A few book thoughts this cold grey January day.

3. Moon Shadow by Rachel Shinnick. A fine second book in the Moon Thief trilogy! I was much delighted by this one and as I started reading was drawn even more into the saga of Ilis and her friends. The first chapter was suitably dramatic and emotional and while I shall be attempting not to spoil things here, I really enjoyed how it set us up for the rest of the book and established Ilis and her place in Beriyth. I loved the letter conceit that was used throughout – it did a marvelous job of both communicating the emotions of the main characters as well as ratcheting up the tension. What is going on in this world? Why is the moon red? What’s going on with the “Lift”? And can Ilis protect her land from the Aetoneans? These questions are (mostly) answered, though as this is the second book in the trilogy, there is a definite sense of unfinished business and lingering fear as one closes the book. I have to confess, I did not at all anticipate the ending of this one. It shook me. I will have to re-read at some point soon and I am curious as to how knowing the end will affect a re-read. The characters in this one are still a joy and I love some of the new characters introduced – especially Cogs! Him and Kat’s friendship is one of my favourite parts of the book and I was always smiling whenever they were on stage. I’ve been a bit all over the place with this one but that’s partly because I really don’t want to spoil. I much enjoyed this. The author’s writing style in the first book was bracingly fast-paced yet lovely – this book the writing took a step up, feeling even more confident and sure of itself as the author continued to unfold her story. The emotional scenes in this one hit all the harder and the beauty shone through all the more. I’m quite excited to see what she does with book 3 and cannot wait to read!

4. Practical Religion by J.C. Ryle. A wonderfully encouraging book. Every time I read a book by Ryle, I wonder why I haven’t read more of his and am all the more eager to find another to add to my shelf. Yes, Ryle is a 19th-century writer and so at times the style feels a bit old-fashioned to her ears. But yet? Ryle speaks clearly and forcefully of the Christian faith and what it calls us to and he is not ashamed one bit. I love how much Ryle feels the weight of the message of the gospel and how passionately he calls us all to make sure we are in the faith as we meditate on our own place in this life. This book is an easy read in some ways, as each chapter is standalone and can be read as part of your daily meditation or devotion. Some of the chapters are a bit longer and will require an extended period (perhaps an hour), yet each chapter is well worth it. I need to read more books like this, books that encourage me in what I believe and remind me of what I know and yet give me further fuel and fire to delight in my Lord and to seek ever more to follow him all of my days. As I read this, I was reminded of the simple and practical parts of our daily life that we should and ought give to our Lord and how silly is it that we so often segregate our life between the secular and the spiritual whereas we should actually consider the whole entirety of our life in the light of the spiritual and seek that we might be properly taking steps that would align us more with what our God has called us to. I realise I haven’t really talked about the main meat of this book – so what is this book really about? As I mentioned, each chapter is standalone, so each chapter is different and it is difficult for me to say there is one major theme. There are chapters on bible reading, prayer, zeal, love, the Lord’s table, sickness, riches and poverty, our final home, the fundamental differences between the Christian and non-Christian and so many other topics. It is helpful to think about these things and Ryle writes so clearly and plainly that it is easy to understand, even with the slightly outdated language at times. Truly this is a pastoral book, and one that I would encourage to all. Yes, he wrote this in a different time, where the majority of people were at least nominally Christian and so some of his lines seem a bit odd now as he’s clearly writing to people who have at least a familiarity with church and Christianity. Still I think this book would benefit anyone who would read it now, even as it would clarify what it means for one to be a Christian and be a follower of Jesus. Reading books that encourage me in following Christ and to be more intentional in my daily walk? Yes please. I need more books like this in my life.

5. Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen. A superb polemical work, even if at times feeling a bit dated by the time in which it was written. If anything though, this serves both as a proper aid to understanding true historic Christianity as well as a historical primer of the state of the church in the early 20th century. This book really is a fascinating look at the state of the established church (with an American focus) now about a hundred years back and Machen’s book is a bracingly clear and concise defense of what were considered the orthodox beliefs of Christianity. Machen is addressing those “liberals” in his time who began to believe and say and preach (even if veiled at times) that perhaps some of the historic truths of Christianity weren’t quite as important as they were of old made out to be and that perhaps they weren’t even true at all. The quest for the historical Jesus had already began and the critical method had begun to be used as a tool for questioning the old ways of understanding both the Bible and Christianity. Machen in this book attempts to challenge the new paradigm and he takes great offense at the cunning of the modern scholars and theologians who attempt to reframe and ever so gently reshape the Christianity of old to make it more palatable to the modern enlightened mind. Machen holds fast to the old-time religion and in this slim volume (really a quick read – knocked it out in less than a week to Dani’s chagrin!) he spends time talking about some of the fundamentals of the Christian faith and comparing the Christian view to the liberal one. These fundamentals include thoughts on “doctrine”, “the Bible”, “God and Man”, “Christ”, “Salvation” and “the Church”. I think I just named the chapters in this book, for the most part. Machen with skill and grace attacks the liberal position and attempts to set forth the Christian position as the one which aligns with both historic and metaphysical reality. He at times can be a bit abrasive yet I do get the sense that Machen is deeply wounded and shaken by the subtle attacks of those who toss forth that classic question – “hath God said?” and in soft words and softer intimations indicate that of course their position is the only reasonable one in the here and now. Are we not in the modern age, after all? Machen is fighting for the faith and I admire his zeal and love for the Lord as he clearly defines the core ethos of Christianity.

I have a few times mentioned the word “fundamental” and while Machen is often seen as a precursor to the “Fundamentalism” movement of the 20th century, I’m not sure he would himself align with such. Yes he clearly believes in the reality of a spiritual world and the possibility and actuality of the miraculous and supernatural work of God (In ways his thoughts on such reminded me of Lewis’ book ‘Miracles’, which I really must re-read soon!). Yes he clearly believes in the authority of the Word of God and the efficacy of such in working in the hearts and minds of men and women through the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet he also is one who very much values the thoughts and minds of the scholars and theologians of old and does not so eagerly dismiss the written works of the past few thousand years, understanding how much God has worked in his church throughout the past few millennia in increasing our understanding of who God is and how God is working on this earth. Yet Machen also doesn’t hold as blindly as some to earthly institutions and manmade hierarchies. He calls for a simple Christianity and a simple faith, a belief in the God who is real and who in reality stepped on this earth and died on an actual cross of wood so that all those who simply believed on Him would have life eternal, both now and in the age to come. This is both simple and profound and should shake all who think truly upon these words. I was much benefitted by reading this book and while it might be a bit heady for some, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to think a bit more about the core tenets of the Christian faith and how they compare to some of the modern thoughts and beliefs we even now have about what it means to be a Christian. There are different battles we fight now to be sure. But even now, there are those who call themselves Christians who preach another gospel. Is it not helpful for us to consider even now what the true gospel of Christianity is? What message shall be proclaimed?