Book Review: A Short History of Christianity

Over the 2,000 years since his death, Jesus’ followers have carved a significant space for themselves into human history, but many of us are quite unaware of the real details of this story beyond a rather vague awareness of events like the Crusades, or the Spanish Inquisition. And quite often our knowledge is actually misinformation, formed as it is from references in movies, books or conversations, and not any detailed study of our own.

The journalist and scholar Stephen Tomkins is determined to change this with his ‘A Short History of Christianity.’ This book takes readers on a whirlwind tour of the history of Jesus’ followers. Tomkins follows the key stages of Christian history as it developed, describing the events, people, movements and controversies behind it all. For those who find history boring, know that Tomkins writes with wit and humour, and his style will certain help you engage with the topic, while at the same time educating you with many fascinating facts and details.

We are told that we should learn from our history so as not to repeat mistakes, which is why every Jesus follower should seek to learn as much as possible from those who have gone before. We should embrace and learn from their victories and good moments, as well as seeking to avoid the pitfalls of their mistakes. And mistakes there are aplenty - as Tomkins makes clear in his introduction, he is not going to sugarcoat the past for our benefit, so many of the stories he tells you about Jesus’ followers will sadden and even disgust you. If you don’t know much about the darker side of the history of Christians, then prepare to be shocked! Yet, whatever you do, don’t hide your head in the sand - rather chose to learn from these mistakes, and be grateful to the God of Grace who chooses to continue to work through us no matter what.

Tomkins arranges his material chronologically in roughly 100-year increments, and succeeds in giving his readers an excellent overall survey. However, it is inevitable that such a fast-paced breathless excursion through history’s corridors leaves some events feeling a little a sketchy, while others are completely ignored. Tomkins cannot detail every major character or issue, and other historians would probably argue with some of those he does choose to highlight. Nevertheless, the point of this book is not to provide an exhaustive history, but rather a broad overview for those who have hardly encountered any Christian history at all, and in this respect Tomkins does a fine job.

This penetrating, energetic ‘Short History of Christianity’ will delight and entertain you, while also broadening your understanding and perspective. Highly recommended.

Bucket List Book: Reason for Hope

Jane Goodall is preeminent scientist, hard-working conservationist, and animal rights activist, but is perhaps best known as the “chimpanzee lady”. As a young woman who had no scientific training whatsoever, Dr. Goodall followed her life-long dream to Africa and by a stroke of fortune (or divine guidance), ended up working for the renowned Louis Leakey. Recognising her potential, Leakey offered Goodall the challenge of a fascinating, new work - to set up a study of the chimpanzees of Gombe. Goodall, along with her mother Danne, spent months alone in the dangerous forests of Gombe as she began this study. Gradually she became world-famous for her truly groundbreaking discoveries about this species. Gombe has since became a research station of the highest calibre populated by students from all over the world.

‘Reason for Hope’ is a bucket-list book in that although it was published over a decade ago, it is wonderfully inspirational as Goodall remembers her fascinating life and freely shares about the faith that allows her to believe and hope in a better future for all. Goodall was always prepared to break the ‘social norms’ of scientists, and the arena of faith is just such a ‘breaking’ since many scientists frown upon and even ostracise other scientists who acknowledge a belief in God. Goodall’s faith is rooted in Christianity, although it might be a little eclectic for the taste of many. Nevertheless Goodall has plenty to teach us as she powerfully and passionately seeks to break the age-old and false dichotomy between science and faith.

Goodall is an evolutionist who believes in God and believes that God actively works in the world around us and desires humanity to grow (or evolve) ethically, morally and socially to live in a way that is far wiser and more respectful of creation. Goodall’s writing about her faith sometimes tends to be overly sentimental but never fails to acknowledge the realities of pain and disappointment in the world and to simultaneously point toward hope in God to redeem and restore.

As mentioned, Goodall does not shy from life’s tougher experiences, for example in chapters like "The Roots of Evil" where she describes her shocking discovery of chimps' capacity for cannibalistic attacks on members of their own community; and "Death" which details her despair at the suffering and demise from cancer of her husband, Derek. Goodall outlines how her thinking developed out of experiences such as these, sometimes struggling with doubt and temptations towards atheism, but ultimately testifying to the goodness and grace of God even in suffering. She often quotes her grandmothers favourite verse, "as thy days, so shall thy strength be," as being a source of great personal comfort and encouragement.

Yet, ultimately, it is Goodall’s intelligent and sensitive blend of faith and science that is most compelling and perhaps is the reason this book became a New York Times bestseller. You may not agree with all her conclusions but can certainly respect the journey she has undergone. Goodall addresses the ethical and spiritual dimensions of science and conservation, and this perspective alone is invaluable. Her tireless fight for the environment and against animal abuses was never rabid, but compassionate, reasoned and respectful of all - and again, we have much to learn from her here. 'Reason for Hope' is a moving and compelling book - even if it is a little dated now - that should be valued by all concerned about the fate of the planet and its inhabitants, and all who are interested in a more constructive working relationship between science and faith.

'Reason for Hope' was co-authored with Phillip Berman.

Book Review: Common Prayer - A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals

“If you love liturgy, this book is for you. If you don’t know what liturgy is, this book is also for you.” (From the introduction).

It is important to understand a few things about this book. Firstly, this is NOT the original Cranmer-authored Book of Common Prayer - you can tell that just from reading the title carefully. Nor is it a modern attempt to replace or rephrase Cranmer’s version, but instead is a separate project entirely with the stated intention of introducing all sorts of people to the sheer power and beauty that prayerfully-crafted and Scripturally-inspired liturgy can play in worship.

Secondly, ‘Common Prayer’ is the result of a collaborative project between Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma Okoro. All three are well known for their focus on missional living, intentional community and relating to the poor and are significant figures in the ‘new monasticism’ movement. This means you can see their subversive, peace-loving, Kingdom-living fingerprints all over the place - and I love it!

In the wonderful introduction to the book, the authors try to make us aware that liturgy is not just for certain, more traditional segments of the church but can be a life-giving, Spirit-filling discipline for Christians of every background. The focus is on ordinary Christians who live amidst the challenges that everyday life throws at us, and here the prayers are written with great insight and practical wisdom.

Contained in the book are a series of short (one page for the most part) liturgies for morning prayer that include standard texts, prayers, interesting information on church holy days and people, and even a song selection (melody lines and chords are in the back of the book) – one for every day of the year. In addition to this, there are sections containing a week-long cycle of midday and evening prayers, and another section of occasional prayers (for blessing a house, prayers for a workplace, baby dedication, and two that really struck me - A Litany to Honor Women and Death of Someone Killed in the Neighborhood).

As mentioned earlier, the book has an ‘ordinary radical’ focus – this is a phrase coined by Claiborne in his earlier work ‘The Irresistible Revolution,’ which contains a strong challenge of caring for those living in society’s margins. Thus, throughout the book you will find a generous sprinkling of references to the underprivileged, the outcast, and the innocent victims of injustice.

There has been some criticism of ‘Common Prayer’ for failing to annotate its prayers to provide a richer understanding of where they came from, but asides from that this is a beautiful book that makes liturgy (quite literally) sing. I would highly, highly recommend this resource to anyone and everyone (individuals and communities) who desire a deeper and more meaningful prayer life.

Book Review: My Utmost for His Highest

If by some chance you are still looking for a daily devotional book for the year ahead, and you are one of the very few who has not yet encountered Oswald Chambers’ much-loved ‘My Utmost for His Highest,’ then allow me to warmly recommend it to you.

‘My Utmost for His Highest’ has been constantly in print since just after World War I, and there are very good reasons for this. Chambers was not well-known during his life-time, but after his death, the devotions he wrote while serving as a front-line Chaplain during World War I in Egypt, became a timeless classic that has inspired countless Christians to a deeper walk with God.

Chambers died of a burst appendix during the war, and never lived to see the success of this book, although those who knew him say he would not have cared about personal fame. Chambers’ greatest hope was encapsulated in the title and sums up the book's entire purpose, in that it would assist the reader to "shut out every other consideration and keep yourself before God for this one thing only--My Utmost for His Highest ... determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone."

There are 365 devotions, each about 250 words long, with an accompanying Bible verse and every single one of them is infused with wisdom and depth. Chambers’ real gift was to express something profound and challenging in only a few short sentences without ever sounding like a ‘sound bite’. ‘Utmost’ is certainly not one of those devotional books that tries to tell you ‘God loves you and so all is well,’ but instead deals directly with some of life’s difficulties. Chambers is reckoned by many to have been one of the greatest Christian thinkers of all time, and if he wasn’t, then he certainly is one of the deepest.

So get yourself a copy, if you don’t own one already. Buying ‘Utmost’ is well worth the money especially as all royalties are donated to projects such as a school in Rwanda, and a children’s home in Thailand among other things.

Book Review: Take up the One Year Bible challenge!

So its mid-January and the dust has already settled on many of those New Year resolutions. For many of you the ‘going-to-gym-every-day’ promise may not be going so well and the ‘eat-less-chocolate’ pledge may definitely have already taken a big dive, but perhaps it is time to get serious about something that really matters? What about challenging yourself to read the whole Bible (yes, even those looong genealogies) and what about trying to do it in the space of just one year?

Last year I decided to do exactly that and I have to say that it was simultaneously a frustrating, difficult, joyful, and enriching experience! Yet, it was indisputably an extremely growing and worthwhile journey as I was forced to read or re-read those parts of the Bible I tend to naturally avoid. Most of the time this really got me thinking because whenever I read something I didn’t quite understand, or was frustrated by, I tended to chew over it throughout the day often leading me to do further background study. This process ensured I got to grips with the larger Biblical narrative, both increasing my overall knowledge and my appreciation for the incredible salvation story of which we are all part.

There are many different ways you can set about reading the Bible in the space of just one year. You can google a ‘one year Bible reading plan,’ you can download a mobile app to help you, or you can even do things the old-fashioned way like I did and buy yourself a ‘One Year Bible.’ These are available in a wide variety of translations meaning you can probably get hold of one of your favourites.

Here are the basics of how a ‘One Year Bible’ works:

Each day's reading is broken into four parts: Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. You typically read a couple of chapters from the Old Testament, roughly a chapter from the New Testament, a Psalm or a portion of a Psalm, and a few verses from Proverbs.

There are positives and negative to reading the Bible like this, but ultimately more positives because you do get to grips with those parts of Scripture you might not normally read. Remember that the One Year Bible is not meant to replace your Bible but rather act as a companion to the one you already have as it leads you through a disciplined, reading plan. My personal experience was that this kind of reading plan is truly worthwhile and will perhaps open doors for you to begin studying the Bible with more depth and greater understanding.

Don’t worry about a late start to the year - you can easily plan to start your reading on January 19 2011 and finish January 19 2012. The most important thing to remember is to not fall too far behind in your reading because it does get really difficult to catch up.

Book Review: A Twenty Yard Stroll

If you have the desire to live a Full Life or wish to understand what values you will need in order to have all your aspirations satisfied, then I encourage you to embark on a Twenty Yard Stroll today.

This book gives you a step by step journey guide on how you can receive that Full life, to find that “something”, that joy, which is so often missing in our lives. It dares you to start taking that first step.

I recommend reading this valuable resource as the reader is challenged to put the journey into practice.

Should you wish to purchase a copy of the book on line please go to the website of the publisher Cobble Crab Publishers http://www.cobblecrab.co.za or e-mail jeanne@cobblecrab.co.za

A Twenty yard Stroll was written by the Rev. Dr. John Bailie and published by Cobble Crab Publishers.

(This review has been written by Jeanné Persson).

Book Review: Into Your Hands Lord

Into Your Hands Lord, is written by John Baillie, a minister in Johannesburg. The book is an account of the Lord’s hand in Bailie’s life. He embarks on a journey which highlights how small incidents can have a very significant impact on one’s life and how each and every one is ultimately connected.

Bailie unassumingly takes no credit for his achievements, and merely states that through God’s grace, he has found Jesus as his personal Saviour, and that he is constantly being shaped into the person Jesus knows he needs to become. Today, each and every experience of his amazing life journey is begun with the words: “Lord, today, into your hands I place my Spirit.”

Accounts of these events were easy to comprehend. It's an easy read, and, I believe, inspired by God. I recommend it highly.

(This review has been written by Jeanné Persson).

Into Your Hands Lord has been published by Cobble Crab Publishers.

Should you wish to purchase a copy of the book on line please go to the website of the publisher Cobble Crab Publishers http://www.cobblecrab.co.za or e-mail jeanne@cobblecrab.co.za