July 15, 2009

Tomas

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Tomas

Tomas

James Palumbo
ISBN 9780704371583 (0704371588)
Quartet Books, 2009
£10

Category: Fiction
Subcategory: General
Reviewed by: Phil Groom

On Monday I read the opening pages of this book. I read them whilst visiting Foyles, St Pancras Station, after seeing my wife off on a train.

It’s a peculiar book and, judging by the foreword, the author has delusions of grandeur, delusions no doubt fed by the advertising on London Underground — possibly elsewhere too, but the tube is where I saw it and why I picked it up. Of this, then, we can be sure: advertising attracts attention; it triggered this review; but in my case, at least, it did not generate a sale.

It failed at this crucial point precisely because Foyles gave me the opportunity to get my hands on a copy, flick through it, and decide that this was not something I wanted to spend my hard-earned cash on.

The opening scenes — more like movie outtakes than chapters — introduce us to Tomas, a sociopathic young man who, in the first scene, gratuitously shoots up a nightclub with a submachine gun; then, in the next, intentionally hires a pretentious, outsize sunbed, buys champagne and performs a naked ‘dance’ besides a swimming pool. A tad bizarre, to say the least.

I do not know where Tomas goes or what he does after that. Whilst his antics are strangely compelling, I found that I did not wish to delve any further into the workings of either the author’s or Tomas’ mind: there are more than enough people blogging humanity’s dysfunctions and dysphorias to satisfy any cravings I might have to explore such areas; and their writing is in many cases on a par with Palumbo’s if not better.

So from me, it’s farewell to Tomas. I hope that neither you nor I ever have the misfortune to meet him — a point that his author will no doubt take as high praise; to him I say, “You’re welcome.”

The book is not badly written: I am not saying do not buy it; but where Rory Bremner describes it as “either mad or genius or both” I would say that the madness prevails — I did not detect any hidden genius lurking behind the pages I read.

What I did rediscover, however, is the importance of bricks and mortar bookshops like Foyles that give us the chance to peruse a book before making our buying decisions.

If, heaven forbid, we ever reach the point where competition from online sellers such as Amazon or Eden does put the rest of us out of business, the world of bookselling — I dare say the world itself — will be a much poorer place as we are placed at the mercy of the spin doctors to inform those buying decisions… and yes, irony of ironies, those are Amazon and Eden affiliate links included in this review: if, after all I’ve said, you do still wish to buy this book, and wish to do so online, please use them. Thank you.

Phil Groom, July 2009

Phil Groom is this site’s Webmaster and Reviews Editor. He’s a regular contributor to Christian Marketplace magazine and is the manager of London School of Theology Books & Resources. Any opinions expressed here are personal and should not be taken as representing the views of London School of Theology or of any other group or organisation.

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January 4, 2009

Christian Zionism

Posted by Phil Groom under Book of the Month | Tags: , , , , , , |
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UKCBD > Christian Book Reviews > Israel & Palestine > Christian Zionism

Christian ZionismChristian Zionism 
Road-map to Armageddon?

Stephen Sizer 
ISBN 9781844740505 (1844740501) 
IVP, 2004 
£14.99

Category: Israel & Palestine 
Reviewed by: Phil Groom

Israel’s crimes against humanity must always be seen against the backdrop of the equally terrible crimes of humanity against Israel. But does this make those crimes — its ongoing abuse of the Palestinians and, as I revisit this review at the beginning of 2009, its current assault on the Gaza Strip — any less offensive? Personally, I think not: I originally wrote this review for Evangelical Quarterly in August 2006, during Israel’s war of vengeance against Hezbollah in Lebanon. More than two years later, have any lessons been learned? Has anything changed? It seems not. Apart from these introductory paragraphs, then, this review also remains unchanged, and Sizer’s book remains as relevant and necessary today as it was when originally published.

James warns us (James 3:1) that those who teach will be judged all the more harshly; and similarly, those who represent God to the world will surely be held to even greater account than those who do not know him. This, if it applies to any nation, must surely apply to Israel if they are indeed God’s chosen people.

Hamas’ and Hezbollah’s crimes not withstanding, the State of Israel’s ongoing abuse of the Palestinian people and its neighbours in Lebanon is without a shadow of doubt both a crime against humanity and an offence against God. And the tendency of many Christians to give uncritical support — or even open endorsement — to Israel’s apartheid and wholly disproportionate policies is an aberration that compounds that offence.

If you’re a Christian Zionist you’ll find those opening paragraphs extremely troubling. Are we not, as Christians, required to support the State of Israel? Are not the Jews God’s chosen people? Surely those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed (Genesis 12:3) — and aren’t statements like these anti-semitic anyway?

Yet as I read this book and observe the current situation it’s difficult to draw any other conclusion. I was brought up in a Brethren assembly, taught to read the Bible from within a dispensationalist framework, and although (as far as I remember) the term “Christian Zionist” was never used, its essence informed my thinking. It took a trip to Israel and time spent with Palestinian Christians, seeing the oppression first-hand, to bring home to me how distorted my thinking was.

Sizer’s experience, it seems, has been similar, describing himself in his introduction as a young Christian ‘devouring Hal Lindsey’s best-selling book, The Late Great Planet Earth, and hearing in person his lectures on eschatology’, then, after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land — ironically, organised by some ‘Christian Zionist friends’ — experiencing a ‘radical change in perspective.’ (p.9-10).

Many Christians will never have an opportunity to visit Israel in person, but Sizer has done a magnificent job in this book, presenting us with a comprehensive overview of Christian Zionism’s variant streams, historical developments and theologies which allows anyone willing to approach the subject with an open mind to make their own assessment. This is supported by a number of helpful charts comparing, for example, the historical development of Christian Zionism since 1800 (p.105) and the different types of Christian Zionism (p.256-257). His analysis is careful, detailed and meticulous, a distillation of his doctoral thesis, which takes his readers through the movement’s history (chapter 1), examining its theological emphases (chapter 2) and exposing its political implications (chapter 3) to finally emerge (chapter 4) with “Biblical Zionism: a covenantal alternative”, an approach that does justice to both the old covenant under Abraham and the new covenant under Christ and offers hope to Jew and Palestinian alike, eschewing violence and leaving no room for anti-semitism.

Each chapter is broken down into manageable subsections and ends with a concise summary of the arguments presented therein, allowing even an impatient reader to benefit and a more patient reader time to pause and take stock.

Sizer’s final conclusions are — for this reader at least — inescapable:

…the choice is between two theologies: one based primarily on the shadows of the old covenant; the other on the reality of the new covenant. In identifying with the former, Christian Zionism is an exclusive theology that focuses on the Jews in the land rather than an inclusive theology that centres on Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. It consequently provides a theological endorsement for racial segregation, apartheid and war. This is diametrically opposed to the inclusive theology of justice, peace and reconciliation which lie at the heart of the new covenant. (p.260).

A glossary of terms, appendix (‘Challenging Christian Zionism’, a statement from Sabeel, the Palestinian Liberation Theology Centre in Jerusalem), eleven pages of bibliography and three indices (people, subjects and biblical references) round the book off, whilst footnotes throughout, rather than endnotes, help to keep the entire volume as reader-friendly as possible. This is a book that deserves the widest possible readership. No one who has a concern for the Middle East should ignore the issues raised; to do so is — returning to Sizer’s introduction — ‘nothing less than to perpetuate the evil of the Levite in the Parable of the Good Samaritan who walked by on the other side.’ (p.13).

The time for silence is over: those who are Israel’s true friends must speak out against Israel’s behaviour before this nation pushes itself over the brink and into Armageddon.

More Reviews
Sixty Academics Endorse Christian Zionism Book

Questioning Sizer’s Sources? 
The following article was kindly brought to my attention in a comment below by ”James”: “See no evil?”: Israel, anti-Zionism, anti-Semitism, and British evangelicals. I leave it entirely to you as reader to make your own assessment.

Phil Groom, January 2009

Phil Groom is this site’s Webmaster and Reviews Editor. He’s a regular contributor to Christian Marketplace magazine and is the manager of London School of Theology Books & Resources. Any opinions expressed here are personal and should not be taken as representing the views of London School of Theology or of any other group or organisation.

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October 1, 2008

The Evangelical Universalist: Take #2

Posted by Phil Groom under Author Interviews, Book Reviews, Musings... | Tags: , , , |
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The Evangelical Universalist

Earlier this year I featured an interview with Gregory MacDonald, pseudonymous author of The Evangelical Universalist: The biblical hope that God’s love will save us all (9780281059881, SPCK, 2008).

In my introduction to that interview I said that, given the struggle many evangelicals have when it comes to thinking outside the box, it’s hardly surprising that this book has attracted a certain amount of controversy and criticism. But the following review by Brian Kerr in this month’s Christian Marketplace, which gives the book a one star rating out of a possible five, struck me as a splendid example of how not to engage with a book:

If you ask me, the title of this book is an oxymoron and shows how the term ‘evangelical’, which means a Christian who believes in the supremacy of scripture, has been devalued. It is surely significant that MacDonald (not the author’s real name) begins with philosophy rather than scripture. It seems to me that he had reached a universalist conclusion before he even opened his Bible! The book illustrates that when one comes to the scriptures with one’s theological position already worked out, one will be able to find support for it there! It seems to me that MacDonald reads universalism into scripture rather than reading out what is there. MacDonald believes in redemption from hell, i.e. that people will have a chance to repent and believe after death, and that even the devil will ultimately be saved, and wants to convince his readers that his universalism is a legitimate evangelical option. He hasn’t convinced this reader! I couldn’t recommend this book to anyone.

“It seems to me,” says Kerr, “that he had reached a universalist conclusion before he even opened his Bible!” — which seems, unfortunately, to be the very approach that Kerr has taken to this book…

Taking umbrage at the title’s bringing together of two concepts that he finds mutually incompatible, rather than engage with the issues raised Kerr dismisses the entire book by reiterating this assessment:

The book illustrates that when one comes to the scriptures with one’s theological position already worked out, one will be able to find support for it there! It seems to me that MacDonald reads universalism into scripture rather than reading out what is there. 

Steady on, old chap: I think you’ve already said that! MacDonald’s arguments may fail to convince and his re-reading of scripture may or may not stand up to scrutiny, but the questions MacDonald seeks to draw to our attention deserve serious attention. Is it possible that evangelicals have misinterpreted scripture? Is it possible, as per the subtitle, that “God’s love will save us all”?

Kerr is not convinced and concludes that he “couldn’t recommend this book to anyone.” Why not? Are the arguments poorly constructed? Is the book badly written? Has MacDonald genuinely failed to engage with scripture? Does he offer us a selective reading that ignores difficult passages? Is he allowing woolly thinking to prejudice his conclusions, taking an ‘if only…’ approach that presupposes where it ends up? Has he abandoned any other supposedly essential tenets of evangelicalism? 

When you have a very tight word limit — as Christian Marketplace reviewers do — it’s impossible, of course, to address all the questions one might in a longer review. But in the case of this particular review, I suspect that the one star rating has more to do with the reviewer’s prejudices than with the merits or otherwise of the book.

If you, gentle reader, are a Christian bookseller trying to decide whether or not to stock this particular title, I invite you to read my interview with Gregory MacDonald before you make up your mind: given the tone of Kerr’s review, you may be in for a pleasant surprise…

 

June 2, 2008

Distracted by Dawkins

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My apologies to anyone who may have logged on since the start of June and wondered why we were still in May: have to confess I’ve allowed myself to get a tad distracted by the debate running around The Dawkins Delusion. It’s proving rather fascinating as Isaac Gouy — whose emailed response (my thanks for that, Isaac, and for coming back) inspired me to upload the review to the blog — seems to think the McGraths are being less than straightforward, perhaps even disingenuous, in their treatment of Dawkins. If you would care to join the discussion — from whichever side of the fence — you’d be most welcome.

Or you can join it here instead: here’s Clem Jackson’s brief review of another riposte to Dawkins:

UKCBD > Christian Book Reviews > Science and Faith > The Dawkins Letters

The Dawkins LettersThe Dawkins Letters:
Challenging Atheist Myths

David Robertson 
ISBN 9781845502614 (1845502612) 
Christian Focus, 2007 
£4.99

Category: Science and Faith 
Reviewed by: Clem Jackson

This book is a more than useful contribution to the ‘Dawkins Debate’ and one which has helped me to understand more about the flawed arguments contained within The God Delusion.

The book comprises a series of ten letters to Dawkins, the first of which was published on Dawkins’ own website, which counter the arguments in Dawkins’ book chapter by chapter. Robertson is clearly well-read and marshals his arguments in a balanced and intellectually sound way. But this is not an inaccessible academic treatise; he writes clearly and understandably in such a way that most people will be able to grasp the arguments easily. He avoids the temptation to ‘rubbish’ Dawkins, just dismantles and challenges his arguments frankly and cohesively.

The final letter (to the reader) “Why Believe”, contains a very useful and extensive reading list which most will never get to read in entirety but is helpful to have.

Clem Jackson, May 2007

Clem Jackson is the Editor of Christian Marketplace magazine.

From a review previously published in Christian Marketplace Magazine,
reused here by kind permission.
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May 27, 2008

The Dawkins Delusion

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UKCBD > Christian Book Reviews > Science and Faith > The Dawkins Delusion
The Dawkins DelusionThe Dawkins Delusion 
Atheist fundamentalism and the denial of the divine

Alister McGrath with Joanna Collicutt McGrath 
ISBN 9780281059270 (0281059276) 
SPCK, 2007 
£7.99

Category: Science and Faith

As one of only two books shortlisted for both the CBC Book of the Year Awards and the UK Christian Book Awards, it almost goes without saying that this is a book that warrants attention — an assessment confirmed by the fact that, since this review was originally written, it went on to become the CBC Book of the Year Award winner.

In less than 100 pages the McGraths do a far more thorough job of dismantling Dawkins than Dawkins does of dismantling God in his 400 page bestseller, The God Delusion. In marked contrast to Dawkins’ vitriolic attacks on religious faith, however, the McGrath case against Dawkins is presented with good humour and repeated acknowledgment of Dawkins’ important contributions to science as well as to the wider public understanding of science. They find themselves wondering, however, how Dawkins can have lost the plot so thoroughly in his understanding — or, more accurately, lack of understanding — of the relationship between science and religion: Dawkins’ notion of an out and out war between science and religion is, putting it bluntly, “a hopelessly outmoded historical stereotype which scholarship has totally discredited. It lingers on only in the backwaters of intellectual life, where the light of scholarship has yet to penetrate.” (p.24).

The McGrath approach — as anyone who has read Alister McGrath before would expect — is far more systematic than Dawkins: whereas The God Delusion offers a somewhat rambling mish-mash of angry rhetoric (albeit eloquent at times), the McGraths work logically through Dawkins’ major points, exposing his inconsistencies and flawed logic. Rather than hammer away point by point through the entire book — a response that would, the McGraths say, “be catatonically boring” (Introduction, p.xii) — they set out to challenge Dawkins at a number of “representative points, and let readers draw their own conclusions about the overall reliability of his evidence and judgement.” (Introduction, p.xii).

Four specific questions are addressed: 
1. Deluded about God? 
2. Has science disproved God? 
3. What are the origins of religion? 
4. Is religion evil?

In each case Dawkins’ analysis is examined and found wanting, shown to be based more on preconceived ideas about the issues rather than upon the issues themselves, with facts that tend to support any conclusions other than Dawkins’ own either conveniently ignored or dismissed out of hand.

The God Delusion‘s ultimate failure, however, is simply this: the God whom Dawkins’ deposes is not the God that the McGraths, I myself or any of my friends believe in. Responding to Dawkins’ description of God as “a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser…” (Dawkins’ list goes on like this at some length and I see little point in repeating it all here; you’ll find it in The God Delusion, p.31 [p.52, pb]), the McGraths simply observe, “Come to think of it, I don’t believe in a God like that either. In fact, I don’t know anyone who does.” (p.46).

Nonetheless it has to be acknowledged that Dawkins has a point: the behaviour of many believers and the religious violence which has left — and still leaves — its scars on human history does, indeed, all too often portray the monster God whom Dawkins detests. The McGraths agree with Dawkins wholeheartedly here: “All of us need to work to rid the world of the baleful influence of religious violence.” (p.46). Whereas the McGraths regard violence in the name of God as an aberration, Dawkins, on the other hand, apparently regards such violence as normative: he seems unable to see any good whatsoever emerging from religious faith and — a bizarre blind spot — sees no evil emerging from atheism (p.48ff).

And it is this, Dawkins’ blind faith in his atheism and his own ideas, that finally undoes his efforts to undo God. Whereas a rigorous and evidence based analysis might, perhaps, carry some weight in Dawkins’ battle against God, Dawkins’ inability to muster such an analysis tips the balance the other way. The God whom Dawkins denies is indeed dead; as Dawkins rightly insists, has never existed. But the God who is — that’s another story. Thank God for that.

Phil Groom, February 2008

Phil Groom is this site’s Webmaster and Reviews Editor. He’s a regular contributor to Christian Marketplace magazine and is the manager of London School of Theology Books & Resources. Any opinions expressed here are personal and should not be taken as representing the views of London School of Theology or of any other group or organisation.

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May 22, 2008

Jesus, the Gospels and Cinematic Imagination

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UKCBD > Christian Book Reviews > Arts & Media > Jesus, the Gospels, and Cinematic Imagination
Jesus, the Gospels, and Cinematic ImaginationJesus, the Gospels, and Cinematic Imagination 
A Handbook to Jesus on DVD

Jeffrey L Staley and Richard Walsh 
ISBN 9780664230319 (0664230318) 
Westminster John Knox Press, 2007 (208pp) 
£10.99

Category: Arts & Media 
Reviewed by: Phil Groom

Whether you’re a film buff, a Jesus Scholar or simply curious about the ways in which film-makers — and Hollywood in particular — have interpreted and reinterpreted the Jesus story, you have to love this book! Don’t be misled by the cover or the subtitle, however: this is a book, not a DVD, and there is no accompanying DVD or CD-ROM. This absence is the book’s one weakness: it is virtually crying out for a cover disc featuring at least some key movie clips.

Staley and Walsh teach New Testament studies and, as they explain in their preface, this book has grown out of their experience of using Jesus films in both their teaching and their research. The book’s main purpose is to provide a resource for other New Testament tutors, to save them having to go to the lengths Staley and Walsh have had to in preparing their own classes. For each of the eighteen films they examine — full listing below — there’s a plot summary; lists of memorable characters and visuals; notes of key scriptures; comments on the cultural location and genre; information about the director; details of DVD extras and technical features; and an itemised DVD contents list of chapters with timeline and scripture references where relevant.

The film chapters are sandwiched between two complementary chapters, ‘Watching Jesus Films’ and ‘Teaching Jesus Films’ which offer suggestions on how to make the most of the experience, asking dozens of critical questions to help explore the themes the films uncover and the challenges they can raise.

A final appendix — which the authors describe as “the generative heart of our work” — provides ‘A Gospels Harmony of Jesus Films on DVD’ which follows the basic chronology of the Gospels, indicates which films include each Gospel scene and gives the exact point in hours/minutes/seconds at which the scene occurs on each DVD.

To summarise: an excellent resource for anyone keen to explore the life of Jesus as presented in film and the ways in which our culture has chosen to reinterpret the Gospel stories for our times — ways that all too often, as the authors observe, ‘tell us much more about ourselves and American culture than anything about “the real” Jesus’ (Preface, p.viii). No doubt exactly the same can be said with respect to British culture…

Contents List 
Preface 
1. Watching Jesus Films 
2. The Life and Passion of Jesus Christ, 1905 
3. From the Manger to the Cross, 1912 
4. Intolerance, 1916 
5. The King of Kings, 1927 
6. King of Kings, 1961 
7. The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, 1965 
8. The Greatest Story Ever Told, 1965 
9. Jesus Christ Superstar, 1973 
10 Godspell, 1973 
11 Jesus of Nazareth, 1977 
12 The Jesus Film, 1979 
13 Monty Python’s Life of Brian, 1979 
14 The Last Temptation of Christ, 1988 
15 Jesus of Montreal, 1989 
16 Jesus, 1999 
17 The Miracle Maker: The Story of Jesus, 1999 
18 The Gospel of John, 2003 
19 The Passion of the Christ, 2004 
20 Teaching Jesus Films 
Appendix: A Gospels Harmony of Jesus Films on DVD 
Notes

Phil Groom, May 2008

Phil Groom is this site’s Webmaster and Reviews Editor. He’s a regular contributor to Christian Marketplace magazine and is the manager of London School of Theology Books & Resources. Any opinions expressed here are personal and should not be taken as representing the views of London School of Theology or of any other group or organisation.

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May 8, 2008

The Evangelical Universalist

Posted by Phil Groom under Author Interviews, Guest Posts | Tags: , , , |
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UKCBD > Christian Book Reviews > Doctrine and Theology > The Evangelical Universalist

The Evangelical UniversalistThe Evangelical Universalist 
The biblical hope that God’s love will save us all

Gregory MacDonald
ISBN 9780281059881 (0281059888)
SPCK, 2008 (201pp)
£12.99

Category: Doctrine and Theology
Author interviewed by: Phil Groom

Not surprisingly, this book has attracted a certain amount of controversy as evangelicals who thought they knew what they believed struggle to come to terms with a new — some would say impossible, but is anything impossible for God? — way of looking at things. Not a review, then, but an interview with the author, who kindly agreed to answer my questions over the ether… but not by webcam! So, without further ado:

Who is your target readership? Are you writing for academics, church leaders or laypeople?
I wrote, in the first place, for myself. I was not intending to get the work published but I simply wanted to think the issue through and get clear what I thought. A friend suggested offering it for publication but I originally wrote for an audience of one. It is a little on the academic side so I hope academics will find it of some use (and, from feedback I have received, they seem to) but non-academics will follow a fair bit of the discussion so long as they make the effort to concentrate (plenty of non-academics have contacted me to say how helpful they found it).

What do you mean by ‘Evangelical Universalist’?
I mean a Christ-centred, trinitarian, gospel-focused person with a high view of Scripture who also believes that God will eventually reconcile all people to himself through Christ.

Why Universalism rather than ‘Conditional Immortality’?
I believe in conditional immortality – but I also believe that God will eventually bring it about that all people meet the conditions and will thus be granted the gift of immortality.

If you mean, “Why universalism and not annihilationism?” then I would simply say that I think that God will save all people and that this might be tricky if he has annihilated some of them. In other words, my key reason for not being an annihilationist is that I am a universalist and I cannot be both. (That said, I suppose that it might be possible to make a case that God could reconstitute those he has annihilated at some future point – if one can overcome the well worn philosophical problems of temporal gaps and personal identity. If so then it may be possible to believe in literal annihilation and universalism.)

If you then ask, why be a universalist? I’m afraid you’ll have to read the book. (See how I turned that into a teaser? Crafty, eh?).

Where on earth (or heaven or hell) did you get your ideas?
No one source. On the philosophy side Thomas Talbott and Eric Reitan were key. On the Bible it is a bit more eclectic. I drew on all sorts of sources and just put them together in a different way. One very influential source was N.T. Wright. He’d be mortified by that as he has argued several times at length against universalism. But his links between Adam, Israel and Christ were key in my thinking.

If everyone’s going to be saved anyway, why bother proclaiming the Gospel?
Because that is how they get saved – by accepting the gospel. I have an extended discussion on this in the last chapter of the book and there I say … you’ll have to read it (ah ha! that crafty teaser trick again!)

Why are you using a pseudonym? Is it because you’re not convinced by your own arguments? Or because you know how loving [ahem] Evangelicals really are?
It’s because I am John Piper! (That’s a joke by the way – don’t contact him and ask!)

I am convinced by most of my arguments (some of them need improving but I am hoping some more capable people might do that on my behalf – I am just one person and I don’t have much time these days to develop the case in better ways).

The reason is that I do not wish to undermine the work that God is doing in the churches through my other books. I suspect that if my identity was known then some of those who would be helped by those books would consider them guilty by association and not read them. I do not especially care about people hating me – I think I can live with that so long as I retain some friends – but I do not wish to undermine some messages that are more central to my ‘ministry’. So it is, if I read my motives aright, pragmatism in the service of the kingdom. On top of that, the little boy in me does rather enjoy the ‘game’ of being incognito. It adds spice to life.

Which other books have you written?
I could tell you… but then I’d have to kill you!
[That's a joke too... I think! - Ed.]

The Evangelical Universalist - Wipf & Stock CoverThe Evangelical Universalist
First published in the USA by Cascade/Wipf & Stock, 2006
ISBN 9781597523653 (1597523658)
$24.00

Phil Groom, May 2008

Phil Groom is this site’s Webmaster and Reviews Editor. He’s a regular contributor to Christian Marketplace magazine and is the manager of London School of Theology Books & Resources. Any opinions expressed here are personal and should not be taken as representing the views of London School of Theology or of any other group or organisation.

Author’s Blog: The Evangelical Universalist
Discussions Elsewhere: Chrisendom | Generous Orthodoxy Thinktank | Jason Clark | An Oxymoron?

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May 4, 2008

Reflections for Daily Prayer 3

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UKCBD > Christian Book Reviews > Devotional > Reflections for Daily Prayer 3

Reflections for Daily Prayer 3Reflections for Daily Prayer 3 
Pentecost to Trinity: 12 May – 16 Aug 2008
 
Church House Publishing 
ISBN 9780715141588 (0715141589) 
Church House Publishing, 2008 (89pp) 
£3.99

Category: Devotional 
Reviewed by: Phil Groom

This is the third volume in Church House Publishing’s new series of daily readings written to tie in with the lectionary readings for users of Common Worship: Daily Prayer and Time to Pray.

This issue’s contributors are all experienced Anglican ministers: Angela Tilby, Alice Goodman, Christopher Jones, Ian Thompson, Jane Maycock, Stephen Cottrell and Christopher Herbert — an eclectic but fairly well-balanced mix of both male and female writers from across the spectrum of Anglican tradition, replete with a couple of Bishops (Stephen Cottrell and Christopher Herbert, Reading and St Albans respectively).

As with the last issue each writer offers his or her own particular take on the day’s reading. Inevitably some reflections hit the spot more effectively than others but, agree or disagree with the slant taken, there’s always something, a fresh insight or challenge to take away.

One disappointment, however: as yet there’s nothing at the Daily Prayer website, www.dailyprayer.org.uk: the URL simply redirects to the publisher’s series information page, www.chpublishing.co.uk/feature.asp?id=2393697. This could be an ideal opportunity for a blog to expand on the reflections, to give writers and readers alike an opportunity to explore the ideas raised further.

The next issue, due out in July, covers the period Trinity 13 to Christ the King, 18 August to 29 November 2008, bringing contributions from such notables as John Pritchard, author of How to Pray: A Practical Handbook (SPCK, 2002) and Maggi Dawn, author of Beginnings and Endings (and what happens in between) (BRF (Bible Reading Fellowship), 2007).

Time to consider a subscription, I’d say!

Phil Groom, May 2008

Phil Groom is this site’s Webmaster and Reviews Editor. He’s a regular contributor to Christian Marketplace magazine and is the manager of London School of Theology Books & Resources. Any opinions expressed here are personal and should not be taken as representing the views of London School of Theology or of any other group or organisation.

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May 2, 2008

The Good Bookstall

Posted by Phil Groom under Guest Posts | Tags: , , , |
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Back in 2001, two new websites were born to help support Christian Bookshops and their customers: UKCBD, the UK Christian Bookshops Directory (now, of course, home to this blog) and The Good BookStall. I invited Mary Bartholomew — The Good BookStall’s Editor, who describes herself as “a retired Christian Bookshop Manager, a compulsive reader of Christian books with a longing to encourage others to dip into the treasures available” — to introduce The Good BookStall.

As you’ll see, they’re always looking for more reviewers. So is this site: please do get in touch if you’d like to contribute to either!

And now it’s over to Mary:

ScreenshotThe Good BookStall website evolved from a stapled booklet listing new Christian publications, cards, music etc, distributed to Christian bookshops for handing out to Book Agents. This was to give those who stocked church bookstalls up to date information.

 

In the year 2001 the website was launched with the intention of following the same pattern. From the start it was obvious that we would be best reviewing books, and these reviews are being read by all manner of people, Christians and non-Christians alike from all around the world, not just in the UK. Sources of other Christian supplies, Christian Charities and other Christian Organisations can be found through our Links pages and advertisements.

There are now over 4,000 book reviews available at a click of a mouse written by volunteer reviewers whose only reward is to keep the books they review. The titles are arranged in thirty-seven categories, but can be found by a simple search facility, where you can search by Title, author, publisher or ISBN, i.e. the 13 digit number on the back of every book. A minimum of ten new books is added each week.

Many people are astonished to realise there are so many books published to help Christians and those enquiring into the Christian faith. From Bereavement/Healing through the alphabet to Youthwork Theory and Practice, every aspect of Christianity is covered with a useful catch-all category of General Interest when I don’t know where to place a book!

My job is to match books with reviewers. As we only recommend books, we do not need to read through any that we feel unhappy about, and I am content to abide by the decision of a reviewer if they decide to reject a title once they have begun to read it.

This does not mean that we have reviewed all the good books that exist, but it does mean that we have reviewed our choice of the ones sent to us by the different publishers. As the number of reviewers increases – and we are always looking for more – we can cope with more Publishers and it is these Publishers listed in out Publisher Directory, together with the Bookshops listed in the Bookshop Directory that support us financially and enable us to pay our way.

Occasionally books are brought to my attention from secular publishers or that are self published and I am glad to say that there is always room for those if they fit into our site.

I get very enthusiastic about every book I read, from Toddler’s board books to more serious tomes and hope that this enthusiasm, shared by the other reviewers, rubs off on those who dip into the site.  Do explore the site.

Mary Bartholomew

 

May 1, 2008

Wake Up Dead Man – Part 2

Posted by Phil Groom under Book Reviews | Tags: , |
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Wake Up Dead ManIn my previous post about this book I said that I wanted

to see where Stephens takes us next. Or, to be more precise, I want to see where God takes us next: after all, it’s God’s church, the ‘Bride of Christ’, so-called, for better or for worse.

Having now read the entire book and discovered where Stephens wants to take his readers, it saddens me to have to say that it’s not a direction I’d encourage anyone to go in, and — far more importantly — nor is it a direction I can see God taking the church in.

The essence of Stephens’ solution to the church’s problems is developing an ‘abundance mindset’, an idea that he expounds at length, pp.84-124. It’s a classic case of prosperity theology backed up with dozens of proof-texts, all sincerely offered and well-intentioned, no doubt about that — but sincerely wrong; and it doesn’t matter how sincere or well-intentioned someone is about driving down the wrong side of the motorway, it can only end one way…

Prosperity theology is typically hot on tithing, and Stephens proves himself to be no exception. Tithing, he tells us, is a God-given principle that’s key to living ‘the abundant life’, and poverty is to be avoided at all costs: “The best thing you can do for the poor is not become one of them!” (p.95). Perhaps someone should have explained this to St Francis of Assisi? As for the importance of tithing itself:

The tithe already belongs to God, it is not ours and He expects us to acknowledge that. So to not tithe, or to not give an offering, is to rob from God and to be brought under a curse… (p.115)

Please don’t misunderstand me: I have no objections to tithing — if all Christians tithed the church’s financial worries would almost certainly be over. Stephens is right about that. But to make tithing into an underlying law of the universe, into a principle upon which God’s blessing or curse depends, as Stephens does, is to twist the scriptures beyond recognition.

The Rt Revd Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, is cited — with evident approval — on the cover:

This book has a health warning: You may not agree with everything in it, but you cannot ignore its direction of travel.

He’s right: it certainly should come with a health warning; and its direction of travel shouldn’t be ignored: it should be avoided completely.

But what we truly cannot afford to ignore is Stephens’ story, which he relates on pp.29-39. It’s the story of a young man driven to despair by “a church doing church for church with little or no impact on the society or community in which it lives” (p.39). It’s an eerily familiar story and it’s made all the worse for where Stephens has ended up theologically: alienated by the church he belonged to, he’s lost the plot but has learnt how to shout. He is angry and that comes across loud and clear in his book, like a slap in the face or a bucket of water thrown over you when you’ve fallen asleep.

He’s angry because he sees a church that’s dying (I’m tempted to say “seems to be dying” but from Stephens’ point of view there’s no “seems to be” about it) and he doesn’t want that to happen. What he wants is a revolution, and there’s no doubt in his mind that a revolution is possible if only Christians will wake up, acknowledge the problems and — above all — do something!

In this, he is right. Action is needed. But that action needs to be rooted in a more balanced, much less extreme theology. Read this book: listen to the author’s concerns; but beware the direction of travel and be aware of how far off the wall theology can go. Right questions: wrong answers.

Book Details
Wake Up Dead Man 
Matt Stephens
Quick Brown Fox Publications, 2008 (126pp)
9780955480423 | 0955480426
£6.99

Download the Opening Chapter (pdf, 392kb)

A Footnote
Somewhat bizarrely, Stuart Anderson’s snapshot feature in the Bookseller that originally drew my attention to Wake Up Dead Man was subtitled “The Borders Islington Inventory manager is taken by a riposte to The God Delusion” (‘Reading for Pleasure’, 11 April 2008, No. 5327, p.30). This completely misrepresents the book, which makes no reference whatsoever to either Dawkins or The God Delusion; if anything, to the contrary, it leaves the distinct impression that Stephens has never even heard of Dawkins, let alone that he is delivering any sort of ‘riposte’ to him: not so much post-Dawkins as distinctly pre-Dawkins.

 

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