Philippians for today

From behind bars

PHILIPPIANS FOR TODAY
By Gerard Chrispin
Day One. 347 pages. £10.00
ISBN1 84625 000 5

Not another commentary on Philippians, I hear you groan! My own bookshelves already bend under the combined weight of the published material available for this letter from prison.

And yet this book, written by a man who spends a lot of time in prison ( as a Chaplain for Day One Prison Ministries!) about a man (Paul the apostle) whose life was marked by prison experiences as he suffered for the gospel of Christ, has a certain authenticity about it.

None of your ivory tower academic detachment here, rather a no-nonsense verse-by-verse approach. Mind you, it lacks nothing in terms of a commitment to the text and a clear doctrinal framework in which the many illustrations and quotations accompany the reader along the well-trodden paths of this favourite New Testament letter.

There’s just enough rigour to keep a Bible student happy and just enough real-world reference to keep the rest of us engaged. A particularly good idea is the Check Out section at the end which supplies questions for individual or group study.

I guess the real merit of this work is maybe in its flexibility as a tool for personal use or a study guide for small group discussion. Used alongside a meatier commentary the preacher will be helped; used alongside a Bible, all Christians will benefit.

Peter Baker,
Senior Minister, Highfields Church, Cardiff

© Evangelicals Now - September 2005
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• Harry Sutton, 1922-2005
  Obituary
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