MARCH 2021 ISSUE #7

Dear Readers

Hopefully our last edition before lockdown ends; but please don’t give up your reading habit! “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body”

So keep on keeping on! We have some very interesting reviews for you this time, each one showing the wide range of books devoured by own readers.

And Luke Randall reminds us that his book, previously reviewed here, Stories from the Streets - An insight bookCLUinBto the work of Street Pastors - £8.99 is available from www.storiesfromthestreets.org

In this edition: Please contact John or Luke with your own contributions for future editions: 'SOUNDS FROM HEAVEN' BY COLIN & MARY PECKHAM My email is: 'THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY (JOURNEYS THROUGH SCIENCE, FAITH & DOUBT)' BY ALISTER MCGRATH [email protected] or Luke Randall is at 'IMPRISONED WITH ISIS' BY PETR JASEK [email protected] GRANCHESTER BOOKS BY JAMES RUNCIE

'THE LOST LIGHTS OF ST. KILDA' BY ELISABETH GIFFORD EGBC BOOK CLUB ISSUE #7

SOUNDS FROM THROUGH A GLASS IMPRISONED DARKLY (JOURNEYS HEAVEN THROUGH SCIENCE, WITH ISIS FAITH & DOUBT) BY COLIN & MARY BY PETR JASEK PECKHAM BY ALISTER MCGRATH

REVIEW BY VAL AHERN REVIEW BY RYAN AHERN REVIEW BY JEANETTE HOLT

Once lockdown lifts, I’m Alister McGrath is the Andreas The book is available from planning a holiday to the Isle of Idreos Professor of Science Release International: Lewis so I thought I had better and Religion at Oxford https://releaseinternational.org/ read up on the revival in the University, and Fellow of imprisoned-with-isis/ Hebrides from 1949 to 1952. Harris Manchester College, Whilst there are a number of Oxford . . . so basically, he is a If you think lockdown is hard books on the revival I chose clever guy! The book tracks his then how would you feel about ‘Sounds from Heaven’ as it journey to faith from initial being locked up in a Sudanese blends together history, Duncan academic work in the natural prison with Isis fighters and Campbell’s own reports (the sciences and how in turn this sentenced to life in prison? This Minister used in the revival) and led him to establish and is the story of Petr Jasek the son testimonies of those touched explore the links between of a pastor who was persecuted during that amazing time. A faith and science through the in Communist Czechoslovakia. revival when people would not study of theology and Petr joined an organisation want to leave meetings and stay intellectual history. called the 'Voice of Martyrs' to until the early hours of the From being an atheist with assist persecuted Christians in morning and as Agnes Morrison strong objections to the hostile areas and as a result was reports in the book “Whatever Christian faith the book tracks arrested in Khartoum in 2015, we were doing and wherever we his journey of discovery before he could board his plane were, we were conscious of the through science to being a home. It turned into 445 days of presence of God. We had no believer in Jesus. It is a great imprisonment rather than life, desire to go to sleep.” Where the read for those that are because of God's miraculous presence of God was everywhere sceptical to the Christian faith intervention, which Petr and even those who were from a scientific perspective, attributes in no small measure nowhere near a meeting were those with little scientific to the faithful prayers of suddenly arrested by the Spirit of understanding, and also some Christians around the world. A God and had to stop what they great insights in establishing truly inspiring story of how God were doing and seek after God! how science and faith are prepared him in advance for his Reading this book was like compatible. So why not read ordeal and then used him pouring petrol on a fire for my it yourself and see how a man mightily to bring many Isis prayer life and has increased my with a truly brilliant mind that fighters to faith in Jesus Christ. I hunger to see revival in this is opposed to God, makes his found Petr's joy in bringing community. Oh Lord will you journey through the study of others to know Christ inspite of revive us again! natural sciences to see the his own harrowing wonder of our creator God! circumstances truly inspiring.

AND: Revival in Wales! If, like me (John Bradley), you have had more time in lockdown to explore films on YouTube (dump Netfilx!), you could look at: ‘The Story of the 1904-1905 Welsh Revival.’ WPSGospel. 262k views to 14.03.21. It’s 1hr 7mins. Fascinating. How about Small group material? . . . “Bend me, Lord!" Search for ‘Welsh revival’

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GRANCHESTER THE LOST BOOKS LIGHTS OF ST. KILDA BY JAMES RUNCIE BY ELISABETH James Runcie , the son of the GIFFORD former Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie, has REVIEW BY JOHN BRADLEY written six books about the sleuthing detective Sidney Chambers. These have been made famous by the TV series Elisabeth Gifford’s ‘The Good Doctor Granchester. of Warsaw’ was reviewed a year ago. Elisabeth is a Christian authoress living in Kingston, popular on The captivating prequel to the Grantchester series, “The Amazon. Here is another I am road to Granchester”, as reviewed by John Bradley reviewing: previously, follows the life, loves and losses of a young Sidney Chambers during the war and in post-war London, LONGLISTED FOR THE HIGHLAND which in part lead him to become a Priest. BOOK PRIZE 2020

The following books start in 1953 with Sidney Chambers Chrissie Gillies comes from the last and the Shadow of Death, followed by Sidney Chambers ever community to live on the and The Perils of the Night, moving to 1963 and Sidney beautiful, isolated Scottish island of Chambers and The Problem of Evil, then 1964 and Sidney St Kilda. Evacuated in 1930, she will Chambers and The Forgiveness of Sins followed by Sidney never forget her life there, nor the Chambers and The Dangers of Temptation in the late 60’s man she loved and lost who visited and culminating in 1971 and Sidney Chambers and the one fateful summer a few years Persistence of Love. before. The book gives a fascinating insight into daily life as it had Meet a different Sidney from the TV series, as he tries the existed for centuries before its balance the life of an Anglican priest, marriage, a evacuation. daughter and the various wide ranging crimes that come across his path, such as an incident on a hippy commune, Fred Lawson has been captured, a case of arson, a poisoning and many others. beaten and imprisoned in Nazi- controlled France. Making a Well written, with insights into the life of an Anglican desperate escape across occupied Priest in England during the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, a bit territory, one thought sustains him: about life in former East Germany and more….. find Chrissie, the woman he should never have left behind on that desolate, glorious isle. The Lost Lights of St Kilda is a novel that crosses oceans and decades, Good light reading and a testament to the with a bit of a extraordinary power of hope in the darkest of times of World War 2. Christian edge to it.

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