Truth – Book reviews
A selection of books on the theme of truth.
Why Trust the Bible? Answers to 10 tough questions
Amy Orr-Ewing
Inter-Varsity Press (2005) £8.99, Revelation price £7.00
Challenged by her friends and later as a student by theological staff, Amy Orr-Ewing was determined to leave no stone unturned in her eagerness to prove that the Bible was unique and reliable. This passion drove her to complete an in-depth study of the answers to ten of the most frequently raised objections she encountered: Isn’t it all a matter of interpretation? Can we know anything about history? Are the Biblical manuscripts reliable? What about the canon? What about the other holy books? Isn’t the Bible sexist? What about all the wars? Isn’t the Bible out of date with sex? How can I know?
The author sensitively yet convincingly addresses these arguments in her book, which has been reprinted five times.
The Bible Unfiltered: Approaching scripture on its own terms
Michael S Heiser
Lexham Press 2017 £12.99, Revelation price £10.99
Dr Michael Heiser, an expert in the ancient Near East and author of the best-selling The Unseen Realm explores the most unusual and interesting, and least understood parts of the Bible, offering insights that should inspire, inform and surprise the reader.
Dr Heiser helps to remind the church of the supernatural worldview of the Bible. There are three sections: interpreting the Bible responsibly; the Old Testament; and the New Testament. The author’s methods and expertise are applied to 60 different topics such as: how to (mis)interpret prophecy, salvation in Old Testament Israel and Mark’s use of Isaiah.
Speaking the Truth: Preaching in a diverse culture
Samuel Wells
Canterbury Press (2018) £17.99, Revelation price £15.00
“Truth” is a difficult subject in a pluralistic culture. Claims to “the truth” make it more challenging still.
Yet the Christian preacher’s call is to speak the truth of God in Jesus Christ. Within Speaking the Truth Sam Wells considers the truth about God, faith, the Bible, discipleship, resurrection, salvation, politics and even truth itself can be spoken faithfully. In an unpretentious yet lucid manner, the author explores the ways in which preachers can make it heard, and how words and ideas can be transformed into actions and relationships that allow the truth of Jesus Christ to be communicated to a persistently cynical and untrusting world.
Pilate: The biography of an invented man
Ann Wroe
Vintage (2000) £12.99, Revelation price £11.99
Although very little is known for certain about Pontius Pilate, the man who allowed Christ to be crucified, this has not prevented writers in every age from imagining his life. In this extraordinary book Ann Wroe recounts the lives of all our Pilates; among them the glittering medieval tyrant, devoted to gambling and avoiding the law, and the wriggling modern pragmatist, whose dilemma over Jesus has been described by Tony Blair as “a timeless parable of political life”.
This is the story of the man Pilate might have been and the man who mirrors us. The author shows how in his struggles with fate and free will, Pilate’s story has also become the story of the reader.
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The whole truth?
"Whose truth, whose lies?" is the title of an album by blues singer Douglas Macleod. During almost 50 years in the law as a practitioner, coroner and tribunal judge, William Armstrong has been engaged in seeking the truth, but whose truth? What truth?
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The truth of the matter: build wells
Anna Walker and Rihanna Cracknell explore some common myths around attracting and keeping young people in our churches.
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What is truth?
Pilate's famous question is the focus of Susanna Gunner's Soul Space article from the current issue of The Magazine.
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Battling fake news – upholding truth in the media
In an age of "fake news", the role of trusted journalism is more crucial than ever. Ian Clarke looks at the challenges of being a Christian in the media.
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And the truth will set you free
Philip Bell from King's Lynn tells the story of his journey from homelessness to hope.
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A poet’s approach to gospel truth
Poet-priest Malcom Guite invites us to take a poet's perspective to Biblical truth.
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The test of truth
A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes
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