New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (1976) and the NIGTC commentaries (the first volume of which appeared in 1978). He also worked for many years on the production of various theological periodicals including Evangelical Quarterly. In recent years his passion was the blooming of the Paternoster monographs. He was instrumental in the creation and growth of what was originally one series (Paternoster Biblical and Theological Monographs) but soon grew into five (Paternoster Biblical Monographs, Paternoster Theological Monographs, Studies in Christian History and Thought, Studies in Evangelical History and Thought, Studies in Baptist History and Thought). It gave him immense satisfaction to play his role in the publication of groundbreaking and significant works that bless both the church and the academy.

But for me the greatest thing about knowing Jeremy was the man himself. He knew so much ‘stuff’ – history, poetry, art, politics, literature, classical music, theatre, theology – and could keep you entertained for hours with countless stories and interesting snippets of information and opinion. He was an old-school man of the best kind.

Speaking and praying with him not long before he died I was so very impressed by his unswerving faith in and commitment to God. He was at peace with his situation and had complete confidence that his life and his death were in the hands of a Father that he trusted. He died, as he lived, in the hands of Pater Noster – ‘Our Father’.

I have asked a few people who knew Jeremy over the years to offer some words of appreciation in tribute to a life well lived.

I have worked alongside Jeremy as an author, an editor, and an adviser for almost fifty years (we first met on July 10th 1961) and deeply appreciated his friendship, his expertise and wisdom as a publisher, and his marvellous literary knowledge and witty letter-writing skills (continuing the pattern set by his father). The debt I owe to him for the rich contribution that he has made to my own life is incalculable and I thank God for such a friend and colleague.

I. Howard Marshall, Emeritus Professor of New Testament Exegesis, University of Aberdeen. Chairman of the Paternoster Theological Advisory Board, Senior Editor for Paternoster Monographs

The first word that springs to mind when I think of Jeremy Mudditt is commitment. This was to God, first and foremost; to his family, which was moving; to Christian publishing which was far-reaching; to the Christian Brethren which was profound; and to the Anglican worship which illumined his later years. Nor shall I quickly forget his considerable erudition or his quirky sense of humour. It may be trite but it is surely true to say that we shall not see his like again.

Harold Rowdon, retired lecturer at London Bible College, Brethren author and editor, and personal friend

Laurel and I were saddened to learn of the death of our dear friend, Jeremy Mudditt. We have been friends since our time in the UK in the mid-1960s when I was a research student at Manchester and we began to talk about various editorial projects that later came to fruition under Jeremy’s watchful eye. We treasure the numerous visits we made over the years to Jeremy and Meg’s home in Exeter and our personal friendship over the years. Jeremy’s was a life well lived, focused on serving God’s kingdom. He was both an encouragement and inspiration to many. We thank God for allowing us to share in various editorial projects together and for the fun we had together.

W. Ward Gasque, English Ministries Pastor, Richmond Chinese Alliance Church, CANADA

Jeremy was passionate about publishing and loved books from many genres. He would often quote several stanzas from a sonnet or lines from a French poem whilst dashing down the corridors of STL. If sales were  strong he could occasionally be heard singing an anthem from The Mikado or a Verdi opera. His tireless commitment to biblical and theological publishing has left a legacy that will continue to influence a generation or more of students, scholars, leaders, and thinkers.

Mark Finnie, Publisher at Authentic Media

Like many other younger Evangelical scholars I first met Jeremy when Paternoster accepted my doctorate for publication. And like many others, I received encouragement, wise counsel, help, and guidance, and I am grateful to God for His servant’s tireless ministry. From this initial contact, I started to freelance for Paternoster, working closely with and learning a great deal from Jeremy, who knew the publishing business inside out and the Christian publishing ministry as well as anyone. It has been a joy and a privilege to serve the Lord together with Jeremy in this way for ten years, and to become a close friend. Evangelical biblical, theological, and historical scholarship has been greatly served by Jeremy who had a deep passion for the intellectual dimension of Christian faith and witness. Now he knows in full. Thanks be to God.

Anthony R. Cross, Director of the Centre for Baptist History and Heritage, and Research Fellow, Regent’s Park College, and Member of the Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford

Jeremy had a unique character. He was a man of immense intelligence, wit, and humour with an incredible command of the English language. His traditional values, his good manners, and charm endeared himself to everyone he met. We shall not forget him.

Jeremy and Liz Thompson Jewitt, Directors of AlphaGraphics, Printers of the Paternoster Monographs and Journals

I helped Jeremy with historical titles in the Paternoster SCHT, SEHT, and SBHT monographs, although I met him only once. But I was aware of the enormous influence for good he exercised. His strategic vision for Christian publishing allowed academic authors to see their efforts in print and Evangelical readers to appreciate the strength of their position. He loved his Lord with all his mind as well as with all his heart, soul, and strength.

David Bebbington, Professor of History, University of Stirling  and Paternoster Series Editor for SCHT, SEHT, and SBHT

He will be missed.

Kingsway to Distribute Hillsong in UK and Europe

My thanks to Kingsway, who have now kindly supplied me with a copy of their press release — mentioned a few days ago here by Joy McIlroy — confirming them as Hillsong’s UK and Europe distributor:

(Eastbourne UK) April 16, 2010 – Kingsway Music has entered into a sales and distribution agreement with Hillsong Church and Hillsong Music. Effective immediately Kingsway have been assigned the right to distribute recorded music, video and Leadership/Church Resources from Hillsong into the UK and European Christian Markets. Featured products will include the best- selling Hillsong LIVE, Hillsong UNITED and Hillsong Kids recordings. In addition to new product, Kingsway will also be re-introducing all key Hillsong catalogue titles.

The press release also gives details of Gareth Russell‘s new role with Hillsong, which includes supervising the arrangement with Kingsway:

A newly formed European Hillsong Media company, will be managed by Gareth Russell the former MD of Authentic Media under the direction of Graham Williams and George Aghjanian of Hillsong. In addition to supervising the Kingsway Distribution partnership, a key part of Gareth’s role will be to focus on European sales and the development of general market opportunities. This new team will be supported by the in-house marketing expertise of the London Hillsong Church.

Congratulations to Gareth on his appointment and to Kingsway on their acquisition of an important list. Now we watch and wait with bated breath and eager hope that Kingsway’s new — and somewhat rocky thus far — distribution service will prove equal to the task.

A quote from Gareth to round things off:

I am delighted to once again be working alongside the Hillsong team. I have been directly involved in the distribution of Hillsong music for many years and am continually inspired by the passion, professionalism, and dedication of the team. With the upcoming new releases and United touring Europe, I am excited about the potential of the coming 12 months.

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An invitation and a reminder from Steve Briars, from a letter sent out over the weekend:

FREE ADMISSION TO RETAILERS DAY SANDOWN PARK
Tuesday 11 May 10.00 – 4.30

You are warmly invited to join us for Retailers Day at CRE on Tuesday 11 May which commences at 10.00 with complimentary tea / coffee. This event is taking place in the Tingle Creek banqueting room at Sandown Park, Esher. Your admission to Retailers Day is FREE and also entitles you to FREE entry to the CRE exhibition for all 4 days. Visit www.creonline.co.uk for the full CRE programme.

Come along and meet with the publishers and suppliers as they introduce new product as well as many event special offers. There is also a great line up of guests for book-signings including Professor Edgar Andrews the author of Who Made God? and GP Taylor. Our guest speaker is Rob Parsons, Executive Director of Care for the Family.

To obtain your free entry to Retailers Day please visit www.christianresourcestogether.co.uk and click on How to Book for Retailers Day and then click here to complete the booking form. Your exhibition badge / pass will be sent to you in the next few days.

You are also invited to two special events that are running concurrent with Retailers Day. A Retailers & Suppliers lunch / reception from 12.00 – 1.15 and the Christian Resources 2010 Awards Dinner & Ceremony which commences at 5.15 with a pre-event reception hosted by Hodder & Stoughton. Guest speaker for the evening is Rob Parsons and guest artists are singer Jocelyn Brown and pianist Grenville Richard Harding. Your entry to Retailers Day is free however to attend the retailers lunch and award evening the combined cost is £55 + VAT…

• Download the full letter: pdf (90kb) | Word (49kb)

Suppliers and Retailers Retreat

With more than 170 retailers and suppliers booked in, there are now only limited spaces left for the Retailers & Suppliers Retreat at High Leigh, 4th – 5th May. As with the Retailers Day, a booking form may be downloaded from www.christianresourcestogether.co.uk. Deadline: 28th April. More details in Steve’s letter.

Living Oasis Shop Locations - click to enlarge

This weekend should see yet another of the former Wesley Owen bookshops spring back to life as Living Oasis opens its doors in Worthing on Saturday. The map on the right, courtesy of Andy Twilley, gives a good overview of where the shops are, all — if we include Worthing — now open except for Croydon, Edinburgh and Nottingham, where negotiations are still in progress.

Angela Curror sent out the following message via facebook yesterday, summing up the situation in Croydon:

LIVING OASIS coming soon……….

Croydon has been without a Christian bookshop for two and a half months now. At the moment it isn’t even known where the new Living Oasis shop will be. There are problems with the lease on the shop where Wesley Owen was and humanly speaking things looks as if it could take quite a while to be resolved. Alternative venues are also being looked at.

Please pray for very clear guidance for those involved in the decision making and pray that all obstacles will be removed so the Croydon Living Oasis shop can open soon. We believe that God can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine and are excited about this new venture and very keen to get started.

Please also pray for the staff who were made redundant when Wesley Owen closed. Many have been waiting, hoping to be employed in the new Living Oasis shop and some are struggling financially and can’t wait much longer.

We will let you know what is happening as soon as we know ourselves!

Thank you very much

Living Oasis on Facebook

Andy Twilley has set up a central Living Oasis facebook group: probably the best place for latest news. Individual branches on facebook include:

• Harrogate
• Harrow
• Inverness
• Leeds
• Liverpool
• Sutton
• Weston-Super-Mare

Several other branches are still branded as Wesley Owen (Bedford, Cheltenham and Edinburgh) and Manchester has a Friends of Living Oasis group.

Votewise Now!
Helping Christians Engage with the Issues

Rose Lynas
ISBN 9780281061921 (0281061920)
SPCK, 2009 (116pp)
£8.99

Category: Christian Life & Discipleship
Subcategory: Current Affairs
Reviewed by: Robert Willoughby

Some readers will be familiar with this slim book’s predecessor, Votewise, put together by Nick Spencer on behalf of the Jubilee Centre in Cambridge in 2005. This is not to imply that if you’ve got the earlier volume you don’t need this one. You do! “A week is a long time in politics”, said Harold Wilson. And he should know. And at the risk of stating the obvious, five years is even longer. A great deal has happened in the intervening weeks and years, not least the elevation of a new and hitherto unelected Prime Minister, British withdrawal from Iraq, the credit crunch and the expenses scandal. Many of us will need a great deal of foundational guidance, faced as many of us will be with the usual confusion over what lies between what is said and what it really means and lots of unfamiliar and hence thus far untrusted people to vote for.

Now more than ever you need to exercise your right to vote. Without the prophetic voice of the Church, the country really will hasten more quickly down the road to ruin. With our voice we may yet turn our nation to wise and spiritually acceptable values. Apathy is not a Christian option. There has been a downturn in the number of voters in the UK over the last 13 years. Trust in the process has been seriously fractured as a result of disappointment following the New Labour landslide of 1997, but has received a body-blow as a result of the expenses scandal. Hope frequently follows trust down the grid. I hope that will not be the case for us as we approach the forthcoming election.

Votewise Now! is comprised of 10 chapters on crucial issues which will decide the next election. At least I hope that is so rather than the simple genuflection to celebrity exposure. Those ten subject areas cover the economy, criminal justice, health, education, the environment, international order, nationhood and immigration, tax and benefits, employment and housing. All are written by well-informed Christians with a background in these topics. All lay out the basic issues and seek to elucidate the challenges which confront us and the values which might be relevant.

Three more chapters feature committed advocates of the three biggest parties, all MPs and all well-respected for their faith commitment and their work in the Houses of Parliament.

I cannot recommend this book’s 116 pages highly enough. Whilst much deeper treatments of all the subject areas could be consulted in the coming weeks and perusal of the party manifestos is also important, none of those will help you decide where to put your cross come the day. This is obviously the value of a manageable volume written by trusted fellow Christians. So get Votewise Now! And get voting with greater confidence.

Robert Willoughby, April 2010

Robert Willoughby teaches New Testament and Children’s Ministry at London School of Theology. He is the author of The Children’s Guide to the Bible, Angels and So, who is God?, all from Scripture Union, and is a regular contributor to Scripture Union’s daily Bible reading notes, Encounter with God.

Previously published by London School of Theology. Reused here by kind permission.

Publisher’s Info Page

SPCK | Order from your local Christian bookshop or www.christianbookshops.org

Authors | Categories | Publishers | Reviewers | Titles

A number of retailers have expressed concerns recently about general stock availability at STL UK and, more specifically, of VeggieTales:

No one seems to know what’s happening with them, no one seems to have any in stock and we’re losing sales as a result.

Kingsway have some titles listed but it seems to be a limited selection, and I’ve contacted Big Idea, the creators of VeggieTales, to see if they can shed any light on the situation. In the meantime, if you have excess stock or know of a UK distributor/wholesaler that has VeggieTales stock available — or have any other relevant information you’d care to share — please do tell…

On general stock availability at STL, my experience is that stock levels appear to be improving here and there but it’s very patchy: new title availability has been particularly sporadic. That said, however, I’ve found that in most cases they are keen to address the situation: if you encounter problems, please do let them know — and remember to keep an eye on the STL Blog and follow @STLDistribution on twitter for updates.

Whilst we’re talking STL, how helpful are you finding their daily/weekly specials? I personally find the offers more frustrating than helpful: I’d rather have consistently better terms across their entire range than lots of one-off limited-period extra-discount deals, which to me seem more suited to a retail than to a wholesale operation. But perhaps that’s just me…

House Rules

Jodi Picoult
ISBN 9780340979051 (0340979054)
Hodder & Stoughton, 27th April 2010 (576pp)
£16.99

Category: Fiction
Subcategory: Crime / Legal
Reviewed by: Mike Norbury

As a secular author with a secular book this may seem a strange entry into the book reviews on a Christian site but there’s a reason. As much as I enjoy many of the current Christian authors, next to The Bible, Jodi Picoult is consistently at the top of my reading list. As one of those rare breeds in the Christian trade – a publisher’s representative – I spend many hours driving almost the whole length and breadth of this beautiful land and one of the ways in which I fill those hours is to listen to audio CDs from our public library. About three years ago I picked up and listened to Second Glance by Jodi Picoult and, for the very first time, at the end of the nineteen hour long CDs, I went back to disc one and started all over again. I don’t think I had been gripped by such an amazing weaving of storyline and factual information.

From that experience I went on to read (yes, books this time) other Picoult titles and found that she is what can only be described as a craftswoman. In all her novels she confronts her reader with illness, historical fact and little known peoples weaving them into intriguing drama that has become the trademark of this regular top selling author. She places a lot of open questions in her books which we as the church need to answer. However she also sometimes questions us – which is no bad thing!

About two-and-a-half years ago I was able to hear Jodi Picoult speak one evening in Chesterfield. The following day I emailed her to thank her for the evening and the way in which she explains “unseen illnesses” in her books. I explained that my stepson, Chris, has Asperger’s Syndrome – not diagnosed until he was 21 – and that we had recently been alongside him through the court system after he committed a crime. Within an hour she had replied that her 2010 project was to be about a teenage boy with Asperger’s who has to face the legal system. Could we help? As a result both Chris and I have completed exhaustive questionnaires and given her much information about Asperger’s and the effect on our lives.

Within the acknowledgments in the front of House Rules Jodi Picoult has included my name and Chris’s which I find both honoring and humbling. My comment on Facebook following the receipt and subsequent reading of my gratis copy from the New York publishers was, “Thank God Chris is only 6/10 Asperger’s unlike Jacob in ‘House Rules’ who is most definitely 10/10.”

Now to the book. House Rules is about Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject – in his case, forensic analysis. He’s always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do… and he’s usually right. But then one day his special needs tutor is found dead, and the police come to question him. All of the hallmark behaviours of Asperger’s – not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, inappropriate affect – can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement officers – and suddenly, Jacob finds himself accused of murder. House Rules looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way – but lousy for those who don’t.

As with most of her previous novels Picoult leaves no stone unturned in making her narrative so compelling that, in following the page turning storyline, the reader comes away not only having read a top rate piece of crime fiction but having learned a great deal about a disability that people do a lot of talking about but only a very small percentage actually understand.

I am particularly conscious of the way in which the church can deal with or fail to deal with those who are autistic or have other “unseen illnesses”. Raising a child (and later a teenager) who finds it hard to interact with peers, be part of a team, look one in the eye, be in rooms where a lot of simultaneous action is taking place or generally be social can be hard enough for the parents who are living with him or her day by day. For those who came into contact with them less regularly there is often an inability to understand. I thank God that Chris was always handled with love at church – not so the case at school – but there were still many moments of frustration and misunderstanding on both sides.

House Rules has more than enough factual guidance and information to help anyone understand the needs of the Aspergic child and adult and I would fully recommend many of Jodi Picoult’s books to those who minister to children and adults alike. She not only covers illness and disease but many social issues which we as the church also need to face. In a number of the books she also opens up discussion areas.

Here are some other Picoult titles I feel would be of interest:

• Handle With Care – Osteogenesis Imperfecta (Brittle Bone) and Medical ethics.
• Change Of Heart – Capital Punishment, Organ Transplant and the “black and white” of religious viewpoint.
• Nineteen Minutes – Bullying leading to Violent Reaction (a college shooting). I have a friend who is a social worker who borrowed by copy of Nineteen Minutes to read. When he returned it he explained that not only had he been in tears at times but he had ended up reading it as he would a Christian work – rereading certain sections and going to God for enlightenment on them.
• The Tenth Circle – Racism and the modern day Eskimo way of life.
• Vanishing Acts – In-family kidnapping and the strength of family love.
• My Sister’s Keeper – now also a major movie – Leukemia and the morals of “genetic planning”.
• Second Glance – VT Eugenics (rife in the USA early in the 20th century), Xeroderma Pigmentosum (when skin is ultrasensitive to daylight) and Paranormal.
• Perfect Match – Sexual Abuse.
• Salem Falls – Should the citizens of a town have the right to decide who lives there? – a modern day witch hunt.
• Plain Truth – Crime within the Amish community.

The immense popularity of Jodi Picoult’s novels come from the staggering amount of personal research done by her for each one and then turning them into excellent and often controversial works of art.

Footnote: I’m delighted that on the day before the Christian Resources Together Conference at High Leigh, Jodi Picoult is speaking at the Lincoln Book Event and St Mary’s Church in Ely. This means that we’ll be able to meet up again, which we are both looking forward to.

Mike Norbury, April 2010

Mike Norbury is Retail Trade Manager for Kevin Mayhew Ltd, the company he has represented for almost 14 years. Brought up in Knutsford, Cheshire, he lives with his wife Jackie in Wrexham, North Wales, and looks after Christian trade customers throughout the north Midlands, North Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man and the whole of Ireland as well as certain key accounts in the south of England. Mike’s career since he was twenty-one has been solely in retail and sales representation. He and Jackie are members of The Community Church in Wrexham which is also the home of New Day International ministries, the base of Winepress Publishing, distributors of a wealth of ministry material and soaking music. Mike is a Street Pastor in Wrexham. Five years ago he visited the tsunami hit east coast of India as part of a team from the church where they conducted a Pastors’ Conference, arranged support for a scheme to rehouse those who had lost everything and visited nine churches in and around the city of Visakhaptnam in Andhra Pradesh.

House Rules: Author and Publisher’s Info Page | Hodder & Stoughton

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