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We offer here a selection of short reviews of Christian books that we thought might interest our readers this summer. We will add additional reviews to the list in coming days…..
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Israel in the Biblical Worldview by Perry Trotter
This is an excellent book which aims to place Israel correctly within the biblical worldview. The author admits it takes mental discipline to develop such a view within a deeply hostile culture and a Church that increasingly submits to that culture rather than to scripture.
The mainstream media, along with centuries of aberrant Christian theology, make this even more difficult.
As expected, there is much on replacement theology, which is clearly defined, as are the many euphemisms which try to sidestep the main point but which all ultimately deny the literal fulfilment of scripture’s numerous plainly stated declarations concerning Israel’s restoration and national redemption.
Part 2 expands on this theme and is largely a survey of how replacement theologians argue their case, their key assumptions, concepts and strategies. The author ably demonstrates the contortions such proponents need to make in order to deny a biblical view of the role of Israel and the Jewish people.
Trotter also explains the role of systematic theologies in promoting false ideas about Israel. As a tool for organising biblical data such theologies may be helpful, but they can shift authority from scripture to a man-made system and so become deeply misleading. Once established, such theological systems take on a life of their own, allowing proponents to make further presumptions and to place human ideas ahead of the Word.
The author admits he has left much unsaid; in particular, details of eschatology and geopolitics, such as the legality of Israel’s founding and who is really responsible for the sad plight of many Palestinians.
The book contains three useful appendices and a large number of footnotes (600 in total) to back up the points made in the main text, which is simply written and easy to read.
Overall, this is a useful book to pass on to others still unclear about the role of Israel within the biblical narrative.
Israel in the Biblical Worldview is available from Amazon for £8.09 inc p&p
Review by Paul Luckraft
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The Robot Will See You Now (Ed. John Wyatt & Stephen N Williams)
The Robot Will See You Now is a wide-ranging collection of essays by various experts, all on the theme of Artificial Intelligence and the Christian faith. Like all such collections, it is likely that for most readers some of the topics covered will be more interesting than others. 
But, overall, there are arresting insights into the role of AI in areas such as health care, employment, warfare, security and the arts. At the same time, the writers delve into the cultural and theological issues involved and discuss how we can, and should, prepare for both the opportunities and the challenges ahead.
Part of the discussion involves what it means to be human in a world of intelligent machines, with all the attendant matters of consciousness and morality, as well as our future as a species. Some argue that we are about to break out of our biological and intellectual limitations into a new order of humanity which it is our destiny to embrace.
For Christians this needs a carefully considered response based upon what it is to be a person made in the image of God. There are not just consequences for our relationship to God, but also to each other, as well as to these new technologies.
In one illuminating chapter the author considers the Amish community who have always been particularly sensitive to new developments in technology, accepting some while rejecting others, especially those which diminish human relationships or augment human pride and self-importance. While their approach is rather extreme at times, the questions the Amish ask of a new technology are not unreasonable and should be considered by us all.
If the chapters in this volume cover a very wide spectrum of areas of human life, this is simply because all these areas are being transformed by the widespread impact of machine learning. Overall, the editors regard the book as a contribution to the ongoing debate and discussions concerning the meaning and application of AI and robotics.
If you are interested in this subject, then also to be recommended is the international bestseller The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman. Subtitled AI, Power and the 21st Century’s Greatest Dilemma, this is not written by a Christian but by someone who has been involved in the development of AI over many decades and has decided it is now time to share his deep concerns, especially over the issue of containment, or rather, our inability to maintain sufficient control over the powerful technologies we have now created.
The Robot Will See You Now is available from Amazon for £12.38 inc p&p.
Review by Paul Luckraft
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Love Beyond by Heidi Baumgartner
After Jesus came into the room of an unnamed Jewish woman working in London’s notorious Red-Light district, she walked away from the job.
It happened during the visit of a Christian evangelist, Heidi Baumgartner, and her co-worker, who both felt the presence of Jesus without seeing him, not realising that their friend had also been affected.
Heidi was so overwhelmed that she and her colleague left the premises, feeling helpless and unable to say or do anything.
But when she later returned to the flat, she was told her friend was no longer working there. So she tracked her down and kept up their relationship. She never thought to mention what she had experienced that day in the flat until years later, over a cup of coffee, when her friend replied: “Yes, I know. Jesus came into the room, and that’s the reason why I never went back to work!”
This extraordinary incident is among many highlights of Heidi’s calling to reach out with the love of Jesus to sex workers in Soho, sensitively and beautifully told in her book.
A former sex worker herself, originally from Switzerland, Heidi found peace and freedom through a personal encounter with Jesus and has been working in Soho for 30 years.
Supported by the City Gates Church, part of the Ichtus Christian Fellowship network, she has been welcomed by many who have earned their living through selling their bodies. And though some have responded to Jesus’ love by following him to a more fulfilling life, Heidi doesn’t see them as ‘scalps’ to be counted. She aims instead to show God’s love through friendship and acts of kindness, allowing the seeds of gospel truth to do its own work.
This is a wonderful account of God’s faithfulness, of the importance of listening to his voice and of sticking to the calling he has placed on our lives. It’s proof indeed that God loves each and every one of us with a passion, and that nothing is impossible with him.
Appearing to a prostitute in a modern Western city, just as he did to such women 2,000 years earlier, perfectly reveals the relevance and all-surpassing efficacy of the gospel today.
This is a profoundly moving testimony to the truth of the gospel of grace. It was hard to put down and I was greatly inspired by Heidi’s humble, honest approach, and of her obviously deep insight gained from a near-lifetime of hearing from the Holy Spirit.
Love Beyond is available from Amazon for £6.00 (inc p&p)
Review by Charles Gardner
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Body by Design by Alan L Gillen
This is an excellent book for those who want to learn more about how they are fearfully and wonderfully made. 
It defines basic anatomy and physiology in each of the eleven body systems from a creational viewpoint. Here we find a thorough but relatively simple exploration of the wonder and beauty of the human body, giving evidence for creation and exposing faulty evolutionist reasoning.
There are plenty of tables, graphs, diagrams and illustrations to bring clarity to the points being made, and questions at the end of each chapter to challenge the reader to think through what has been presented.
There are many features covered in this book besides the basic functions and features of the human body. For instance, examples of disease in each of the body systems are explored from a clinical and/or creation perspective. There is also an explanation of the historical Reformation viewpoint of anatomy and physiology. Further, there is a focus on aging theory which asks, ‘why does the body wear out?’ – something for us all to think about.
This book could also be useful as a textbook for secondary school students to go alongside other books in their biology classes, but it will keep adults fascinated for hours as well.
The book has a glossary and index, as well as a section on further reading and references.
Dr Alan Gillen is a biologist and zoologist with over four decades of teaching experience. He is presently Professor of Biology at Liberty University. In his own words he has attempted to show the interwoven patterns in our bodies which point to intelligent causation. He adds “I trust you will see the pattern the Creator is weaving in your life and that you will also conclude that the human body was wondrously made as the Psalmist did.”
Body by Design is available from Amazon) There is also a sneak peek via this link.
Review by Paul Luckraft
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Now Everything Changes by Steve Maltz
In Britain we have seen astonishing and visceral hatred directed against Jews post October 7th. This is something we would never have expected to see in our lifetimes.
Steve Maltz's new book addresses this huge issue in an intelligent, informed, and non-academic way. This is a novella (short novel). It's back cover blurb asks, ‘will the world ever be the same again’?
One gets the sense there's a lot of the author’s personal experience wrapped in the storyline, which is believable insofar that it asks and answers a number of awkward questions that are on the minds of most thoughtful people. Why are people so worked up about Gaza when they care absolutely nothing for ongoing much bigger situations of violence and injustice? Why are Jews so hated?
The book’s key character, Derek Courtney, is not especially worldly-wise, and not especially ‘political’, yet he asks basic questions that many people are asking today. And questions that many more people ought to be asking!
Derek embarks on a journey of discovery, seeking to understand the world's great hatred of Israel and the Jews. He meets anti-Israel protesters, and also Jewish folk. With his wife alongside, he determines to follow the evidence - wherever it may lead.
In Part 2, Maltz explores all this stuff in a more forensic way, yet still in an accessible and easy to read style. The book hits the mark as a literary exercise, yet it also has a mission to inform and challenge. It helps readers dig a little deeper, throwing up both questions and helpful answers.
People who see what is going on and feel that they do not properly understand what is happening, will find this book a useful anchor point. It will give them some basic background, and the tools to search out further what is true, and what is false. This book is not particularly aimed at a Christian readership; rather, it is aimed at a general readership who are uncomfortable with the world's trajectory and feel that they must know more, before it is too late.
I must confess that I do not particularly like novels or imaginary stories, yet I enjoyed this book. It is a worthwhile, informative and thought-provoking read, and certainly a book to give away to sensible people asking sensible questions.
Now Everything Changes can be purchased here (£10, £5 on Kindle)
Review by Peter Sammons
