For the disengaged

GATEWAYS TO GOD
Seeking Spiritual Depth in a Post-Modern World
By Pete Lowman. Christian Focus. 302 pages. £7.99
ISBN 1 85792 657 9

Pete Lowman wants to lead us towards spiritual depth, beyond the shallows of immaturity and superficiality.

He wants us to go on with God by grasping the spiritual riches to be found in the Word of God. His ambition is for us to explore the length and breadth of the Scriptures in a way that will not only inform our minds but engage our emotions and direct our lives. And this book is written to help us do just that.

Each chapter gives us a guided tour of one book of the New Testament - Ephesians, 2 Corinthians, Mark, 1 Peter, 1 John, Revelation, and Romans 6-8. The themes are unpacked, the main issues are explained, developed and applied to our contemporary situation. Throughout we are encouraged to ponder the message so that our study will lead us to practical application, and to worship.

The target audience seems to be the Christian who is not yet engaged in serious Bible study. The author wants to help them get started in deeper and more disciplined study. He teaches and exemplifies Word-based spirituality. There is much good material in this book, and we can only hope that it will succeed in its purpose.

Sadly, the book is not helped by its cover. A more uninspiring design is difficult to imagine, and one would think that the chances of someone who is not already committed to serious reading and study picking it up and buying it are almost zero. However, we might yet hope that some will read it, and if they do they will be edified by a fresh overview of the message of the New Testament and how it relates to life in our postmodern world. More than that, we might share the author's ambition that many will have their appetites whetted to move on to the Old Testament and further riches of the Word.

Bill James, Leamington Spa