|
|
|
july 2008 Café cultureStuart Dew digs for revelation at a mixed but modest authors' coffee morning
What is the collective term for a gathering of Christian authors? I was squeezed into a small room on a hot day, as they took turns to talk about their work. A pride, perhaps? No, not a pride, for although some may have felt a twinge of envy as others garnered gentle applause, modesty seemed to discourage oversell.
The occasion was billed as an “author café” at this year’s Christian Resources Exhibition, at Sandown Park, in Surrey. It was a nice idea, although lack of space made a café atmosphere difficult to create, and there wasn’t the opportunity for debate. However, I managed to buttonhole some of the authors outside.
The dramatic story of Robin Oake, the senior police officer who offered forgiveness to the terrorist who murdered his son, has already achieved national prominence. He told it at the café, in a quiet, undramatic way. He explained that he hadn’t wanted attention to be focused on him and hadn’t wanted his book to be called Father, Forgive because he didn’t want people to mistake him for the real forgiving father. His son Stephen was a detective constable in the special branch when he was stabbed to death in 2003.
This article is continued in the July 08 edition of Reform.
|
LINKS:
|
