Issue 05 Preaching to the unconvertedBlog | Book Reviews
Book Reviews
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 09.12.15
A Wilderness of Mirrors Mark Meynell, Zondervan (2015)
Four stars
The subtitle of this book is ‘Trusting Again in a Cynical World’, which really sets out its point. The world has become distrusting, often with good reason, even of the supposedly ‘good’ agencies, and Meynell seeks to show a foundation and model of trust.
This book is set out in three sections. The first deals with how we have seemingly become unable to trust the decision-makers, how spin doctors and manipulation of facts have left us not knowing what ‘truth’ we can trust.
The second section focuses on life after trust is lost. It deals also with the unreliability of the past, even as we remember it – we all have selective memories! We need to f ind a way to escape the wilderness of mirrors.
The third and longer section urges us to move from trusting no one to trusting The One, as he explores a Christian model for trust and reliable community. By definition, the church is made up of all comers; sometimes this is a struggle, but it can be its biggest strength. Jesus is helpfully put forward as a model for power.
I found the first two second fascinating and thought provoking; the third less so, perhaps because it was less fresh as a concept to me. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t useful. Meynell reminds us of the true power in the brokenness of us all and the forgivingness of God that should make community and trust possible.
This book would be useful for those wanting to explore where faith meets sociology, and answers to the cries of cynicism and who can we trust.
PAM WEBSTER
The Mission of Preaching: equipping the community for faithful witness Patrick WT Johnston, IVP (2015)
Four stars
This meticulously researched book is inspired by the need to critically review the theology, purpose and practice of preaching in relation to mission in the present day. Johnson’s starting point is Newbigin’s work exploring what would be involved in ‘a genuinely missionary encounter between the gospel and Western culture’. Drawing widely upon other theological texts he explores the roles of both preacher and the Christian community in the work of mission.
