Renaissance: the power of the Gospel however dark the times by Os Guinness
IVP Books, 2014 £11.99 187 pages ISBN 978 0 830 836 710
If you prefer watching to reading, Os Guinness has a YouTube presentation of this book which lasts 1 hour 16 minutes.
Dr Guinness is a leading evangelical Christian in America although he claims to be an Irishman, a descendant of the famous brewing family.
In this book, he relies on the historical evidence that the Christian gospel had two great missionary victories – firstly, in overcoming the paganism of Roman civilisation and then, in overwhelming the Dark Ages.
The story of the church in the West today, however, is far from flourishing – it is weak and failing.
The author argues that the Christian gospel with its Jewish roots has effectively infused historic cultures, societies and nations with cathedrals, universities, proclaiming God’s goodness, truth and beauty through art, and literature, science, medicine and social justice.
The same Christian faith may change the world in our time in the same way that it has done in the past.
The church has to challenge darkness with the confident hope of the Christian gospel.
The battle with arrogant secularism and smug self-sufficiency has to be joined.
Here is the clarion call.
A writer always well worth reading.