Media Reviews
Reviewed by Revd Dr Peter Pytches John's gifts as a Christian communicator were apparent from the time we first met in 1965. His reputation as an author was established by the publication of the first edition of The Case against Christ. In that book his lucid style, literary skills and judicious mind combined to produce a popular classic. Since then he has continued to hone his skills, increase his knowledge and thought deeply. The value and usefulness of that original book has been greatly enhanced in Lord... Help My Unbelief by the inclusion of contributions from writers from other specialist fields together with many apt quotations from a wide range of other authors and broadcasters. These not only add interest for the reader but, often written from different perspectives, really do help to illuminate the points being made. Many of these are from recent works and demonstrate the width and variety of John Young's reading. There is an underlying coherence to the whole book but it is nevertheless one which can provide help for dealing with specific issues. Whilst not pretending to give comprehensive answers to complex questions, the book is suggestive as to how these may be approached and faced with integrity. The book may correctly be classified as an exercise in apologetics. However, as apologetics has not always had a positive press among Evangelicals some further comment may be appropriate. Martyn Lloyd Jones, for example, once defined apologetics as 'the belief that what we really have to do is to make the Christian faith acceptable and commendable to the men and women of today.' It needs to be clearly stated that this is not at all what John Young has in mind. His aim, as I understand it, is not to modify the Christian message in order to make it more acceptable to the modern mind, rather he wishes to do two things. First to remove some of the popular misconceptions about Christianity and the Bible which may hinder thoughtful people from embarking on any serious investigation of the truth of Christianity. Second, to demonstrate that passages in the Bible often thought to be incompatible with modern knowledge are not necessarily so, and that seemingly mutually exclusive understandings can both, legitimately, be held on the principal of complementarity. He recognises that truth can be expressed in different ways. The Cross, however, will always be a scandal to many and the interpretation of the Bible will always call for spiritual insight, scholarship and prayer. 'Addresses many major objections to the Christian faith ... a classic which we often recommend on Alpha' Nicky Gumbel '... compelling reading.' Mike Pilavachi of Soul Survivor From David Winter: John Young is an outstanding communicator of the Christian message - that is evidenced by his best-selling York Courses and by his books, as well as his gifts as a preacher and evangelist. Help My Unbelief is an easy read, but that doesn't mean that the content is simplistic. Boldly the author tackles most of the common objections to Christian faith - incredible, inconsistent, incomprehensible. There is a light touch and quite a few laughs, but underneath there is an intelligent, well-ordered presentation of the case for Christian belief. Definitely one to give to a sincere if unconvinced seeker Over his long ministry in the missioners' network York Course co-founder John Young has identified numerous witnesses and stories that serve to build Christian conviction. This revision of his best seller The Case Against Christ has new riches that were being presented in my own sermons days after completing John's book. It is a preacher's gold mine! The story of Bishop Stephen Cottrell's vocation flowing from the impact upon him of the Jesus of Nazareth film fitted Holy Week, just as the perceived appearance of an additional person on Shackleton's life-saving march fitted Eastertide. Preachers and chloroform have an affinity! Did you know the first surgeon to use the anaesthetic properties of chloroform, Sir James Young Simpson (1811-70), asked to name his greatest discovery wrote: 'It is not chloroform. My greatest discovery has been to know I am a sinner and that I could be saved by the grace of God'. John would appreciate humour in this review because he has seven 'take a break' joke pages interspersed among his 300 pages. I liked the joke about the pews that rolled to the front as they filled up, with a trap door opening under the pulpit after 15 minutes! And the little boy who finds an old leaf in a family bible and holds it up 'Mum, I think I've just found Adam's suit!' Humour apart Lord...Help My Unbelief is tackling an extremely serious matter: the fashionable culture of unbelief and how we can shake its complacency. I particularly valued the examination of the resurrection, deemed 'the heart of the matter', in Michael Ramsey's words: 'no resurrection, no Christianity'. Hans Kung's observation that no founder of a religion lived in so restricted an area or died so young is trenchant, as is John's assessment that the astonishing growth of the Christian movement is 'a big fact' requiring a sufficiently big explanation: 'Resurrection is exactly the right size'. Among the many contemporary witnesses to Christian truth quoted are: BBC's John Simpson, aided by his Anglican faith to come to terms with a colleague's death in a war zone; Francis Collins, former Head of the Human Genome Project, who sees 'no conflict in being a rigorous scientist and a person who believes in a God who takes a personal interest in each one of us' and Eglantyne Jebb whose encounter with God in Christ spurred a quest for social justice so that Save the Children grew out of her work for starving children. John Polkinghorne writes a chapter with a critique of Richard Dawkins 'The God Delusion' noting Dawkins' striking admission that 'we, alone on Earth, can rebel against the selfish replicators'. His inference that we should so rebel witnesses a deeper power at work than his 'selfish gene' and links to an altruism championed by religion. As said elsewhere in the book, a scientific explanation of the world does not disprove that of religion, 'to suggest that it does is like arguing that the scientific explanation for a boiling kettle proves that no one wants a cup of tea! The two explanations are complementary. They stand side by side and fit together'. This book is a great apologetics' resource with potential to engage enquirers and lift Christians off their back foot even if, as it says in conclusion, 'Christianity isn't an intellectual puzzle to be solved. It is a relationship to be enjoyed and a way of life to be embraced'. Reviewed by The Revd Dr John Twisleton, St Giles, Horsted Keynes - 5 April 2012 Once again John Young has succeeded in combining a transparent faith, spirituality and earthed theology. What is more is that he has done so having obviously listened carefully to the voices of vague belief, half belief and unbelief. He presents us with a tour de force, surrounding his own presentation with a gallery of famous people's quotations. The lightness of touch, humour, and helpful subtitles make it all very accessible. A book to read, keep on the shelves and one to give friends. The Rt Revd Martin Wallace, The Bishop of Selby
FREE UK DELIVERY 
Global shipping from £2.99
FREE UK DELIVERY
30 Day Refund Guarantee
