soul survivor

soul survivor, by philip yancey

this is not my first review of a philip yancey book, and i have to say that they are all pretty solid. but the two i have reviewed on intraspace so far - the jesus i never knew and this one - would have to be my favourites.

i would seriously recommend this book to anyone who was jaded with christianity or anyone who thought they knew what christianity was about but hasn't gone in for it.

the book is subtitled "how my christianity survived the church" but that isn't really the theme of the book. instead yancey writes about the people who influenced his life and saved his faith (he started out life as a racist fundamentalist in the southern states) - everyone from martin luther king to dostoevsky. he writes a chapter on each of 12 different people.

yeah, so that's about the sum. i found it pretty absorbing and definitely want to check out more about some of the people he talks about. highly recommended.

on the headphones: 'anyway' by telepopmusik, from the album 'angel milk'.

the jesus i never knew

the jesus i never knew, by philip yancey

this is a book i've been meaning to read for ages (probably nearly 10 years). at christmas i grabbed it off mum's bookshelf.

i'm glad i did - i'd put this book in the top 10 christian books i've ever read. yancey sets out to view jesus objectively, using the gospels themselves as his only source of information. weighed down by the baggage of a christian upbringing, this is a necessary quest but also a difficult one. how do you rid yourself of pre-conceptions?

in the event, yancey succeeds. he not only made fresh discoveries himself but succeeds in conveying these to the reader, meaning that i, too, got a fresh perspective on this revolutionary figure and saviour, jesus christ.

from a literary perspective, i believe that yancey is probably the best writer that the christian world has to offer in this genre at present. he has always utilised an excellent writing style that incorporates a wide range of quotes from, at times, difficult sources. but he communicates everything in a way that doesn't alienate the reader and holds your attention.

highly recommended.

on the headphones: 'waltz' by craig armstrong, from the album 'as if to nothing'. http://www.craigarmstrong.com/