by Wilfrid J. Harrington OP

Father Harrington re-evaluates the traditional notion that the God of the Old Testament is 'a forbidding figure'...'wrathful'; rather He is 'a suffering God', who is infinitely merciful, forbearing and, above all, loving (p.9.).
Six chapters, each divided into clear sections, look at 'Holy Mystery', 'The Holy One of Israel', 'Justice', 'Mercy', 'Love' and 'God With Us'. Then follow a short reflection on 'Father - Son - Spirit' and an 'Epilogue. Revelation - Alpha and Omega'. The 'Notes' are excellent reading in themselves (e.g. on forgiveness, pp.87 - 88) and contain a bibliography.
We are invited to allow God to be God as God Is -not as we may have been led to know Him, or have made Him conform to our ideas. Getting to know You would be an appropriate sub-text; so, for example, the Biblical phrase, 'the wrath of God' is carefully and sympathetically explained in two places. Unless there is a 'cold-bloodied rejection of a Parent who is sheer Love', Fr Harrington believes that everyone will be saved (p. 59).
The author writes with an easy and authoritative style; one can meditate as one goes along. This would be a suitable retreat resource.
This is an excellent, consoling and corrective reflection so that we may know and understand better Jesus, in whom 'the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.' (Col:1:19).

Review by J.Nicholas Latham (04/05/12)

Paperback
Price: £8.50
Publisher: Columba Press
Published: 16 January 2012
ISBN: 978-1-856-07744-6

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The Good God

- Enjoying Father, Son & Spirit

by Michael Reeves

All of us are called to share and show Jesus to others; whatever else we may do we are Gods ambassadors. A vital question, then, is which God do we present?
Mike Reeves introduces the reader to a loving, giving, overflowing, relational God. With a light and accessible touch, Mike shares a profound taster of just how good God is. Some books on the Trinity can come across as a technical manual of heresies to avoid with little pulsing heart:- thankfully The Good God is not such a book.
Energy, heart, insight and biblical faithfulness is brought to us by someone who clearly loves God and whose theology reads and beats as worship. Mike deconstructs falsehood, fears and fallacies in the nurture of gospel confidence for us. He wrestles with long-held myths about the Trinity, its interface with the moving compassion of the gospel, and resulting deep joy for the believer. In reading this you will find your view of God enlarged and beautified.
Mike’s biblical rootedness throughout doesn’t come across as defensive, but stirs the reader to a renewed Bible commitment. It's a dynamic and punchy title: singularly the best accessible read on the Trinity in the marketplace today! Faithful and fresh!

Review by Johnny Douglas (04/05/12)

Paperback
Price: £9.99
Publisher: Paternoster Press imprint of Authentic Media
Published: April 2012
ISBN: 978-1-842-27744-7

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The Jesus Scandals

- Why He Shocked His Contemporaries (And Still Shocks Today)

by David Instone-Brewer

I doubt that I would have picked this book off the bookshelf having merely glanced at its title. My first impression would have been, ‘Oh no, not another in the ‘let’s discredit Christianity’ genre’. How wrong can one be!
The author’s credentials are impeccable. The Revd Dr David Instone-Brewer is a Baptist Minister and renowned academic. He is currently Senior Research Fellow in Rabbinics and the New Testament at Tyndale House in Cambridge. His personal presuppositions are that Jesus is who he claimed to be in the Gospels and that these accounts represent what actually happened.
He sets out his ‘raison d’etre’ for this book as follows; ‘Scandals are our best guarantee of historical truths in the Gospels. When disgraceful, embarrassing and shocking details about Jesus are recorded by his friends and supporters, it is much harder to disbelieve them.’
In highlighting Jesus’ counter-cultural ethics and the scandals associated with him in the eyes of his contemporaries Revd Instone-Brewer convincingly demonstrates the unlikelihood of their inclusion in the Gospels were they false. In so doing he makes an excellent case for the veracity of the Gospels.
The lively and accessible style is enjoyable whilst remaining scholarly and authentic. Parallels are drawn with our own society which will engage a wide range of readers. Thought provoking, illuminating and challenging, this book is not for the faint hearted and may well shock you out of your comfort zone. However, it will also remind you all too clearly of our calling as Christians.
Offering well informed contextualisation the author demonstrates how truly shocking Jesus’ teaching and ministry were to the people of his day. Through a better understanding of the historical perspective and culture the reader is led to a greater awareness of the emphasis of Jesus’ teaching and the impact it had.
The individual chapters are designed to be self-contained and short enough to be read in a coffee break or used as the basis for a short talk. In addition to its benefits to the individual reader, I believe this book would offer an excellent resource in nurture groups for those wishing to deepen their understanding of Jesus and the Christian faith.
This is one of those books to which I shall return often, finding it applicable to many different contexts and no doubt offering it to family, friends and congregations as a stimulus to their own walk of faith.

Review by Chris Low (24/04/12)

Paperback
Price: £7.99
Publisher: Monarch imprint of Lion Hudson
Published: 17 February 2012
ISBN: 978-0-857-21023-4

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The Wigglesworth Standard

- The Standard for God's End-time Army

by Peter J. Madden

Everything about this book is insipired by the Holy Spirit. P.J. Madden's desire is to give the christian a viable way to join 'God's End-time Army.' In fact, Madden claims that he felt impressed to write this book, with unpublished material, but when he made no headway, he abandoned the project. He lives in Australia, and when he made a trip to the Home of Peace, an old missionary home, in Oakland, CA, he found thirty-seven messages of Wigglesworth's.
Each of the six chapters begins with a story from Wigglesworth's life that illustrates the sermon to follow actually lived out. The wonderful thing about this book is that its focus is not to teach more about Wigglesworth's life, but to teach the reader to walk closer to Christ.
Madden does this by following each of the sermons with five or six life keys. He picks out the meat of the sermons and expounds upon them using Wigglesworth's life, previous sermons in the book, the word of God, and just plain writing what the Spirit placed inside of him.
This book WILL help you walk closer to the Lord if you prayerfully read it with an open heart.

Review by publisher

Paperback
Price: £14.99
Publisher: Whitaker House Books from TMD
Published: 2000
ISBN: 978-0-883-68612-6

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Transforming Power of the Gospel

by Jerry Bridges

Revisiting what we believe and why is vital to nurturing other streams of living water from which our soul can flourish. Jerry Bridges is a wise sage and companion guide in this gospel tour-de-force! This doesn't necessarily offer anything new in content but is always needful knowing!
Bridges is content to explore the gospel and its manifold implications by walking around it slowly, as it were, like one would a priceless, multi-faceted diamond on display in a museum, then simply describing it in everyday language. Sin, sanctification and the Saviour are all treated thoroughly for our encouragement and health in God. Great for refreshment or for those who are new to the faith....Beautiful, wise and stretching!

Review by Johnny Douglas (14/04/12)

Hardback
Price: £11.99
Publisher: Nav Press from IVP
Published: Spring 2012
ISBN: 978-1-617-47922-9

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Church Actually

- Rediscovering the Brilliance of God’s Plan

by Gerard Kelly

Gerard Kelly creates powerful, compelling pictures of God’s heartbeat for church. This title will undoubtedly gain great uptake through Spring Harvest circulation, and rightly so. It's singularly the freshest read on church in the market right now. The colour and vitality that it repaints for the often grey-palette experience that church life can evoke, is radical and precious. It has a rich usefulness as a reader, resource book and-or guide for small group usage. It is well researched, moving and brilliantly written.
Kelly's poetic-theology will invite you into the dance of God’s Holy Spirit. Fresh and beautiful in its invitation into the life of God. Bright, vibrant and powerful. Top class!

Review by Johnny Douglas (14/04/12)

Paperback
Price: £7.99
Publisher: Monarch imprint of Lion Hudson
Published: March 2012
ISBN: 978-0-857-21231-3

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Great is the Mystery of Faith by Paul Ferguson
ISBN: 978-1-848-25055-0 Price: £12.99	Published: 31 January 2011
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The Josiah Generation - New Dawn, New Rules, New Rulers by Olly Goldenberg
ISBN: 978-1-908-39302-9 Price: £7.99	Published: 07 June 2011
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Knowing Jesus - SPCK Classics by James Allison
ISBN: 978-0-281-06503-5 Price: £9.99	Published: March 2012
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The Name - A Journey Through the Names and Character of God by Stuart Bell
ISBN: 978-1-908-39310-4 Price: £7.99	Published: 06 September 2011
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The Blueprints of Heaven - Seeing Heaven Revealed on Earth by Trevor Baker
ISBN: 978-1-908-39312-8 Price: £6.99	Published: November 2011
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What the Bible Says About Healing and Prosperity by Ed Harding
ISBN: 978-1-905-99171-6 Price: £4.99	Published: November 2011
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Erasing Hell - What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We Made Up by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle
ISBN: 978-0-781-40725-0 Price: £9.99	Published: July 2011
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How Can it Be All Right When Everything Is All Wrong? - The Book That Changed My Life by Lewis B. Smedes by Rob Parsons
ISBN: 978-1-850-78999-4 Price: £8.99	Published: November 2011
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Meet Jesus - A Call to Adventure by John Twisleton
ISBN: 978-1-841-01895-9 Price: £7.99	Published: January 2012
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With - Reimagining the Way You Relate to God by Skye Jethani
ISBN: 978-1-595-55379-9 Price: £9.99	Published: 23 August 2012
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Why? - Making Sense of God’s Will by Adam Hamilton
ISBN: 978-1-426-71478-8 Price: £6.99	Published: June 2011
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The (Other) F-Word - Faith, the Last Taboo by Steve Maltz
ISBN: 978-0-956-22963-2 Price: £5.00	Published: Spring 2011
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Christianity Made Simple - All You Need to Get Started by John Young
ISBN: 978-1-444-12348-7 Price: £5.99	Published: 2011
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A Disruptive Faith - Expect God to Interrupt Your Life by A.W.Tozer, compiled and edited by James L. Snyder
ISBN: 978-0-830-75761-9 Price: £9.99	Published: 05 May 2011
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