Signposts for Happy Families by John Williams, 2015, published by and available from John Ritchie Ltd; 171 pages. Price £8.99. (9781910513217)
"This book is written to help Christians and Christian leaders enjoy and share the blessings of marriage and family life, as designed by God... It is a guidebook for husbands, wives, parents and teenagers who are seeking to honour the Lord and follow His signposts." This quote from the blurb accurately describes the content and reason for this book which is much needed in today's chaotic society.
It is in three parts - God's Gift of Marriage, Happy Families, Contemporary Issues, then useful appendices conclude the book: one lists Bible families and what can be learned from them, another gives an extensive list of Scripture references to consult on each of the matters dealt with in the body of the text.
Each aspect of family life is surveyed and analysed from a Scriptural basis, so that we see how God's blueprint for society in the home, the assembly and the community is designed for our present and ultimate good. It is sad, indeed tragic to see how much this is being abandoned today. A book like this reminds us how Christians should be different from the world in their approach to family life.
The cover design brings a smile, as do many of the sentences and anecdotes throughout. The subject matter can hardly be any more serious and important in our changing society, but the way in which it is treated enables the reader to enjoy it, making it all the harder to avoid the clear conclusions reached and the advice given. It is not dry or heavy going.
The author clearly knows his subject well, both from Scripture and from personal experience. As an experienced and mature family man himself he has set out these vital, timeless truths in an attractive and challenging way. Younger readers, and older ones too, will benefit from following such good advice
So if you want an enjoyable read on an important and worthwhile subject, don't just read this review, read the book, and if like the author your first hand experiences of the joys and stresses of a young family are a distant though treasured memory, pass it on to the younger ones. It will be a help to them too!
RWC
By This Conquer by Andrew Borland; published by and available from John Ritchie Ltd; 232 pages. Price £8.99. (9781907731822)
By This Conquer continues Ritchie's Classic Reprint Series. Subtitled "Studies in the Epistle to the Philippians", it is a verse-by-verse commentary that will prove helpful to a wide age range of readers. The name Andrew Borland was closely associated with Believer's Magazine for more than three decades. Mr Borland, as the reviewer knew him, was Editor of the Magazine for most of that period. All who remember his editorial precision will not be disappointed in his elegant prose and careful sentence construction in By This Conquer. The clarity of his writing will also be appreciated by a wider 21st century readership.
In his Foreword, the author modestly suggests that this book contains "nothing new"; that he leaves to "more scholarly and more original thinkers". Yet his exposition of Philippians is much more than a re-working of other writers' interpretations. He does part company with many in his approach to Philippians 3.11-12. His defence of Christ's Person as presented in Philippians 2 is trenchant. He states clearly his defence of both the Lord's deity and humanity; in so doing he opposes emphatically those who try to have one foot in the camp that would dare to present "a fallible Christ" and the other in a more fundamentalist camp. He strips aside their veneer of reverence to Christ to expose their desire to have "a non-miraculous Jesus…that leads to a purely legendary Christ".
The chapters of By This Conquer were originally published in a monthly magazine, so every verse is not covered in the same level of detail. Many younger readers will be encouraged by the brevity of the chapters – thirty chapters are covered in 232 pages. By This Conquer is good choice for Ritchie's Classic Reprint Series. To those familiar with his writing, it is Andrew Borland at his best. To others who never heard him preach, who may not have had opportunity to read his articles or books, By This Conquer will provide an introduction to an author, who proved helpful to many in past generations.
TW
