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 PrintableVersion Seriously RichCriminalSERIOUSLY RICH From crime to Christ! Richard Pidgley, an AOG minister, tracks his life from underprivileged childhood, through predictable teenage experimentation with sin and petty crime graduating to burglaries, to life in prison. There he trusts Christ through a Gideon Bible, starts witnessing, and describes pre- and post-release experiences. This book divides into 'BC' and 'AD'! Little appears about God for 143 pages. Then it relates his conversion and beyond. Although readably written, and flavoured with humour, this is not a book 'I could not put down'. It was easy to pick up again! Pidgley's conversion account and changed lifestyle immediately interweave with biblical teaching about their importance and validity. His post-conversion experiences also interweave with Pentecostal teaching about 'baptism in the Holy Spirit', tongues and healing. Others may see this from a different biblical perspective. The book's substantive strengths are: a clear account of his coming to Christ; an emphasis on daily Bible reading and personal prayer, on seeking regular fellowship with Christians and on joining a Bible-believing church; a passion to evangelise at personal cost; and the insistence on repentance and obedience. The last two chapters respectively summarise the gospel and advise on Christian growth. Downside? Excessive early detail about sin, sensuality and the occult? Although not the author's aim, could unhelpful mental pictures be imposed on more 'innocent' readers? Additionally, could his post-conversion experience teaching be mistakenly thought by non-Christian readers to be a part of the gospel, despite his 'unfettered' penultimate chapter? These factors might limit the book's use by some Christians. Gerard Chrispin,
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