For the lives of those we give the title Saint, and other historically noteworthy Christian men and women, written by their contemporaries, their own writings and stories about them painstakingly put together by modern day writers.

Festo Kivengere (Bitesize Biographies)

by Frank Retief

Bishop Festo Kivengere was one of the greatest African Christian leaders of the 20th century. Here is a story of the man who loved Christ and loved to preach the cross. Born in 1919, he lived through and was part of the revivals that swept Uganda in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Eventually he became an Anglican bishop and an internationally known preacher.

This biography summarises the key points in Bishop Kivengere's life with many quotes from his official biography and those who were close to him. The author takes time to stand back and review his actions and is not afraid to criticise. We learn about the dangers of excess in revival. We see a man struggling to maintain balance between family life, work life and evangelism. We see a man who believed in the Keswick higher life teaching and we see the effect this has on his ministry and the church.

Bishop Kivengere also lived through the turbulent political times that Uganda experienced not the least being the wicked rule of Idi Amin. His experience helps us to understand the pressures and difficult decisions that Christian leaders have to take in such situations.

Those who have a love for the continent of Africa will find this book especially interesting.

Review by Alan Hill (03/05/13)

Paperback
Price: £6.99
Publisher: EP (Evangelical Press)
Published: December 2012
ISBN: 978-0-852-34851-2

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Travel with Jonathan Edwards

- A God centered life, an enduring legacy

by Michael Haykin with Ron Baines

This is another in the Travel with series of biographies produced by Day One. Jonathan Edwards is regarded as one of the leading theologians of the 18th century. Many of his books are still in print. But he was also a faithful pastor who witnessed true revival, a zealous missionary who took the Gospel to Native Americans, and a loving husband and father to eleven children.

The eight chapters go through his life chronologically, identifying places in the USA associated with his life. There are helpful maps and information about opening times of churches and museums.

The whole book is lavishly illustrated with hundreds of colour photos. This book is an excellent introduction to the life of Jonathan Edwards and even if you are never able to visit the sites you will learn a great deal about this important Christian.

Review by Alan Hill (03/05/13)

Paperback
Price: £10.00
Publisher: Day One Publications
Published: February 2013
ISBN: 978-1-846-25390-4

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C S Lewis: A Life

by Alister McGrath

McGrath's account of Lewis offers much that is fresh and new. It captures him in his eccentricities, abilities, strengths and perplexities! Fifty years after his death there is meaning and helpfulness in this great new biography.

A communicant in the Church of England, Lewis was playfully orthodox but not specifically evangelical in theological or spiritual emphasis. His closest lifelong friends were a homosexual Unitarian, Greeves and a traditionalist Roman Catholic, Tolkien. His formation, thought-life and legacy were accompanied by many a tankard of beer and prolific smoking. So for some legalists, Lewis is regrettably considered a heretic.

His undeniable Christological apologetic and literary imagination rooted in humanity's struggles and brilliance, are wonderfully described here. The detail, drama, depth and discretion of Lewis' marriage to Joy Davidman are some of my many unexpectedly favourite parts of this work. Edgy perspectives about Irish nuns, alcohol consumption and unresolved thinking previously undeclared, all get airtime here.

There is meaning, wisdom, beauty and much understanding made possible throughout. There is a wholeness, complexity and delight to the Lewis that we meet in this majestic work. Maverick, gutsy talent oozes from this title.

Whatever you may think of C S Lewis as a children's author or a scholar, his importance to contemporary Christianity is undeniable. The wisdom of Lewis is clear, his apologetics are searing and his fiction a powerful glimpse of another world. The thread of Jesus is clear, the talents of Lewis undeniable and an invitation to live distinctively is winsomely understated throughout.

Alistair McGrath's biography of C S Lewis is one of the most beautiful volumes ever held. Photos, research, insight and challenge are all powerfully combined. You will feel yourself to be all the more in the company of the legend. This is a memorable 400 page masterpiece.

Review by Johnny Douglas (23/04/13)

Hardback
Price: £20.00
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Published: April 2013
ISBN: 978-1-444-74552-8

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Dewi Sant - Saint David

- Patron of Wales

by J B Midgley

Barry Midgley gives us a clear and simple account, from a Catholic perspective, of the life and achievements of Saint David, Patron of Wales, who died in 589 AD (or possibly 604). After briefly discussing the nature of patriotism, which he carefully distinguishes from any kind of exaggerated nationalism, Midgley puts the life of Saint David into the context of evangelisation in Europe, and Celtic spirituality in the 5th and 6th centuries. Among other things, we read of his establishment of St Andrew's Monastery, on the site of what is now St David's Cathedral. It was only after his death that the name of the monastery was changed to Saint David's. Midgley records David's consecration as Archbishop, though comments that this may have been simply an honorary title. Nonetheless, there is no doubting the reverence with which David was viewed, a mark of which was the devotional cult that came to surround him. I sensed, on the part of Barry Midgley himself, real warmth for his subject, and his little book is informative and helpful.

Review by Barry Vendy (20/02/13)

Paperback
Price: £6.99
Publisher: Gracewing
Published: March 2012
ISBN: 978-0-852-44758-1

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John Stott: Pastor, Leader, Friend (The Didaskoo Files)

by Chris Wright

This booklet is an appreciation of the life and work of John Stott, the well-known Anglican evangelical who died in 2011. There are a dozen contributors that reflect the extensive influence that John Stott had on the evangelical scene in Britain and abroad. The common theme that comes out is of a gracious, humble man who was dedicated to teaching the word of God.

All the contributors write in fulsome praise of John Stott the man and his work with no hint of criticism. No reference is made to the controversial aspects of his doctrinal and ecumenical position that made it difficult for many non-conformist evangelicals to work with him or to heartily recommend his books.

Those who think John Stott was the one of the greatest leaders of the evangelical church in the 20th century will find much to confirm their view. Those who wish to have a more balanced view about his contribution will need to look elsewhere.

Review by Alan Hill (13/02/13)

Stapled A5 Pbk.
Price: £2.99
Publisher: Hendrickson from Alban Books
Published: September 2012
ISBN: 978-1-598-56997-1

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A Taste of Hildegard

by Elizabeth Ruth Obbard

For me Hildegard Von Bingen and Elizabeth Ruth Obbard just automatically go together - Obbard's beautifully simple line drawings of the nun-contemplative are the essential companion in my mind to the rich and beautiful complexity that is Hildegard's mysticism and works.

In this little primer A Taste of Hildegard published to celebrate Hildegard being declared a Doctor of the Church we find a selection of passages from Hildegard's short work Scivias (scivias meaning 'know the Way') that have been chosen and illustrated by Obbard. These passages demonstrate her visions and mysticism well with their focus being on salvation. There is also a short and gentle overview at the beginning of the book on Hildegard and a mention of the other women Doctors of the Church.

This really is a lovely little primer and at only £5.95 it really does make for a very accessible introduction to Hildegard, or a lovely addition to any collection for those who already have a love of her work.

Review by Melanie Carroll (28/01/13)

Paperback
Price: £5.95
Publisher: New City
Published: 13 December 2012
ISBN: 978-1-905-03917-3

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A conservative at heart? - The Political and Social Thought of John Henry Newman by Stephen Kelly
ISBN: 978-1-856-07785-9 Price: £16.99	Published: July 2012
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Matthew Henry by Philip H Eveson
ISBN: 978-0-852-34799-7 Price: £5.99	Published: 21 September 2012
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A Blueprint for Revival - Lessons from the life of John Wesley by Mark Williamson
ISBN: 978-1-850-78962-8 Price: £7.99	Published: August 2011
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John Henry Newman - Spiritual Writings by Ed. John T. Ford
ISBN: 978-1-570-75954-3 Price: £14.99	Published: June 2012
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J.I.Packer and the Evangelical Future - The Impact of His Life and Thought Edited by Timothy George
ISBN: 978-0-801-03387-2 Price: £12.99	Published: 09 September 2009
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The Beauty of Holiness - The Caroline Divines and Their Writings by Benjamin Guyer
ISBN: 978-1-848-25098-7 Price: £19.99	Published: 29 February 2012
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The Pope and I - How the Lifelong Friendship Between a Polish Jew and Pope John Paul II Advanced The Cause of Jewish-Christian Relations by Jerzy Kluger
ISBN: 978-1-570-75970-3 Price: £17.99	Published: 06 June 2012
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Mother, Sister, Daughters - Standing On Their Shoulders by Edwina Gateley & Sandra Mattucci
ISBN: 978-1-570-75950-5 Price: £12.99	Published: February 2012
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Gandhi – and the Unspeakable - His Final Experiment With Truth by James W. Douglass
ISBN: 978-1-570-75963-5 Price: £16.99	Published: March 2012
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Travel With Bishop J C Ryle - Prince of Tract Writers by Alan Munden
ISBN: 978-1-846-25327-0	Published: 2012
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God Truly Worshipped - Thomas Cranmer and His Writing Edited by Jonathan Dean
ISBN: 978-1-848-25048-2 Price: £19.99	Published: 31 March 2012
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Saints and Sinners of the Marches by Michael Tavinor with illustrations by Sandy Elliott
ISBN: 978-1-906-66361-2 Price: £20.00	Published: Spring 2012
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Fr John Fahy - Radical Republican and Agrarian Activist (1893-1969) by Jim Madden
ISBN: 978-1-856-07763-7 Price: £19.99	Published: 29 June 2012
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The Practical Mystic - Evelyn Underhill and Her Writings Edited and introduced by Raymond Chapman
ISBN: 978-1-848-25128-1 Price: £19.99	Published: 31 January 2012
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Christ Set Forth and The Heart of Christ in Heaven Towards Sinners on Earth by Thomas Goodwin
ISBN: 978-1-845-50753-4 Price: £12.99	Published: 2011
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The Heart of Christ - Puritan Paperbacks by Thomas Goodwin
ISBN: 978-1-848-71146-4 Price: £5.00	Published: 2011
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Thea's Song - The Life of Thea Bowman by Charlene Smith and John Feister
ISBN: 978-1-570-75868-3 Price: £18.99	Published: 03 March 2010
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Select Letters of John Newton Edited by Publisher
ISBN: 978-1-848-71140-2 Price: £6.00	Published: 2011
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Luther and Calvin: Religious Revolutionaries by Charlotte Methuen
ISBN: 978-0-745-95340-3 Price: £9.99	Published: 18 November 2011
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Matthew Henry - His Life and Influence by Allan Harman
ISBN: 978-1-845-50783-1 Price: £8.99	Published: Spring 2012
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Hear Me Carefully – John Blanchard by Marlene Williams
ISBN: 978-0-852-34785-0 Price: £6.99	Published: 2012
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Ian Fraser - I’ve Seen Worse Shared with Ian Cranston
ISBN: 978-0-957-09890-9 Price: £10.00(plus P&P)	Published: January 2012
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From the Library of Charles Spurgeon - Selections From Writers Who Influenced His Spiritual Journey Compiled by James Stuart Bell
ISBN: 978-0-764-20861-4 Price: £12.99	Published: 20 April 2012
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