'Has God Really Finished With Israel?' by Mark Dunman (New Wine Press, 2013, 187 pages, available from the publisher for £9.99, or from the author's website for £9. Save £2 when you buy with 'The Return of Jesus Christ').

Mark Dunman's first book is intended for Christians who want to know more about Israel and what the scriptures have to say on the subject. The spur to write this book was "born of a desire to encourage Christians to recognise God's prophetic return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel and to alert the Church at large to the need to pray for Israel, the Jewish people, the Palestinians and the whole complex situation in the Middle East" (p9).

This call to pray for Israel and the Middle East is the theme of the final chapter and provides a crucial finale to a book packed with information and insight into this vital topic. God is calling us to partner with him in achieving his purposes on earth - something we can do with much more conviction after reading this book. It is no surprise to discover that the author leads such a prayer group.

Industrious Research, Intelligent Reflection

As a first book it is an exceptional effort based upon industrious research and intelligent reflection. The author has spent many years listening and learning, including time spent in Israel and with Palestinian Christians in the West Bank. He displays a great talent to absorb and then share. Here you will find solid facts, common sense and Spirit-led clarity. His writing is detailed yet not crowded or verbose. As a retired science teacher he is gifted communicator, well used to presenting the evidence for his beliefs, which he does brilliantly.

God is calling us to partner with him in achieving his purposes – something we can do with much more conviction after reading this book.

The author has been willing to examine political perspectives from all sides but ultimately believes that God's word overrides all men's ideas and that God's purpose is paramount. For instance, he sets out to show that "the current return of the Jews to the Holy Land is a fulfilment of Old Testament biblical prophecy and furthermore that in doing this God is honouring his Covenant to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" (p39).

Theological Coverage

Two early chapters are devoted to providing some Old Testament background, namely Israel's two exiles - familiar to those who are Biblically literate but a useful summary nevertheless. The next chapter helpfully explains various ways to understand the Bible, in particular how literal and symbolic interpretations differ. The author also analyses the varied opinions and approaches of other well-known Bible teachers (names are given), distinguishing between those who are Christian Zionists and those who are Covenantalists. This is a helpful critique for those wishing to read more widely about Israel in God's purposes.

The author is very clear that Replacement Theology is fundamentally wrong, calling it "an unwarranted interpretation of what the Old Testament actually says about Israel and the Jews" and declaring that "a principal purpose of this book is to demonstrate this" (p10). This he achieves in a chapter which explores its origins and consequences. The next chapter follows this up with a discussion of Palestinian liberation theology, a topic which may be less familiar to many readers. This balance and integrity is typical of the book as a whole.

Here you will find solid facts, common sense and Spirit-led clarity – Dunman is a gifted communicator whose writing is detailed yet not crowded or verbose.

Supporting Resources

Each chapter has excellent endnotes, indicating the amount of research the author has faithfully undertaken over the years and also providing a useful source for further study by his readers.

As for appendices, bibliography, glossary and indices (both Scripture and general), these do exist but not in the book! Instead they can be found on his website. This is an interesting idea with the intention of keeping the book to a reasonable length and price, but it is inconvenient for the reader - it is noticeable that this experiment was not repeated in the author's second book.

Nevertheless, the website is easy to use and worth looking at to get a feel for the book. As the author explains, the website is intended as a continuation of the book. It also provides a means of buying the book, with a special deal for buying both his books together.