A blog featuring whatever I fancy, often on the Christian faith but not exclusively
Showing posts with label Day One. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Day One. Show all posts
Women of Grace and Guts
This historical work by Juila Jones covers a fairly little known aspect of mission in India at the beginning of the twentieth century. I suppose this is pretty ordinary and unspectacular work but it has produced fruit that continues to this day. The unusual aspect of what is presented is that it concentrates on the the work of women who, as the title suggests, are marked by grace and guts (Winifred Booth, Ruth Morling, Olive Elliot and others, including the many Indian Bible women). The story deserves to be rescued from the yellowing pages of the SBM Herald and presented in this way. This well reasearched, well illustrated work is well worth seeking out. (One or two typos but no-one is perfect).
Thomas Bilney: Forgotten Reformer
This brief little book seeks to rehabilitate the little known martyr Thomas Bilney. Information about Bilney is limited but Stuart Fisher has done a very thorough job in gathering what there is and presenting the material in a warm and devoted way. Two appendices show that Foxe's history can be relied on and that although Bilney recanted once he did not do so a second time. The timeline and the many illustrations add to the attractiveness of the book, part of an excellent Day One series.
Day Off Week 19 2024
Getting back into routines after the trip to Kenya, including my day off last Tuesday (May 7). Basically, a bit of reading and a walk round West Hampstead. Eleri was out for the evening so no TV. The Tom Holland book is relatively new but the book about george Hicks is an old one. Day One were selling old stock off cheaply recently. Enjoying them both. Some useful sidelights on the New Testament from Pax.
Early Christianity in Britain
When I was in Aber last my prospective sympathetic Mike Iliff (our kids get married in June) recommended a book to me - Early Christianity. The backbone of this work which takes you from the first century to Wycliffe and Tyndale grows out of PhD work by Peter Green. Some published PhD theses are hard to read but in this case Brian Edwards has edited the manuscipt and that has made for an easy read of 17 chapters. Much of the material was familiar to me (Patrick, Aidan, David, etc) but much was not. Some of it is very interesting indeed. It refutes the Augustine of Canterbury thesis that was promoted in school and argues for a church that had existed for 500 years before then and also denies that England ever had much to do with Rome, much less the other home nations. This is well worth getting hold of. Some of it will surprise you.
The Victorian Sunday
I saw this book (The rise and fall of the Victorian Sunday by John Wigley) in the Evangelical Library recently and brought it home to read. It is an academic study dealing with a huge influence on nineteenth century English life. It begins with the history of Sunday before the Victorian period before dealing with the period itself, which it argues was hugely influenced by English Sabbatarianism, an idea deeply rooted in history, as well as other factors.
Wrigley argues that the Anglican LDOS did not enjoy Sundays themselves and sought to stop others enjoying it too. This is a pejorative way to state the case but it is done with some justification as we survey various attempts to curb what was allowed and what was not allowed on a Sunday, especially when church services were taking place.
Among his surprising conclusions are that the Sabbatarians were not chiefly Nonconformists or part of the temperance movement. It was a movement rooted in Scripture but it is clear that many decisions made regarding Sunday laws are not easily traced back to that source. The claim that a desire to suppress Sunday entertainment rather than Sunday labour predominated in LDOS circles is probably a fair one.
The book deals with England only (appendices talk about Scotland and Wales) and carries the story on only as far as 1980. I am Sabbatarian rather than Dominical in my understanding but this book makes often uncomfortable reading and only strengthened my view that trying to impose Sabbath rules on the general populace is hard to justify or make work.
A True Story
One of my deacons suggested a while ago that we might like to give out some tracts that Roger Carswell has done on Handel's Messiah (see here) outside a performance of the piece. We tracked down one such performance to the Royal Albert Hall last night (see here). Paul then said that it might be a good idea to go into the performance which the others all agreed to do. I decided against it for various reasons.
Anyway, while I was giving out tracts last night and this couple approached me and asked if I was going in, which I wasn't. They then offered me a ticket. They had hoped their grown up children would join them but it hadn't worked out and so they had two tickets spare. I was reluctant at first, of course, but they were keen and so I went for it.
It was an excellent seat and I really enjoyed the performance. That's the third time I've seen it and I have two or three parts that I regularly listen to so I was able to really enjoy it.
I chatted, of course, to the lady who had been so kind to me. During the interval we formally introduced ourselves. Her husband turned out to be a Tory Peer and a household name in the Thatcher/Major era. He was sat next to an even better known Tory Peer of the same vintage. I almost feel obliged to vote Tory next time round. We'll see. (My attitude to Mrs Thatcher is the same as my attitude to Marmite. Not a huge fan or hugely anti-).
So there's an interesting story for me to tell. I take it as yet another little reminder from God of his caring providence that is over my life at all times. As my hands Got colder giving out the tracts and I again stressed that I was not a tout I remember briefly thinking "why am I bothering?" and immediately reminding myself that God is no man's debtor. I had not expected such an immediate and obvious reassurance. If Lord and Lady D should happen to see this - thanks again.
C S Lewis
C S Lewis Clarity and Confusion by Andrew Wheeler is a helpful little book that came out in 2006. Mr Wheeler is clearly a big Lewis fan but like other evangelicals can see that there are problems with his theology. What he does, therefore, is to outline what is positive and negative in the man's writings, from the perspective of evangelical belief. He is perhaps a little hampered in this by apparently having no formal training in theology but he is clear enough and well able to do what he sets out to do.After a brief sketch of Lewis's life he first sets out his sound credentials as a genuine Christian who knew conviction of sin and salvation through Christ's death and had a correct view of God (though spoiled by his willingness to condone the use of images and pictures) and a right understanding of the resurrection.
Having given us some glimpses of God's grace in Lewis's life with ample and apt quotations from his works, he goes on to some areas concern. These concern Lewis's understanding of the Bible, creation and evolution, other religions and the Christian world (his belief in purgatory is highlighted).
Some may object to such a box ticking approach but it is done with some understanding and is very useful to evangelical Christians who sometimes feel they are in something of a love hate relationship with the work of C S Lewis.
The work is enhanced by three appendices - some great quotations, a quite thorough chronological list of his writings and (most useful of all) a Scripture index to the works (necessarily excluding the fiction - I wonder, has anyone ever attempted something of that sort?).
Book Buys May
The main bit of book buying in May was at the Assembly bookstall where I got the following:
I also bought the Dan Walker thing from Day One. They sent me a free copy so I gave mine to a boy in the congregation. I'd already bought 10 of the Jonathan Holdt one mentioned here, which we are reading on Sundays as a family bit by bit. I notice that a member of the congregation who bought a copy has started to come Sunday evenings. Yes, I also got the John Blanchard travel guide I mentioned here for reference.
In May I also bought these two online:
Then there were three secular books. I love the Thames Hudson New Horizon series (translated from the French) and have several volumes. It is quite an old series now so you sometimes see them going cheap. I saw the one on jazz somewhere and bought it and the one on Shakespeare in the NPG. Then at some other point I was in a charity shop and saw the Neil Gaiman book Coraline. I rarely read children's books but as it's out as a film I thought I'd buy it and read it. It's well written but not really my cup of tea now nor would it have been as a child. Fantasy/horror is not really my thing.
Celebrating Sundays
Day One have just brought out an excellently produced magazine style booklet Celebrating Sundays. The author is Jonathan Holdt from South Africa. Son of Martin, when Jonathan and Adele were at LTS they worshipped here with us. I've bought several for the congregation here and would like to commend it to others too.
John Blanchard
I was in the Evangelical Library the other day and I saw the latest Day One Travel With publication and took it to read. It's by Brian Edwards and is on John Blanchard - the first time a living person has been covered, I believe. John was born in Guernsey, lived in the Highlands and has travelled the UK and the world so he should fit the bill.
I was familiar with some of John Blanchard's story though there was plenty new to me. It was interesting to read about his call to Westminster Chapel and to ponder what might have been. Remarkably in 1982, aged 50, he got baptised by immersion. The statement that he is not one for small talk explained the awkwardness I had observed on the very few occasions our paths have crossed. The book does get slightly tedious in parts as yet further ports of call are listed but it is a fascinating book. One other piece of trivia I gleaned was the fact that Sam Ryder (as in Ryder cup) was a Christian (a member at Spicer Street, St Alban's).
There are now 18 such Travel Guides - 5 themed (Cambridge, Oxford, Israel, British Museum, Martyrs in Mary Tudor's time) and 13 on individuals.
Marian Martyrs
Last week I read this delightful little guide to the Marian martyrs. I found myself thinking - when I retire ...! This really is a great little series from Day One. They have just published number 12 on R M M'Cheyne and I know there are more in the pipeline.
Travel with John Bunyan by John Pestell
Travel with C H Spurgeon by Clive Anderson
Travel with William Booth by Jim Winter
Travel with John Knox by David Campbell
Travel with Martyn Lloyd-Jones by Philip Eveson
Travel with William Grimshaw by Fred Perry
Travel with William Carey by Paul Pease
Travel with William Wilberforce by Kevin Belmonte
Travel with CS Lewis by Ronnie Bresland
Travel with Robert Murray McCheyne by Derek Prime
Plus
The Martyrs of Mary Tudor by Andrew Atherstone
Around the British Museum by Clive Anderson
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