Christianity Explored March 8, 2007

Authors: Rico Tice and Barry Cooper

Publisher: Authentic Lifestyle

ISBN-13: 978-1850783831

 

I bought this book to give away. Someone I know is interested in Christianity, and after chatting about it, I wasn’t sure that where he is getting his answers from doesn’t compromise the Gospel for the sake of a conversion. So I was looking for something straightforward that explained real Christianity, but without being patronising or overbearing.

 

I found Christianity Explored on the St Stephens book table and thought it looked promising. And learning from past experience, I actually read the book before I gave it my friend.

 

For a long-time Christian, this book was quite a wake-up call – in amongst all the sermons and Bible studies and quiet times, I needed to be reminded that the message of Jesus is an urgent one. The authors explain Christianity using the Gospel of Mark, and their fun, humorous style doesn’t conceal the serious matter of sin and salvation. The book isn’t observational, but throughout expects the reader to make a choice about what he believes.

 

I tend to read quite academic Christian books, so this personal approach was refreshing and reminded me not to get too bogged down in doctrine. After all, the message of Christ is simple – “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:15

John Blanchard in the Cape March 7, 2007

Dr. Blanchard is giving a series of talks on apologetics in the Cape this month. Please have a look at the schedule below for more information.

Dr. John Blanchard is an internationally known Christian preacher, teacher, apologist and author. He has written 25 books, including two of Britian’s most widely used evangelistic presentations, Right With God and the booklet Ultimate Questions. The latter has over fourteen million copies in print in over 40 languages. His major book Does God believe in Atheists?, published in 2000, was voted ‘Best Christian Book’ in the 2001 UK Christian Book Awards, and immediately became a best-seller, described as ‘a brilliant defence of belief in God’. Other books he has written include: Truth for Life, Whatever Happened to Hell, Meet the Real Jesus, and The Beatitudes for Today.

Dr. Blanchard is now heavily committed to Popular Christian Apologetics, a project involving writing, speaking, teaching and broadcasting in defence of the Christian faith. Following on from Does God Believe in Atheists? the next books in the series are Is God past His sell-by Date?, Why Believe the Bible? and Evolution: Fact or Fiction?

Source: www.johnblanchard.org

Tim Chester Books March 7, 2007

Tim Chester is a great author from the UK and his books are extremely challenging and worth the read. His little book ‘The Gospel Centered Church’ has been extremely influential on my thinking and that of many others. Here’s a link to all the books he’s authored and a short write up of each one. You can read more of his thoughts here at his blog.

The Gospel According to Mark March 5, 2007

The Pillar New Testament Commentary

Author: James R. Edwards

ISBN: 0-85111-778-3

Publisher: Eerdman’s Publishing Co., USA.

 

Edwards has written a wonderfully insightful commentary on the book of Mark. He is clearly a man who loves the Word of God and goes to great pains to ensure that few assumptions are made about it without sufficient evidence. He has a very humble approach in the way he discusses accepted doctrine, and when there is little support for a particular belief or practice, he says so. He refers to the work of the top non-liberal scholars, yet also includes pieces from apocryphal gospels (which he acknowledges as non-Scriptural) to place sections in historical context. Every claim is carefully footnoted with the appropriate resource. Verse by verse the book is explained and a whole new understanding of the ‘simple’ gospel is allowed.

 

The book is written for the Christian who wishes to get down and wrestle with the text. Edwards explains concepts clearly and humbly, so the book can be read by the layman as well as fellow scholars. Edwards writes in a flowing style that is easily readable. I especially enjoyed the way he summarises the overall meaning and larger purpose of each section, and what it means for us as Christians.

 

‘The Gospel According to Mark’ is a very comprehensive look at this gospel – it took me the better part of last year to read and digest it, section by section. If you’re not a reader, perhaps try something a bit shorter!

 

Highly recommended.

Prayer and the Voice of God March 5, 2007

Authors: Phillip D. Jensen & Tony Payne

Publisher: Matthias Media

ISBN: 1921068280

 

Do you ever feel as if your prayers are weak and ineffectual, or dare you say it – a waste of time? Are you ever stumped about what to say to God? Surely He knows everything anyway…!

 

 

 

Our prayers say a lot about our relationship with God, and our mind-set as Christians. This book answers these questions and more, and will encourage you to kick-start (or re-start) your prayer life. For the Christian, prayer is both a command and a blessing – and perhaps surprisingly, not just an optional extra.

 

“It’s our relationship of dependence upon God expressed in words. Prayer is audible faith.”

 

After all, relationship requires communication! Jensen and Payne remind us that prayer is purely and simply ‘asking God for things’. They go on to explain the two types of things we should be asking for, i.e. the desires of God and the anxieties of life.

 

 

 

I especially enjoyed the chapters ‘Why We Don’t Pray’ and ‘What Happens When We Pray’. Before reading this book, I had the idea that God would not interfere in the laws of nature that he has set down, and wondered if prayer was even worth it if God’s plan is sovereign and unchanging. I hadn’t realised that I had picked up some worldly views of prayer rather than God’s view as explained in the Bible, and that I was in fact limiting God. I had also subtly bought into the “name and claim it” view of prayer, which suggested that I hadn’t received what I’d asked for because my faith wasn’t strong enough. The book helped me to see that by thinking this way, I had in fact made prayer about “me and my faith” instead of “God and His grace”.

I think the authors could have written a bit more on how to pray in a group – I often feel as if I’m on show or fake when I pray with other Christians, and it makes my lips seize up.

 

Overall, the book is easy to read and a chapter is short enough to finish in a day. There’s an excellent summary of all the main points at the end of the book; I’m going to photocopy it and keep it handy! Also useful is a list of prayers from Scripture to use as examples. And that’s not all, folks – there are even discussion questions for each chapter, to do on your own or with a Christian friend.

 

I’m definitely going to read this little gem again.

 

 

Prayer and the Voice of God is available at the St Stephen’s bookstall for R84.

First newsletter March 5, 2007

Hi everyone

Our first St. Stephens book reviews went out in the bulletin on Sunday night, and we had an overwhelming response to the book of the term – 4 copies of Prayer and the Voice of God were sold!! Okay, hopefully people just didn’t have their wallets with them. Next week, guys?

The newsletter is going to come out once a term, and we’re on the lookout for book reviews. If you’ve read anything good or some shocking material to avoid, please tell us!

Oh, and one last thought – how about buying a second copy of a great book to put in the St Stephen’s church library, or donate a book after you’ve read it? We could use some newer books in there

Welcome to our new blog! March 5, 2007

This blog has been started by some bibliophiles at St. Stephens Church, Claremont. We’re convinced that reading Christian books can help you learn more about what God wants for your life, by helping to explain the Bible.

Please feel free to post reviews of books you have read, and tell us how they have (or haven’t) changed you. Add comments to reviews too!