Book Group Propaganda

Well, my bookish friends, here is the shortlist for Book Group II. Read through these blurbs and see what tickles your fancy. In a day or two I will hold a referendum, yes you heard me right, a referendum to find out our BGII winner. To avoid a scenario where we all vote for our own suggestions and sulk, I have conceived of an ingenious system of voting where we award points to our first, second and third preferences. Sound complicated? It is! If we still end up in a deadlock, the winner will be decided by an arm wrestle. Anyway, pick a side, people. Your vote counts.

1.Life Together (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
After his martyrdom at the hands of the Gestapo in 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer continued his witness in the hearts of Christians around the world. His "Letters and Papers from Prison" became a prized testimony to Christian faith and courage, read by thousands. Now in "Life Together" we have Pastor Bonhoeffer's experience of Christian community. This story of a unique fellowship in an underground seminary during the Nazi years reads like one of Paul's letters. It gives practical advice on how life together in Christ can be sustained in families and groups. The role of personal prayer, worship in common, everyday work, and Christian service is treated in simple, almost biblical, words. "Life Together" is bread for all who are hungry for the real life of Christian fellowship.


2. How Long O Lord? (Don Carson)
Don Carson's pastoral experience, attention to detail, and love for God and his people are reflected in the pages of this comprehensive Biblical guide to suffering. Carson brilliantly yet sensitively addresses every form of suffering, showing that the final answer lies in the nature and character of the merciful God whom we serve. One of the most valuable of all resources for the pastor, counsellor or anyone who encounters suffering and wants to help or be helped.

3. Surprised by Joy (C.S. Lewis)
In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God...perhaps the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England." Thus C.S. Lewis describes the beginning of his transformation from atheist scholar to brilliant Christian apologist in SURPRISED BY JOY. In this classic autobiography, Lewis provides an engrossing account of his spiritual quest for an elusive yet ever beckoning "Joy", which he followed from childhood through Romanticism and "hard-boiled" atheism to its culmination in Christian conversion. The story features vivid accounts of Lewis' inner life and motivations, his experiences in the English public school tradition, and decisive influences on his journey towards Christian faith, such as the writings of G.K. Chesterton and friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien. Lewis brilliantly involves the reader in the twistings and turnings of his intellectual development, leading toward the crisis of faith that was to determine the shape of his entire life and career.


4. Christian Reflections (C.S. Lewis)
This fine collection of 14 essays exemplifies C S Lewis' keen engagement with all aspects of cultural expression, and how these relate to Christian convictions and practices. The range and depth of Lewis' insights remain unparalleled. Here is his best on literature, culture, ethics, church music, biblical criticism, and prayer.
This collection contains fourteen of Lewis's theological papers on subjects such as Christianity and literature, Christianity and culture, ethics, futility, church music, modern theology and biblical criticism, the Psalms, and petitionary prayer. Common to all of these varied essays are Lewis's uniquely effective style and his tireless concern to relate basic Christianity to all of life.

5. Spiritual Depression (Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Believing that Christian joy was one of the most potent factors in the spread of Christianity in the early centuries, Lloyd-Jones lays bare not only the causes that have robbed Christians of spiritualvitality and freedom, but also the cure that is found through the mind and spirit of Christ. 300 pages, from Eerdmans
This enduring collection of twenty-one sermons by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, each originally delivered at Westminster Chapel in London, carefully and compassionately analyzes an undeniable feature of modern society from which Christians have not escaped--spiritual depression. "Christian people," writes Lloyd-Jones, "too often seem to be perpetually in the doldrums and too often give this appearance of unhappiness and of lack of freedom and absence of joy. There is no question at all but that this is the main reason why large numbers of people have ceased to be interested in Christianity." Believing that Christian joy was one of the most potent factors in the spread of Christianity in the early centuries, Lloyd-Jones not only lays bare the causes that have robbed many Christians of spiritual vitality but also points the way to the cure that is found through the mind and spirit of Christ.