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Saved by God by Dave Bull. Published by Crossbridge books, pp124 ISBN 9780954970840 £5.00
When I was given this book to review I was immediately drawn to the mention of Jim Furley-Smith, an elder from Putney URC who had cared and guided the author when he was a young man, as I had the same experience of Jim’s care and guidance when I was a student minister.
‘Saved by God’ is the first of a trilogy; the others will be ‘Given by God’ relating to the Bible and ‘Heard by God’ about prayer. It is a short book, about 100 pages, divided into twelve ‘sections’, as the author calls them. His aim is to show how God has saved the reader and that a response is needed. Its content is ambitious as he begins with ‘What is man?’ and then takes the reader through some of the major themes of the Bible in relation to salvation.
Due to the brevity of the book, these themes cannot be fully explored, but are presented as an overview. The writer says that the book is aimed mainly at the serious enquirer and mentions its suitability as a post Alpha course read. My feeling is that the style, content and vocabulary would probably appeal especially to an older enquirer and one who is searching for definite answers.
Dave Bull writes from an evangelical perspective, but some of his comments would be queried even by those of that theological persuasion (myself included). To his credit he tries to write in an engaging way always trying to link theology with our own lives, for example likening our own inner self to the different courts of the temple. It is really a ‘sermon in your pocket’ as each section reads as if he is preaching it. This will appeal to some, but not others. If I’m honest I think that before offering it to enquirers my advice would be to read it yourself first to see if you think that it would suit them and help them.
AW
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