Three books

A few weeks ago I was frustrated, none of the books I was reading were grabbing me.  I feel a little lost, and bored, if I am not in the middle of a book that has caught my attention.  Now I am engrossed in two, and have a third I want to mention.

The first is by Michael Horton, and is called 'Christless Christianity'. It an a fascinating insight into the American evangelical scene.  He points to the lose of any sense of the majesty of God and centrality of the gospel.  I find America fascinating, and am aware that many of he trends that start there come here in various forms.  This book is really encouraging me to seek to present the gospel in all its purity.  

The second book is a second-hand copy of 'The Secret History of the IRA' that I picked up last summer.  It would be convenient to simply portray the IRA in a negative light, to see the world in simple black and white.  But it is not that easy.  There were injustices committed against the nationalist community that contributed to the rise of the troubles.  That is not to deny the horror and the barbarism of the violence that was committed in the name of republicanism.

The third book that I am enjoying, although it is not a gripping a read, is a book called 'The Momentous Event' by the grandfather of my friend Peter Grier.  This book sets out the case for amillenialism (the belief that the millennial reign of Christ, in Revelation 20, is a symbolic description of the current age).  I am drawn to this understanding of end times because I am sickened by some of the speculations associated with certain pre-millennial preachers, who sell books and attract audiences with their claims that we are about to be micro-chipped etc.  I find that the highly speculative guessing of these preachers becomes a distraction from preaching the cross and being ready for Christ's return through living a Spirit-empowered life.