Tackling today’s tough questions

John Woods reviews God's Book by Andrew Ollerton.

Andrew Ollerton skilfully tackles what he calls the Bible’s seven toughest topics.

They are: Creation: Can we take Genesis seriously in a scientific age? Exodus: What about strange laws and customs, including slavery? Conquest: Does God condone warfare and violence? Exile: Why does God condone warfare and suffering? Gospels: Do miracles and exorcisms really happen? Letters: Is the New Testament’s teaching on sex outdated? Revelation: What about judgement, hell and the afterlife?

These, argues the author, are the questions that are most pertinent for the church in Britain at the present time. The questions are answered in the order in which they arise in the narrative of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. The book is almost like taking a car journey through Scripture and slowing down at the speed bumps we encounter on the way.

Each question is dealt with in a series of bite-sized chapters that are designed to be read in ten minutes. Each of these chapters concludes with a suggested Scripture reading and a question for reflection.

I appreciated the way that the author tackles complex subjects in a clear and simple way that avoids being simplistic. He is honest about the difficulties Christians have in dealing with some of these tough topics. For example, in the chapter on creation he deals with what he calls touch points and tension points.

The touch points are those areas where there are clear connections and coherence between Scripture and science. These include the fine tuning of the universe, and the argument that Scripture and science answer different questions: science is occupied by the question “How?”; Scripture by the question “Why?” Ollerton suggests that this helps us to see the creation story as setting up the grand narrative of Scripture that we inhabit as believers.

The tension points, which relate to the areas where Scripture and science experience more friction are the age of the earth and human origins.

The various options are laid out for both tension points before landing on a way forward. Not every evangelical Christian will approve of all his conclusions but will appreciate his desire to view the creation story through the lens of a personal creator.

Each main section concludes with a personal letter written to one of the author’s children, that sums up the argument made in that section. These letters are a brilliant distillation of the author’s argument written in a conversation narrative style that is accessible to young and old alike. I guess that every communicator would benefit from the discipline of expressing their arguments in a concise letter form.

This book is a helpful primer for thinking about these key apologetic questions. Each main section includes suggestions for exploring the topic further, and includes books at both introductory and advanced levels. God’s Book will be useful for private study but would also make a good foundation for a sermon series or small group studies.

You can read John's interview with Andrew Ollerton here.

GOD’S BOOK:
An Honest Look at the Bible’s 7 Toughest Topics
By Andrew Ollerton
Hodder & Stoughton. 352 pages. £16.99
ISBN 978 1 399 806 459