The authors’ aim is exposing false divisions. It analyses the development of Christianity through major ears of history; it then re-states the essence of the Christian faith – explicitly following the precedent of C. S. Lewis in his classic Mere Christianity. Followers of Christ across the spectrum are challenged to affirm the core truth of the gospel, and to use under-valued resources from the faithful of two thousand years. The analysis proposes that current divisions are as far-reaching as the East/West split, or as the Reformation. I think we will have to wait for history to judge that, but the accounts of the Reformation and of the Modern Age are both good reading. ‘Mere’ or ‘Deep’ Christianity, or the Gospel, is then defined. It is both believing and behaving. It is both the narrative of Christ and the experience of the spirit. It is both the doctrine of the creed and the actions of worship and ethical living. There are repeated challenges to both liberal and conservative assumptions. Finally there are impassioned calls for much more attentions to teaching the faith in a culture where it is largely unfamiliar to people, and for much more attention to the central place and value of communion.
Rosemary Medhurst
The Reader