Billy Graham in Conversation with David Frost
Billy Graham is arguably the most influential American evangelist ever to set foot on British soil. Few Christians have consistently filled as many football stadiums as often as Manchester United regularly achieve at Old Trafford. But while United rely on the silky skills of Ryan Giggs, the defensive strengths of the Neville brothers and the master tactician Peter Schmeical, Graham leaves it to God and his Holy Spirit to fill the terraces.
Although Graham is now as much a household name as the Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, his initial reception in Britain back in 1954 was a frosty one. Due to speak in the Harringey arena in the east end of London, the days running up to his arrival were marred by a hostile press and even debates in the House of Commons.
Told that the arena was empty except for rows of sceptical press photographers, Graham went down on his knees and prayed for God’s will to be done. The result was a packed auditorium with 5,000 others clamouring to enter. For three months every seat was taken, and the rest is history.
In this book, renowned broadcaster, interviewer and chat-show host David Frost recalls his interviews with Graham, spreading over 30 years. Social issues such as the American Civil Rights marches of the early 1960’s, visits to Communist Yugoslavia and apartheid-ridden South Africa are covered in a style which is quick on the eye but deep to the soul.
Frost questions Graham on his faith in God, his politics, his belief in the family and the sanctity of marriage, along with his preaching, evangelism and the bible. But the human side of pain and suffering, sin and temptation and his controversial overt support for President Nixon show Graham’s fallibility, which warms him to the reader.
Now in his 80th year, Graham looks back at a lifetime with God and ahead to heaven and the end times. The book is a revealing portrait of one of the most influential Christians of his generation - one of the few Christians to even be named in TIME’s top 100 people of the century!
Science and technology seem all powerful; theology and biblical knowledge are no longer seen as related to major issues of the day, there is no longer a sense of duty to belong to the Christian Church and yet there is still an observable spiritual hunger.
The second looks at the state of the church, shrinking in our corner and yet growing rapidly at a world level with an increasing ecumenical angle.
The third section asks what our response should be and highlights the need for our faith, beliefs and our interpretation of the Bible to be rooted in and relevant to modern life rather than apart from it.
For us to be fully involved in the issues of the day, to have more flexible church structures and to conduct our church life in ways in which people are most likely to hear.
Written in short and clearly titled sections, the book is extremely readable. In his clear and succinct prose, Donald offers us a sharp but positive assessment of the issues facing us if the Church is to remain relevant in the next century. But he doesn’t hand us all the answers on a plate.
We as individuals and as a church need to consider the issues and decide what we ourselves will do.
As Donald concludes, "All this requires hard work". It requires a total review of the life of the Church in the light of its context, a reshaping which makes us available to those who need us and a renewal of all our training programmes in the light of that task. If we take this challenge seriously, we may well find the footprints of Jesus Christ ahead of us, as he patiently awaits his people joining him."In a booklet published to mark the millennium by Churches Together in England. The power of Christian hope is summarised in this way.
People finding meaning in a bewildering world.
People finding hope as they face the uncertainties of the future
People finding the motivation to do something about changing the world.
By calling to mind the story of Christ, and the many positive components within our Christian heritage, there are visions to be caught about the future."
We are a part of the ongoing story of God’s people. It’s an exciting journey. The people of God have it within their gift to offer to the world a vision for the future.
We can have HOPE in a Time of Change.
This is the title of the study booklet that was used by the
Ecumenical Lent groups and some of our house groups.
IF you have £5.99 left over from Christmas or better still a book token yet uncashed, you cannot do better than invest it in Archbishop George Carey’s book:"The Church in the Market Place".
In a very easy to read and inspiring story, he gives an account of his arrival and ministry at St Nicholas Church, Durham in 1974, a run-down church in the centre of the city with a membership of 120, to which he was appointed as vicar.
The building was in a dilapidated state and the membership declining. Yet in the next eight years, the church was transformed into a thriving market place church, which opened daily to meet the needs of the local community. The total cost of the redevelopment and the new furnishings and fittings came to a staggering £325,000 raised by the efforts of the small congregation. When George Carey moved on to become principal of Trinity College in 1982, not only was the work completed but the congregation had grown and the church was free from debt.
George says that he learned some valuable lessons over those years.
First; Spiritual renewel of the lives of the members was a priority.Second; Mission and outreach were the goals at the outset for achievement.
Third; It was vital that all involved were proactive and not reactive.
Fourth: The church membership, who were ordinary people, found that God’s power and grace were sufficient for their needs. The more they prayed and put their trust in God’s mighty power, the greater the thrill at seeing Him respond.
Please, please get hold of a copy of the book - the Dovecote bookshop will get copies for you - and read about God’s graciousness and the way he responds to and answers corporate prayer. Then fired by the vision, be proactive and be part of the vision for your.
"THE BODY BEAUTIFUL" by Mike Breen
MINISTER Mike Breen takes a fresh look at the Book of Revelation by seeing how modern society can learn from both the faults and the good points of the seven early churches of Asia Minor.
Jesus had commanded the apostle John to write to the churches in a vision while John was exiled on Patmos , and the Rev Mike Breen looks at the spiritual health report card of the churches at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
Mr Breen, who has been a minister in nearby Brixton and President Clinton’s home state of Little Rock, Arkansas before settling down in Sheffield with his wife and three children, looks at the ancient churches’ spiritual diet, its exercise, lifestyle and recommends prescription.
While Paul had found Ephesus a city enthusiastic for the word of God, by the time John was writing there was a problem of pride among its Christians. Although they had the basic biblical knowledge, there was a tendency to over concentrate on theology at the expense of the joy of the holy spirit. Basically, although the diet at Ephesus was generally good, it needed more practical teaching leading to definitive action. Christians in Ephesus needed to look outwards in witness and service and not just inwards to teaching and fellowship.
Cleverly, Mr Breen looks at his and other experiences of the modern church, asking the reader how can he grow in spiritual strength and maturity and what lifestyles should be shunned or embraced in order to sustain good health. But this is written cleverly in a style which is a world away from hell-fire preaching, and could be used by house groups or bible study groups as well as for private reading.
"The Body Beautiful" is published by Monarch Publications, price £6.99 and is available now from Dovecote.
byAngela Ashwin (Eagle, £4.25)
This book is one of a series called "Exploring Prayer" and its premise lies in the conviction that "prayer is not a duty to be performed but an adventure we can enjoy no matter how busy we are." It is aimed primarily at the parents of small children, but anyone who wants to pray in the middle of a busy and demanding life will find some refreshing ideas.
The book is crammed full of imaginative and practical suggestions about how to use the everyday routines and experiences of life as opportunities for prayer for example, drinking a cup of tea, holding a baby or walking to work, school etc. Parallel to these are creative ideas on how to use times of quiet in order to focus on God.
I found this to be a most helpful book and anyone who tries to put some of the ideas into practice will soon find themselves to be far more aware of God in every situation and discovering that their lives have a still centre which is God. A brilliant little book!
( National Society/Church House Publishing, £4.95)
This book is written by an Anglican and is geared towards Christian families suggesting ways in which the Christian faith can be brought into busy everyday family lives. For non-Anglicans and those in families where not everyone is comfortable with Christianity, the ideas need some adaptation. In each chapter, the author considers a different room in the house, from kitchen and living room to bathroom and garden shed, and suggests how each room can have a focus for God and remind people of God’s presence there.
I must admit that I was a little irritated by the author’s tone, which I found rather patronising, but my irritations aside, the book does contain some helpful ideas, and would probably spark off a few more. I particularly liked the idea of prayer cards in the car, cartoons in the bathroom and the suggestion to pin up each week an old Christmas card and pray for the person who sent it to you.
Also in the book are lots of lovely prayers and meditations which the author has collected from various sources. The book is worth reading for the prayers and for the ideas that it will generate in discovering how God can be involved in the home. A good book to pick up and dip into.
"I Believe in Satan’s Downfall" - Michael Green.
Satan! In 1999?? In this country!
Firstly do you as a Christian, believe in such a person/personality as Satan? Secondly, have you ever had a convincing experience of Satan or is this something we only read about in missionary magazines?
I must admit my belief in Satan was rather theoretical, I had not realised how many references there are in Scripture to Satan and satanic power.
In this scientific age, belief in Satan has largely fallen into disrepute, yet there is an increasing fascination with the occult. "Despite our professed sophistication", writes Michael Green, "there is today in the West a greater interest in and practise of magic than for three centuries".
‘I Believe in Satan's Downfall’ takes a close look at the Biblical account of Satan; his origin, his strategies and above all his defeat. It urges Christians to take seriously the spiritual battle to which they are called, and encourages them to be confident in the knowledge that Christ has won the supreme victory over evil and that the culmination of all history will demonstrate this fact.
Our TV sets have shown us the tribal massacres in Rwanda, the murderous regime in Cambodia; the results of bombs planted both in Northern Ireland and in our own country; we know about the holocaust and other atrocities, past and present; we are increasingly aware of the abuse of children; in some countries in America it is not safe to walk; it is time we asked ourselves WHY? IS IT SATAN WHO IS BEHIND ALL THESE HORRORS?
‘I Believe in Satan's Downfall’ is published by Hodder & Stoughton
IF anyone were to ask you what you felt was the most significant development of the 20th century in the Christian sphere, I wonder how you would answer. Surely it would be the amazing development that has occurred between the various Christian traditions, and even in relation to the different Faith communities. Such an explosion of love and understanding can most certainly be described as an advance in Reconciliation and Grace.
'In outlining my Christian pilgrimage, particularly in regard to the ecumenical and reconciling dimension, which is the main overall theme of the book, I have included some of my experiences in Northern Ireland, where I witnessed much progress, despite the problems confronting the people there. I have continued by drawing on my experiences with a number of reconciling enterprises and people engaged in ministries, which have sought to bring people together in understanding and co-operation, and, in particular, those divided by cultural differences. They have all shown me a great deal about how reconciliation and grace operate in meaningful terms today.'
Paul B Lang
First published 2001
96 pages Paperback 198 x 126 mm Price £5.95
Through Our Long Exile Contextual Theology and the Urban Experience
By Kenneth Leech
Darton Longman and Todd, £15.95
ISBN. 0-232-52334-7
This is really two books for the price of one. The two parts are quite different yet they fit together to form a fascinating study on the East End of London. Part one consists of Ken Leech's uncompleted PhD research into patterns of immigration into two wards of the East End of London. In the second part, he reflects on his work as a community theologian in the East End of London.
As you would expect the first part is evidence of the meticulous research required by a doctoral student. Yet, it is very readable. There have been many diverse groups of people who have made this part of London their home. This is the story, which involves Huguenot, Irish, Chinese, Jewish and Bangladeshi exodus and exile. It is the story of rejection, poverty, crime and racial tension. It is the story of the place, which is loved by the author, and according to him, 'it is a microcosm of urban society'.
Part two and the student gives way to the theologian who has sought to live and work in this area for most of his life. For the author theology is not for the confines of a Christian Church it is for living out in the world. It is thinking through the relevance of Christianity for today. For example, how do Christians respond to urban politics, which have seen the 'Docklands' development in the East End?
The struggle against the British National Party on the Isle of Dogs. The rise of the drug problem and prostitution and the importance of inter faith engagement, particularly with Islam.
What sort of Church becomes effectual in this area? It is not the servant or pragmatic Church that is needed, but the prophetic Church. Without this cutting edge the Church fails to live up to its calling and fails the people whom it tries to serve.
Those who know about the East End will find this a fascinating book and will enjoy it immensely.
It is also a very good book for those who live miles away from London, but who seek to make faith relevant to the community in which they live.
Like Ken Leech, we need to be historians, finding out about the area. How has a place emerged to be what it is today? Who previously made this place there home? What legacy have they left and how has the Church served this place.
When that is complete, the hard work of theological reflection begins. The author shows us how to do it. A few pages of part one details a fine model for contextual theological work. Read this before part two and all will come into focus.
This is I believe an important book and deserves to be widely read by anyone who wants their faith to engage with the place where they live. It may be urban, but it may also be rural. All can learn from this work.
If this were a novel, I would describe it as 'unputadownable' it is not so I will content myself in saying read and apply its message.
However, you may find you read page after page in one sitting!
The Revd Stephen Henwood is Chaplain to St Francis Hospice, Romford.
This review by kind permission of the Baptist Times
By Jenny Robertson
Triangle, SPCK, £7.99
ISBN. 0-281-05390-1
Western traditions about Mary of Nazareth differ markedly from those of the east. Jenny Robertson has used her wide knowledge of Orthodox and Coptic traditions to enrich her exploration of Mary's story from the conception of her first child to the birth of the church. She weaves her story around a contemporary poem in which the first line draws attention to the way that, in her story as the mother of Jesus, the mundane touches eternity: 'The commonplace makes a music of its own.'
The author takes us unexceptionally through Mary's experience, but includes also a corrective chapter on Joseph the largely forgotten father figure in Jesus' life. She enters imaginatively into Mary's inner life, sometimes from a contemporary standpoint, at others placing her in the context of a woman of her own time. Not unaware of Mary (and other strong biblical women) as feminist icon, she does not develop that theme but chooses instead to use her as a model for a life of faith and discipleship. The unfamiliar territory of eastern imagery and story enriches the book but is not clearly integrated. Neither is the material, whether derived from legend or the writing of an ancient cleric, evaluated from a faith perspective: for example having described the extraordinary Coptic legend of the flight into Egypt, she leaves us with no more than the comment: 'the place given to the holy family by the Coptic Church is worth pondering'.
For all that the material is interesting and varied, reading it resembles the experience (not a favourite one of mine) of riding on a roller coaster In the space of two and a half pages at the beginning of a chapter on the Matthaean account of the nativity, we race from the arrival of the wise men, to a reflection on the use of Abba in the Lord's Prayer, to the 'dark night of the soul' and medieval spirituality, back to the wise men via the shepherds!
It is, however, a book, which exudes love for Mary, what she did, and how her story can speak to the contemporary disciple. Through her own spiritual pondering, the author has gained deep insight into this Woman's experience.
It could be a refreshingly different resource to use on a spiritual journey during Advent.
The Revd Anne Dunkley is a tutor at Northern Baptist College and a member of the Baptist Union Women's Issues Working Group.
This review by kind permission of the Baptist Times
By Alister McGrath
Hodder & Stoughton, £6.99
ISBN. 0-340-75678-0
In Knowing Christ, Alister McGrath, the renowned academic and prolific author, sets out to describe from his own personal story how we might develop our personal relationship with Christ rather than merely grow in our knowledge about him. He confesses his tendency to read the Bible 'as a source of information' rather than 'as a source of formation'.
In 28 brief chapters he ranges over where we are to know Christ (minds, imagination, hearts and memories); when we are to know him (in loneliness, anxiety, doubt and suffering); how we can know him through his encounters with people in Scripture; through the 'I am' sayings of John; through the benefits of his Cross; by removing barriers to knowing him and finally knowing him as crucified and ascended.
The chapters are uneven, and not just in length. He can conjure up some rich quotations from the spirituality of the Middle Ages. And then at times seems to go off at tangents.
We learn some stories about his past and there is an honest attempt to make the book personal. However, in the end I am not sure that it escaped the realm of ideas and got to the living person.
This is a basic book, which would be helpful to put into the hands of Young Christians.
It benefits from a readable style. Nevertheless, the publisher's claim that it is 'a modem day classic' and their clear attempt to put it alongside Jim Packer's Knowing God is grossly inflated.
Do not expect anything of the richness, depth and warmth of Packer's great classic.
The Revd Dr Derek Tidball is Principal of London Bible College.
This review by kind permission of the Baptist Times
by David Wilkinson
Monarch, £7.99
ISBN. 0-825424-544-9
This third updated and expanded edition of Dr Wilkinson's response to the cosmological theories of Professor Stephen Hawking and others carefully explores the boundaries between science and faith. Written for the lay person, it is suitable for both Christians and non-Christians who want thoughtful answers to big questions.
The author leads the reader by the hand through the science, including the most recent discoveries - such as those revealed by the Hubble Telescope - and the theories that have developed from them. He then demonstrates how these theories point towards (but can never prove) a divine Creator and Sustainer. Finally, he shows how faith asks and answers deeper questions than those posed by science.
Verdict: one of the best books around on the subject.
Clear, balanced and sensible.
The Revd David Dewey is minister of Sutcliff Baptist Church, Olney, Bucks.
This review by kind permission of the Baptist Times
A Sceptic's Search for Value in the Spiritual Market Place
By Rowland Howard
Harper Collins, £14.99
ISBN. 0006-281-737
THIS is an engaging, but superficial, skate around various spirituality's on offer in Britain at present. As such, it offers the reader an overview of some of the newer groups and religions attracting followers in contemporary Britain. For anyone interested in mission, it gives a useful exposure to some of the New Age outlets and to why people are turning to these rather than the church.
It is supposedly an unbiased encounter with groups as varied as wee frees and white witches, Hare Krishnas and UFO cults. However, one has the impression that the author already has his spiritual shopping list written and that his value system has already been shaped by Christianity,
Howard writes entertainingly, but there is very little real reflection. This is disappointing particularly after reading his earlier book - an account of the rise and fall of the Nine o'clock service in Sheffield, which reflected sensitive insights.
I felt slightly irritated by the unequal treatment Howard gave to different movements. However, in this, he behaves as the typical spiritual consumer since he doesn't like eating vegetarian curry all the time, he dismisses the Hare Krishnas, for example. There doesn't seem to be much engagement with the 'theology' or intellectual framework of these movements. That said, Howard does seem to judge spirituality by its impact on society, and by its contribution to making the world a better place. Many of the spirituality's he explores are dismissed because they are too inward looking and self obsessed, or because they promise more than they deliver.
It would be good to hold many of our churches up to this rigorous mirror.
The Revd Anne Wilkinson-Hayes is a tutor at Regent's Park College, Oxford.
This review by kind permission of the Baptist Times