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Editorial:
Life begins at forty Comment:
Leadership on the move From
the director: The discipleship factor Four
things for leaders to do at the end of the world Pastoring
people in prophetic living Being
a servant leader Interview
with Maria Garvey: Oil and water Nurturing
the next generation The
Word made flesh - East Belfast The
Word made flesh - North Belfast The
Word made flesh - Derry The
Word made flesh - Enniskillen The
Word made flesh - Poleglass Resisting
temptation Review:
And now let's move into a time of nonesense Review:
Christianity for Dummies |
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Reviewed
by Scott Vance
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Christianity for Dummies, to quote a popular advert, ‘does exactly what it says on the tin’ – or front cover in this case. Regardless of the reason you have chosen to read it: whether for academic interest, or just for curiosity, whether you are new to Christian faith or have been a Christian for years, this book, in my opinion, will provide a guide to historical fact, Christian faith and church structure and development. It highlights the important principles of Christianity and guides the reader through each aspect in a clear and direct manner. The book is divided into five parts dealing with what Christianity is and exploring the basic principles of faith. It details the differences in the major churches, faiths and denominations in the world and provides a clear and interesting look into the early church and its origins. This leads into a description of the major Christian denominations in the world, Roman Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox. It also deals with Christians living in a postmodern world and then has an interesting section giving a useful rundown of important Christian holy days, holidays, important church leaders and Bible passages to remember. The appendices at the back also provide a useful insight into church history and Christian ‘lingo’. The book is incredibly well presented and well laid out – enabling you to read it cover to cover or to use it as a reference book to discuss or learn about a certain aspect of Christianity. Links between relevant sections throughout make studying a certain issue much easier. The helpful tables and boxes spread throughout help to encourage those who want to learn more or wish to easily compare different aspects of Christian faith. Richard Wagner is the author of numerous books and publisher of a Web-based Christian discipleship magazine – www.Digitalwalk.com. He covers a lot of ground in a relatively short book and doesn’t leave many questions unanswered. He always develops the points fully, guiding you to where you may find more information on any subject, making it easy to read and understand for Christians of all levels of faith. He uses useful and sometimes quite unusual metaphors to explain more complicated points. He is careful about being unbiased and refers often to the Bible to back up his points. The information given and its explanation are carefully considered and methodically presented. The author’s way of thinking is fantastic and he presents ways of thinking that I had never thought of before, (I especially liked his analysis of the ‘Prodigal Son’ parable.) I really enjoyed reading this book and found it enlightening and informative. I am particularly interested in early church history and found his account both informative and entertaining. For someone, like myself, who hasn’t read many Christian or spiritual books, this book at first seemed quite daunting because of its size and heavy spiritual content, but when I got into it I was hooked by the helpful, user-friendly layout and presentation. I found the writing style to be light and friendly throughout, but it was also strong and powerful where it needed to be, both engaging the reader and informing them. I can thoroughly recommend this book to others who either want to learn more or who need an easy reference guide. It is a book that can be read and reread and is a ‘must’ to have to hand when involved in discussion and debate. In my opinion, it is worth every penny of its cover price. I already have people waiting to borrow my copy – what more can I say? |
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