Books

lI learnt to read at nursery school when I was five, clasping Beatrix Potters little books, loving  her delicate paintings of tiny animals dressed in clothes. My favourite tiny book was PETER RABBIT. It was not long before I was fascinated by Enid Blyton and read everything I could borrow from the travelling library that stopped near our house. The BOY NEXT DOOR was my favourite. When I was 12 and at high school, the English teacher read the WIND IN THE WILLOWS to us. After that I found all the romances  - authors Georgette Heyer and  Jeffry Farnol. I enjoyed all the Scarlett Pimpernel’s escapades and, later on, GONE WITH THE WIND. Thereafter it was mainly reading for my BA degree…
Here are 3 books I can recommend. The first is really a booklet called WHY JESUS. The illustrations are fun, and it is an ideal book for friends searching for meaning in life. Written by Nicky Gumbel, a converted Jew and well-known barrister in London, who served as Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton from 2005-2022, and where John and I often worshipped when on holiday in London. You can download and read WHY JESUS here.
 
THE BIBLE IN MODERN ENGLISH
J.B.Phillips, 1906-1982, was an Anglican clergyman. During World War 11 in the underground bomb shelters in London with young members of his church, he realized they had difficulty in understanding the King James Version. Phillips had an honours degree in classics, so he began translating it into up-to-date English. Because it was so popular, it began being quoted, and Phillips realized he would have to retranslate it for accuracy. This long and arduous work took many years and involved him leaving his parish and buying a house in a quiet location where he could work undisturbed. THE NEW TESTAMENT IN MODERN ENGLISH is a very thick volume. It is remarkably vivid. When Christ speaks, one feels the passion of what he is saying. When Paul writes, it sounds as up-to-date as a preacher in 2024. Added to this, there was the English to check. It had not changed as much as Phillips thought it could have. The “little tin gods” in 1 PETER became “the dictators” and the “plutocats” in JAMES became “men of influence”.
 
BASIC CHRISTIANITY
Basic Christianity was written by John Stott ,1921-2011.  I first heard him preach when he was Rector of All Souls Langham Place in 1969. He was a renowned preacher, author, theologian, evangelist and evangelical Anglican. In 1945 he became Assistant Curate at All Souls, and in 1950 Rector. Later he was elected as Rector Emeritus. He also served as chaplain to Queen Elizabeth 11 who conferred the CBE  (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) on him. He was a bachelor and devoted his life to serving his Lord – had he been married he could never have achieved all he did.

His influence extended around the world where he travelled extensively, speaking at conferences and academic institutions. The famous Lausanne Covenant of 1974 was largely his work. In 1983 he was awarded a Lambeth doctorate. This is conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury from his headquarters in Lambeth Palace. It is not a university degree, but an honour conferred by the archbishop. Five universities conferred honourary doctorates on him. In 2005, Time Magazine ranked him as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. He wrote over 50 books including commentaries on books of the Bible, and his most famous book is BASIC CHRISTIANITY published in 1958. It is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to find out what Christianity is all about and an ideal gift book for family and friends who are seeking meaning in life.

God bless
Merle