You'll soon be listening to Take The World, But Give Me Jesus from The Father's Song by Matt Redman (see review below). Please allow a little time for the sound clip to play

SPECIAL DISCOUNTS ON THE VIDEOS BELOW!

We've negotiated special discounts on your behalf on the Care for the Family videos reviewed below (What They Didn't Teach Me at Sunday School and Issues Women Face).

CFN members can now order them direct from the hotline for just £10 each, post-free, instead of £12.99 each plus £2.50 postage. All you have to do to place your order is call (UK) 029 2081 0800 and quote the reference number CFN 02.

This offer only applies for CFN members, and for videos ordered direct on the above hotline. Closing date for this special offer is 29 September 2000.

VIDEOS

Good, honest encouragement

  • Issues Women Face, with Dianne Parsons (Care for the Family) £12.99 from Christian bookshops, or direct on 029 2081 0800 - see offer above

    This video, recorded before a live audience in Belfast, could prove a very useful aid for small groups or larger gatherings of women needing fresh hope, encouragement and acceptance in their busy lives.

Dianne Parsons is warm, down-to-earth and 'ordinary' in the best sense of the word, as she takes a realistic look at many of the issues facing women today. She is particularly good on the challenge of being a wife and mother in a society expecting so much from women, and placing so many pressures on them.

Whether it's examining the pressure to 'be a perfect mum', look good, achieve things or live up to our own parents' expectations, or developing enduring friendships, and learning to say 'no', she is never less than honest.

The Christian content is deliberately understated - so your non-Christian friends and neighbours would not feel in the least uncomfortable - but the points made are soundly biblical. An excellent resource.

  • What They Didn't Teach Me in Sunday School with Rob Parsons (Care for the Family) £12.99 from Christian bookshops, or direct on 029 2081 0800 - see offer above

You know what to expect from Rob Parsons - and you get it in abundance with this new video, based on his popular book: humour, challenge and enduring truths delivered in a style that shares rather than preaches.

And it's entirely suitable for the format. Looking back over some of his most challenging, yet rewarding lessons in life, he explores the way we view ourselves, others, and perhaps most of all, God.

The video blurb says "here are truths that will help forgiveness come faster, make death less scary and heaven more real", and it's not overstated.

Subjects tackled include forgiving others and ourselves, the power of weakness, the freedom of knowing God's love for us, leaving the past behind and when God doesn't make sense.

Challenging but not intimidating, vulnerable but never twee, it's valuable material for believers and those on the fringes of church life. Again, highly recommended.

  • CFN Review Team

BOOKS

Handy student guide

  • Modern Christianity, Reviewing its place in Britain today, by Douglas Davies and Matthew Guest. South Street Press £3.50


SELDOM does a book manage to combine a wide sweep of analysis with brevity and clarity. This one gets fairly close. The authors provide a snapshot of the impact Christianity has on contemporary Britain. It is packed with information and has some good ‘beginners guide’ things to say about modern Christianity. The emphasis is mainly Anglican but other church groups are mentioned in passing.

This book reviews the various strands of Christian spirituality comparing and contrasting their strengths and weaknesses. It also explores how Christianity is doing in its attempt to compete in the wider marketplace of ideas that is pluralistic Britain. The conclusion is that despite rumours to the contrary, Christianity is alive and well today and will continue to have a positive impact on our society in the future. However, the report also highlights areas where we have ‘room for improvement’.

It is difficult to decide who the book is aimed at. Most church leaders would already have all the contents in one form or another in other places. The general reader will find it an interesting overview but may find that in places the writing so compressed that its meaning is not always clear. I would imagine that it would be a handy guide for a GCSE RE student wanting to write up something on the Church today.

  • John Woods is pastor of Lancing Tabernacle in Sussex

MUSIC

Scorching contrasts

It's easy to see why Matt Redman is garnering such a towering reputation. His latest offering barely features a below par moment among its 13 songs, which provide some strong contrasts, from the cranked-up guitar driven Take The World But Give Me Jesus (based, would you believe, on an 1879 hymn by Fanny Crosby) to the quiet and intimate Let My Words Be Few.

Produced by Les Moir, Andrew Philip and Redman himself, with the mixing duties shared between Russ Long, Martin Smith and Neil Costello, it's a superbly produced collection of songs, consistently earthed in Scripture and packed with fine tunes, and top musicianship (names involved include London Community Gospel Choir, percussionist Terl Bryant, US band Sonic Flood, and Delirious? guitarist Stu Garrard among others).

Standouts include favourites O Sacred King, and Thank You For the Blood, plus the excellent You Led Me To The Cross. It's fascinating to hear the sound swing from contemporary Brit-pop stylings to spontaneous worship, and it works well. King of This Heart nods towards a Delirious? sound, with a nicely understated strings arrangement, while Holy Moment (with Sonic Flood) chugs along nicely, blending power and sensitivity.

Pure class, from start to finish.

  • CFN Review Team

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