Our picks and yours…

August can be an ideal month to catch up on some reading, as we enjoy a break from other commitments and the pace of life slows slightly (at least for some!). If you are looking for some reading material that beats the poolside novels currently swamping Britain’s bookshops, below you’ll find our pick of the books we have reviewed on Prophecy Today so far this year – as well as the top three most popular with our readers.

Our Picks

Walk the Emmaus Road with Lois Tverberg as she shows how a Hebraic perspective can transform our understanding of the Bible in Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus, the third in a worthy series on the Jewishness of our Saviour.

Whether or not you have already embarked on this journey of discovery, we recommend David Hoffbrand’s book The Jewish Jesus, which not only provides this transformative perspective on the Messiah, but also asks how it ought to affect us practically, as members of the ‘One New Man’ community of faithful Jews and Gentiles.

For those seeking just such a practical challenge, we commend Dan Lucarini’s It’s Not About the Music, which will shake up your attitude to worship (both personal and corporate) with a resolute call for reform and a return to scriptural ideals.

Or, why not take the plunge and allow God to examine your attitude to that most basic of issues – money? In his accessible and comprehensive book Money: The Great Deception, Gottfried Hetzer brings Kingdom principles to bear on the global financial system, including plenty of practical, personal advice for Christians seeking to handle their money more biblically. In a similar vein, Randy Alcorn’s compact challenge to our giving habits in The Treasure Principle has been described by our Resources Editor as “worth its weight in gold, and more”.

For those hoping to use the summer holidays to better equip themselves on hot-button cultural issues, look no further than the sterling work being published by Wilberforce Publications, CARE and Sovereign World. Zooming out to the global level, David Cross’s What’s Wrong with Human Rights? exposes the false ideology which has helped produce our individualistic, entitled culture.

Closer to home, Walter R. Schumm takes on the gender ideology juggernaut with his scholarly review of literature on same-sex parenting and its impacts on children, Same-Sex Parenting Research, a thoroughly worthwhile investment for those wanting to arm themselves with specific details on this subject.

Finally, are you aware of the extent to which science fiction is rapidly becoming science fact? On the increasingly important subject of artificial intelligence, Professor Nigel Cameron is a leading thinker seeking to help Christians get ‘smart’ when it comes to technology. The Robots Are Coming is a ‘must read’ on today’s technological developments and what they mean for humanity and our relationship with God, while God and My Mobile presents a more personal challenge about how Christians should handle the digital revolution – ideal to read with the family in mind, as well as oneself. Both (at the time of writing) are currently being offered by CARE at a discount price.

Most Loved by You

Two of our 2019 book reviews that have been most popular with Prophecy Today readers have been secular offerings. Take former BBC journalist and executive Robin Aitken on holiday with you for a cathartic read on BBC bias in The Noble Liar, an insider’s exposé of our national broadcaster’s ingrained ideological slant.

Or enjoy a hard-hitting, in-depth modern political history of Britain and an uncompromising review of Labour’s radically Marxist leader in investigative journalist Tom Bower’s biography of Jeremy Corbyn, Dangerous Hero.

Finally, in case you somehow missed our review of ‘the most important book you’ve never heard of’, here’s your second chance to discover the Didache, the ancient instruction manual which illuminates how the early Church did discipleship.

Have a blessed and fruitful summer!

A selection of books to see you through August.

In case you are going to be relaxing poolside this August or just enjoying some extra spare time, here are a few recommended books to keep you company. Please see the base of each review for purchasing details.

‘Praying Like the Jew, Jesus: Recovering the Ancient Roots of New Testament Prayer’ by Timothy P Jones (Lederer Books, 2005)

In this delightful book, author, professor and pastor Timothy Jones opens our eyes to the Jewish background of the prayers of Jesus. Jones, author of many textbooks, professor of biblical languages and senior pastor of a Baptist church in Oklahoma, is well-qualified to explain the customs and traditions behind our Lord’s prayers and uncover the beauty and power of his prayer life.

This is a book that will inspire you to pray but also help you understand the true nature of prayer and of God himself.

With the help of historical vignettes and careful research, we are transported back to the historical Jewish world of Jesus, so that we gain wonderful insights into that world by studying his prayers (or, in the case of the first two chapters, the prayers of others around him ahead of his birth and during his early life).

Each of the ten chapters follows a similar structural pattern so you know what to expect and so the book could easily be taken a chapter at a time. Each begins with an imaginative re-telling of an event from Jesus’ life, weaving the original context of his prayers into the biblical stories in order to help you not only study the prayers but also experience their fuller meaning.

At the end of each chapter there is a meditation for readers to apply the lessons to their own lives, considering how God hears and relates to us. The endnotes are excellent and there is a usual glossary for the reader unfamiliar with the Jewish terms Jones uses.

If prayer is like breathing, then this book is “designed to help readers ‘breathe deeply’ as they enter into prayer” (Foreword, p.vi). Do read this book – it will inspire, bless and challenge you.

Maureen Trowbridge and Paul Luckraft

‘Praying Like the Jew, Jesus’ (122pp) is available very cheaply on Amazon. Kindle version is £5.86.

‘The Left’s Jewish Problem: Jeremy Corbyn, Israel and Anti-Semitism’ by Dave Rich (Biteback Publishing, 2016, revised 2018)

If you are looking for a highly topical book that will help you understand a central crisis in modern British politics, we highly recommend Dave Rich’s exploration of left-wing Jew-hatred. Associate Research Fellow at the Pears Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism, Birkbeck College (University of London), Rich works for the Community Security Trust, briefing MPs, civil servants and police officers about anti-Semitism. Though he is not a believer, his insights into this phenomenon are well worth reading.

Beginning with a brief history of how the Labour Party transformed from the party of the working class to a mainly middle-class party championing identity politics, Rich demonstrates how Labour totally reversed its position on Israel in the space of a decade or two, from steadfast support to outright loathing.

Subsequent chapters trace this transformation through to the present day, including more recent alliances between the left-wing and Islam (much as Melanie Phillips does in her book ‘The World Turned Upside-Down’). Rich also exposes how the ideological left has adopted a radically wrong view of the Holocaust.

His research, originally a PhD project begun in 2011, is here brought further up-to-date and made suitable for a general readership. A 2018 update is promised in September covering the many high-profile developments that have taken place since the book was first published.

If the presence of virulent anti-Semitism within a so-called ‘anti-racist’ Party has taken you by surprise, or if you are aware that Corbyn is simply a symptom of a much longer-standing problem but are unsure why, this book is for you.

Paul Luckraft and Frances Rabbitts

The 2016 version of ‘The Left’s Jewish Problem’ (352pp) is available from the publisher for £12.99 (paperback) or from Amazon Kindle for £8.54. Read an interview with the author here.

The 2018 version is available for pre-order for £12.99 (paperback) or £10 (Kindle) – to be released in early September.

‘Left to Their Own Devices: Confident Parenting in a World of Screens’ by Katharine Hill (Muddy Pearl, 2017). With Foreword by Rob Parsons OBE.

In this clever, refreshing book, lawyer, writer and present Director of Care for the Family UK Katharine Hill explores the impact of a decade of the digital world on the younger generation.

Member of the Board of the International Commission for Couples and Family Matters, Hill is married with grown-up children and is also a well-known public speaker and columnist for a local newspaper.

In 15 chapters and a poignant epilogue, she “skilfully and sensitively tackles a thorny subject with razor sharp insight and unremitting authenticity” (Dr Samantha Callum, family policy expert), aiming her writing particularly at those involved in parenting, teaching and youth work. Practical advice is given on issues like screen time, social media and consumer culture, as well as more serious issues like cyber-bullying, grooming and pornography, making this an invaluable handbook for parents who not only want to ‘cope’ with today’s digital challenges but face them confidently. Over 20 cartoons provide a gestalt complement. For those wishing to explore these ‘thorny issues’ further, a helpful index is provided.

I recommend this important, timely book without reservation, as being of exceptional value.

M. Paul Rogoff

‘Left to Their Own Devices’ (143pp, paperback) is available from the publisher for £9.99. Also available from Care for the Family and Amazon. Watch an interview with the author here.

‘The Bible’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ by David Hamshire (Faithbuilders Christian Books, 2018)

This short booklet (40 pages in length) follows on from two others by the same author, whose themes are all linked to the number seven: ‘Seven Days of Creation’ and ‘Seven Feasts of the Lord’. Whilst these previous two studies are on central and accepted themes, the exploration of how the number seven relates to wisdom (using Proverbs 9:1-6) breaks new ground.

The number seven binds much of Scripture together so, on the one hand, it is likely to have significance in ways yet to be found. However, on the other hand, the concept can be forced too far and become speculative. For this reason, I approached this particular study with caution. I did, nevertheless, find it well-written and thought-provoking.

I am not yet unconvinced that it leans more towards the speculative than the authoritative, but I can nevertheless recommend it as a good stimulus for study, especially in small interactive groups.

Clifford Denton

‘The Bible’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ is available from Christian Publications International for £9 inc. P&P, where you can also find more information and an extract from the Foreword.

‘More Drops: Mystery, Mercy, Messiology’ by George Verwer (CWR, 2015)

George Verwer met the Lord in 1955 in Madison Square Gardens, New York listening to Billy Graham, and started a life dedicated to evangelism. At the Moody Bible Institute, he learned that every student has to be an evangelist - for him, first in Mexico, where he married, and then in over 90 nations.

In 1962, Verwer formed Operation Mobilisation (OM), one of the most impactful mission agencies of the last half-century, known for its unrelenting preaching of the Gospel and its social action in Gospel-resistant countries like India, Nepal and the UK. From the 1970s, he obtained a series of ships named Logos to bring the Gospel to millions in coastal regions of the world.

2015 celebrated 60 years of this continuing passion. ‘More Drops’ (one of nine books by Verwer) is written in an auto-biographical style and is alive with refreshing honesty and pace, always giving God the glory through many successes and failures. Verwer’s reflection that most of what we touch includes messy situations (hence his term ‘Messiology’) - including theology, church life, leadership and people (!) – is followed up with the insight that God does wonderful things through the mess.

This is a book alive with the boldness and passion of its author, who lived to share Christ with as many people as he could. Helpfully, More Drops also recommends personal reading of nearly 50 other books, all classic works of Christian living, though Verwer always advocated getting into the word of God first and foremost, and allowing the Lord to transform your life from there.

Greg Stevenson

‘More Drops’ (136pp) is available from Amazon for £6.99 (paperback) or £6.64 (Kindle). Also available is the ‘George for Real’ DVD, a fast-moving, highly personal, encouraging and challenging story of a man on fire for the Lord and his Gospel. Highly recommended.

Is God speaking through the raging fires?

No-one looking at the terrifying scenes of fire raging in Greece and reading the heart-rending accounts of people being burnt to death could fail to be deeply moved with compassion for those who suffered, and for their family members. The speed with which the fire spread, driven by powerful winds, caught whole communities by surprise and gave them no chance of escape.

Even those who managed to reach the sea were not safe from the choking thick black smoke that enveloped them. Although many were rescued by fishing boats and other craft some drowned before they could be reached, while back on land a whole village was wiped out in unbelievable scenes of devastation, which Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras described as the worst tragedy ever to befall the Greek nation in modern times.

For Bible-believing Christians who believe in the sovereignty of God, there are no easy answers to situations such as this. But we know that everything that happens in the world has either been allowed by God or is part of his will. We also know that God is a God of love who shows unbreakable love towards his people and does not wish tragedy to come upon any of them. John 3:16 is the basic teaching of Jesus about the Father’s love for all people on earth and that he himself was sent for our salvation, not for condemnation.

But tragedies still happen, caused both by human action and by acts of nature. The teaching of Jesus on this subject is found in Luke 12:54-13:5 where Jesus declares that people who suffer in such tragedies are no guiltier than anyone else. He used tragic situations to chide the crowd for not being able to perceive the wider significance of these events, saying:

You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

God is a God of unbreakable love, but tragedies still occur and we must discern their wider significance.

Burnt-out areas of Mati. Antonis Nikolopoulos/AP/Press Association Images

Purpose in Tragedy

With this principle in mind we have to look at the Greek fires in the wider context right across Europe, where there has been virtually no rain and incredibly high temperatures for nearly two months. It is not only Greece in the far south but also Sweden in the northernmost part of Europe that is suffering incredible forest fires. Britain is similarly affected by unusual heat and dryness. Our normal temperate climate has deserted the land, which has come under the same 30°+C heatwave that is holding the whole continent in its grip, withering crops and causing fires to rage through forests and parched moorland.

Surely there has to be a reason why this is happening to the whole of Europe? Is this not a sign from the Lord about the continent’s moral and spiritual state – the continent where every country has had the Gospel for over 1,000 years and has sent its missionaries across the globe taking the good news of salvation to other lands?

But just look at the spiritual state of Europe today – the most secular humanist continent on earth, which has given birth to the European Union that openly boasts of its pagan links and even celebrates satanism.¹

The European Union has abandoned Europe’s Christian heritage and is driven by powerful anti-Semitic and anti-Christian forces. The same hatred of Jews that drove the Nazis; and the ungodly spiritual forces that have fought against the biblical basis of Protestant Christianity ever since the Reformation, have both re-surfaced in the EU and are driving the Brussels elite. We could be seeing the development of the most God-hating, anti-Semitic, satanic regime since the days of the Tower of Babel.

Understanding the Signs

If we look at what is happening in Europe in the context of biblical teaching of the 8^th Century BC Prophets of Israel, we begin to see the signs of the times in the fires and in the drought that is withholding the rain so desperately needed.

The Prophet Amos saw similar things happening in Israel in his lifetime and the word received as he spread each event before the Lord in prayer was; “Yet you have not returned to me says the Lord”. The warning signs had been ignored.

When the great tragedy of the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar took place, the writer of Lamentations grieved for the terrible suffering of the people but said, “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”.

He called his fellow countrymen to “examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord…For men are not cast off by the Lord for ever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men” (Lam 3:21-40).

The heatwave currently burning up Europe should make us stop and ask about the purposes of God, who desires the salvation of all people - not their destruction.

Need for Revelation

The heatwave that is currently burning up Europe is undoubtedly a sign that should make us all stop and ask about the purposes of God, who desires the salvation of all people - not their destruction. Is God warning us of far greater tragedies that could befall us if we continue to defy his word, despise the truth and reject Europe’s great Judeo-Christian heritage of the past 1,000 years?

Surely even the suffering of this present time would be worthwhile if we heed the warning signs that are being sent to us and turn to the Lord.

Oh Lord, open our minds to understand your ways and your word. Give us clear revelation!

Notes

1 E.g. at the official opening of the Gotthard Tunnel between Switzerland and Italy.

Brief reviews of treasures both new and old.

Paul Luckraft sets us up for summer with a selection of mini-reviews.

A Fresh Understanding of Israel (Ed. Adam Raffell and Jacob Vince, 2017)

This slim volume, commissioned by Love Never Fails, contains seven short chapters by different writers, including David Noakes, Stephen Briggs and Alex Jacobs. Each chapter has a key question as its title and the words ‘fresh understanding’ in the overall title indicates that the approach is to counter the prevailing negative assessment of Israel within most Christian circles.

The chapters include what made the people of Israel significant in the first place, what role the Promised Land plays, and a consideration of 'Is Israel still ‘Israel’?' All the chapters are excellent summaries of the topics covered, perhaps the best being 'Did the disciples stop being ‘Jews’?'

The book ends with a full reading list both on a chapter by chapter basis and of other specific perspectives not covered in the chapters. This is an easy read and ideal to pass on to someone not yet aware of the importance of Israel.

‘A Fresh Understanding of Israel’ (70 pages) is available from CFI for £5.

The Mighty and the Almighty: How Political Leaders Do God (Ed. Nick Spencer, biteback publishing, 2017)

This is an intriguing book which explores why in a secular age so many politicians and world leaders profess a Christian faith. It also asks key questions: how sincere is this faith? Does (or did) their faith shape their politics, or does (did) their politics shape their faith? And if so, how?

The book covers 24 political figures of the past forty years, from Thatcher and Reagan, through Mandela and Clinton, to May and Trump, bringing it right up to date. Others featured include Tony Blair, George W Bush, Angela Merkel, Barack Obama and David Cameron. But there are also several surprises (Vaclav Havel, Vladimir Putin) and even some relative unknowns, which creates an intriguing mix overall. Inevitably such a book can never include more than a small sample of world leaders over such a period but it is still a worthwhile project.

There are 13 contributors rather than a single author, but each chapter follows a similar structure: introduction, some biographical and background details, analysis of their faith and politics, conclusion. The book closes with a final conclusion by the editor.

Tim Farron is not one of those featured, but his recent resignation as leader of the Liberal Democrats makes this a timely book. His resignation would have been too late to be included anyway, but he does get a mention at the very start of the introduction. The editor recalls a fringe meeting of the Labour Party conference at which a well-known Labour MP reacted to Farron’s election as party leader in 2015 by attacking not his policies but his fundamental religious beliefs as “an evangelical Christian who believes in the literal truth of the Bible” - the implication being that Farron would have to hide this in order to avoid embarrassment. Now read on…!

‘The Mighty and the Almighty’ (348 pages, hardback) is available from the publisher for £18.99. Also available as an e-book.

The Strange Death of Europe (Douglas Murray, Bloomsbury, 2017)

The title sums it up! Europe is dying and this strange phenomenon needs an explanation. The author contends that the whole continent is engaging in an act of collective suicide due to two simultaneous factors, namely that the mass movement of peoples into Europe is being allowed at the same time as Europe is losing faith in its beliefs, traditional values and cultural heritage. No longer internally strong enough to absorb a mass influx of peoples of different cultures, Europe has set itself on a course that will change it irrevocably.

The subtitle, ‘Immigration, Identity, Islam’, indicates the main aspects under scrutiny. It is their interaction which is creating the conditions for a successful cultural/religious transformation. The book is well-researched with plenty of evidence to support the thesis of the author who has also travelled widely across the continent to provide first-hand reports and eye-witness accounts.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about Europe? Will it survive its current crisis? This may not be an overtly Christian book but it does contain an intelligent and thought-provoking analysis which if correct is deeply significant for Christians. Those with godly ears will hear what God is saying about Europe and its future.

‘The Strange Death of Europe’ (344 pages) is available from the publisher for £17.09 (paperback).

Re-discovering treasures from the past….

The Grace Outpouring (Roy Godwin and Dave Roberts, David C Cook, 2008, re-published 2012)

In this powerful and inspiring book Roy Godwin shares how he turned down a lucrative consulting job to lead the retreat centre Ffald-y-Brenin tucked away in a remote part of Pembrokeshire. His uncertainty on what would happen next was answered by God in an amazing way. People simply turned up, not always knowing why. But God did. “God gave us an answer as he sent people to us and met with them through prayers of blessing and the sheer wonder of finding themselves in his presence” (p45).

Over the years God has drawn thousands of seekers to this converted hill-farm where his healing and power is tangible and life-transforming. This book relates many fascinating stories of God’s work on a remote Welsh hillside as well as inspiring insights into how God can work in readers’ own communities. Highly commended.

‘The Grace Outpouring’ (185 pages) is available from Ffald-y-Brenind-y-Brenin for £8.99, where you can also purchase a newer book by Roy Godwin called 'The Way of Blessing'. Find out more about Ffald-y-Brenin on their website.

Jesus is the Question (Martin Copenhaver, Abingdon Press, 2014)

It is well known that asking questions was central to Jesus’ teaching, but not many of us will have studied them in detail or given enough thought to how powerful they are. This book is an excellent way to remedy this.

The book contends that Jesus is not so much the Answer Man as the Great Questioner. In the Gospels Jesus asks many more questions than he answers. To be precise, we are told that Jesus asks 307 questions, while he is asked 183 of which he only answers eight of them directly (some have argued only three). You can do your own count, but there is a useful chapter which focuses on these eight.

The book is well written, containing solid Biblical teaching illustrated by many examples from the author’s pastoral ministry. The final chapter contains a digest of about half of Jesus’ questions and suggestions for how these could be studied as a group. There is also an appendix containing a chapter-by-chapter readers’ guide, which of course consists of more questions for us to consider!

How well do we know Jesus? We will know him much better once we hear him question us. “Whatever else it means to follow Jesus, it certainly means letting Jesus’ questions guide our lives, rather than our own questions. Following Jesus is living the questions that Jesus asks” (p130). Highly commended.

‘Jesus is the Question’ (160 pages) is available from Amazon for £5.65.

Great Britain has fallen! (2002) and Awake! Great Britain (2005), both by Wale Babatunde

These two books by Wale Babatunde remain very relevant for our nation today and are worth picking up second hand.

When ‘Great Britain has fallen!’ first appeared Clifford Hill wrote the following endorsement:

“Wale Babatunde has produced an eminently worthwhile book, timely, well researched and with a prophetic ring of truth. From bishops to lay preachers, all who preach the Word of God in British churches should read this book. Through the eyes of an African Christian it brings a godly perspective on our ungodly land, but does so with grace and humility, as well as with hope for the future. I warmly commend it.”

Available from Amazon very cheaply.

The House that God Built: 100 years of God’s Working in the Congo (David Womersley, CAM International, 2015) – review by Maureen Trowbridge.

Throughout this book we learn about the marvellous way in which ‘God built His house’ in the Congo. It is a wonderful example of God’s amazing grace working through his people in the great pioneer African mission work Congo Evangelistic Mission (now CAM International). At its height they were responsible for 5,000 churches and fellowships. In spite of external pressures, civil war, diseases, persecution and even martyrdom, God won the lives of multitudes of men, women, boys and girls to follow Christ in a wonderful way.

David Womersley writes in a most moving and enthralling way about the everyday lives of his parents and other pioneer missionaries, up to the present day. It is very inspiring and exciting to read some of the events that occurred in the lives of those missionaries, of the people who became Christians and worked with them for the Lord, of the many miracles that happened and the schools and a Bible College which were founded.

I could not put this book down because I wanted to know what transpired next – so many things were happening as the chapters unfolded, some joyful, others sad – all moving! It is also full of good illustrations and photographs.

A compelling read - I would certainly recommend it.

‘The House That God Built’ is available from CAM International for £5 plus £1.50 P&P. Order by getting in touch with the office, or through the ‘Donate now’ button on this page.

Going on holiday and searching for the perfect book to accompany you on your travels? Look no further than the books we've reviewed on Prophecy Today so far this year.

Journey into the riches of the Bible with Keller's My Rock, My Refuge (on the Psalms), or Whitworth's The Way of Wisdom. If you are keen to learn more about Israel's place in the plan of God, past, present and future, you may like Joel Richardson's provocatively-entitled When a Jew Rules the World.

For meatier explorations of anti-Semitism in the Church, try The Jews: Why Have Christians Hated Them? by Gordon Pettie, or Merrill Bolender's When the Cross Became a Sword. Alternatively, for exciting and encouraging stories about the love of Jesus transforming both Arabs and Jews in Israel today, read Julia Fisher's recent book, What is God Doing in Israel?

If your preferred subjects are politics and the state of the nation, you might like Melanie Phillip's The World Turned Upside-Down. Or, if your passion is seeing the Church recover its Hebraic roots and get back to biblical basics, why not try Heidler's Messianic Church Arising or Stephanie Cottam's Ready or Not - He is Coming, or start a journey with Steve Maltz? We have reviewed several of his books including his trilogy on the Western Church: How the Church Lost The Way, How the Church Lost The Truth, and To Life, as well as his 'God' trilogy: God's Signature, God's Blueprint and God's Tapestry.

Just click on the links above to read our reviews and for purchasing information.

Happy reading!