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.