Five Good Books Recently Read

One tries to keep reading. Here are five I've recently got through and enjoyed. First, Nick Needham's superb fifth volume on church history. This time we are in the wonderful eighteenth century. Much of it I knew but a great deal I did not. I particularly enjoyed the section on Bengel the commentator. I don't recall seeing the bald statement that Wesley was happy about women preachers anywhere else. I bought Footnotes on spec when I saw going cheap in a local bookshop. A great bargain, it travels various parts of Britain in the company of Dickens, Blyton and others in a partly random series of trips. Its chief strength is that it is very well written. Most engaging. I got the book on animals in the same manner as the Fiennes' book. I thought it was part of another series but it is not. I would think it is fairly easy to write such a book but very enjoyable to read (if you ignore the evolutionary stuff).

When my father-in-law demobbed his vast library most of it went to Newcastle but I did get hold of the five volume Vos Systematic Theology. Recently I thought I had better start reading it and so took up Volume 1. It is hard going in parts but mostly just keeps going. There is no prolegomena so the first volume covers Scripture, God and his decree. I have already started on Volume 2. I actually paid full price for the McCall short stories in a different booksop (I'm not a complete skinflint - though rather impulsive). I've not read any Smith for ages and enjoyed these spy stories immensely, although the final story which touches on theology had a very disappointing section attempting to explain what orthodox catholic Christians believe about the Holy Spirit. It is unnerving when you see what a hash he makes of it, having been so impressed with everythhing else. I might hunt down some more McCall Smith; there's loads of it. I thought this was an interesting quote from one of the stories

Sides are often arbitrary - the result of historical accident: friendship can be much more important than allegiance and membership, and can, sometimes, outrank other, lesser loyalties. Where you are born, and the flag that flies over your birthplace, may turn out to be far less important than the promptings of the heart within.