http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/dailyprayer/

Are you interesting in reading the Bible in one year? If so, check out the websites which help you do this. Here is one of the sites to help you see what is available:

Book review

Creation or Evolution  Do we have to choose

by Dennis Alexander

Monarch Books Oxford UK/Grand Rapids Michigan USA 2008 (ISBN 978-1-85424-7468 (UK)

Dr Alexander is the Director of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, St Edmonds College, Cambridge.

If you have difficulty in collating Genesis 1 and the present accumulation of data from Darwin to the present day or understanding “Creation” and “evolution” then you will find this book very helpful but it is fairly heavy reading.

Dr Alexander is a molecular biology scientist as well as being a devout Christian.  He was brought up in the Evangelical faith and treats the bible as the authoritative word of God.  The purpose of the book is to try to give some answers on the question of the Bible teaching in Genesis 1 and how Adam and Eve fit with Science and what we mean by creation.

In the first chapter he states that all Christians by definition are “Creationists”, bat as work are defined by usage, “Creationists” tend to be regarded as those who believe that the world is 10,000year old or less.

In the second chapter he deals with the biblical account of creation and the doctrine of creation throughout the scriptures.  All who read the bible must interpret what is printed because few read it in the original language, or were alive when it was written.  He points out that it is important to understand what kind of literature the particular piece is, who it was written for, why it was written and what was the message it was trying to impart.  The deciphering of the Akkadian (Babylonian and Assyrian) languages has helped in understanding certain Hebrew words.

In Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6 he considers what is meant by evolution and reviews the various methods of dating Geological, fossil record, radioactive and nuclear dating, DNA and genes.  He suggests that all dating methods tend to point to the universe being 13½ billion years old the earth about 4½ billion.  In the first ½ billion years the earth was under a fairly constant bombardment but the fossil record and DNA suggest that the first fossil calls could be dated to 3½ billion years whereas Homosapiens could be dated to about 150,000 years.  This time scale could account for all the diversity being produced in vegetable and animal worlds by evolution, and he gives  an example in the way the eye has evolved.

In Chapter 7 he looks at Genesis 1-2.3 and suggests that considering the way in which it was written it was probably the writers reply, under spirit guidance, to the Babylonian account of creation which had many gods and man being created as servants of the gods.  In contrast it stated that man is made in God’s image.

In chapter 8-10 he deals with Genesis 2.4-25.  In 2.4 God’s covenant name is found for the first time and establishing marriage and the responsibilities of being made in God’s image.  He suggests that as there were many people alive at this time, Adam and Eve were a group of people to whom God spoke to (God spoke only to Adam and Eve and not all animals) and who agreed to follow him.  The remainder of Genesis gives the various families that followed giving the key representative name from the family or generation.  In the last chapter the author looks at the research being carried out into how life and living organisms would started to take form from the various material which God had created in the formation of the Universe and in particular sum’s universe and give a very impressive literature review.  He ends with the statement of Genesis 1.2 “The Earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters”.  “We should praise God the little we know and understand and not make any theological or apologetic investments based on present scientific ignorance.”

Harry Williams

“Who Moved The Stone”

by Frank Morrison

This book was first published in 1930 and has seldom been out of print.It reads as up to date as any more recently written.

Frank Morrison sets out to tell the story of the last seven days of the life of Jesus; in an attempt to prove or disprove the fact of the resurrection.

We all think we know the story of Holy Week.and probably do know the bare facts,but the author goes into great detail, using many historical scources . He tells us of Jewish and Roman law,and the effects that had on the events,He studies the timings,the characters,the motives of the witnesses.

Questions: Did the women really visit the tomb?

Who was the young man in the tomb? How was the stone moved?What did Paul believe had happened?

The Reader may feel they have turned to a modern paper and dipped into a good bit of journalism on a momentous event.

If anyone would like to donate a book or simply give a donation towards a book I would see that the money was well spent.

Please put your contribution in an envelope marked CHURCH LIBRARY and give it to me or the Vicar or a member of the PCC.

Thank you so much. Jan Lawson  11.Heath Hill Road North  773692 

Book review:   The Crow on the Thorn

by Martin Prescott

I would recommend this book as a fascinating read for any incomers interested in the history of our village and of our parish church in particular.

The author was asked to write a history of St John the Baptist Church for the church centenary in 1973 and this section forms a large part of the book.  He has, however, endeavoured to write a history of the development of the village as a whole.