By John Dickson
Matthias Media. 127 pages. £5.00
ISBN 1 873166 75 3
'Stranger than fiction' might describe the life of John Dickson as author-come-rock musician-come-itinerant evangelist (and an Aussie to boot), but the title describes the extraordinary life of Jesus Christ. John Dickson brilliantly takes us back to the birth, life, times, death and resurrection of the man whose significance has swamped any other contributor to world history, before or since.
This book is aimed at teenagers and young adults, and interweaves the events it explains with modern illustrations and examples from 1990's youth culture. Each chapter begins with a punchy story or thought, and there are lots of ear-catching Oz statements and phrases (I liked John the Baptist's description as 'the original bush-tucker man'!). The book is funny in many places, but all is kept in check, and the real focus is on the unique Jesus all the way through.
And this is precisely the strength of the book, that it forces believers and unbelievers (the real target audience) to look at the facts about Jesus, and to reassess what they thought they knew about him. We are taken from the birth narratives in the Gospels, through the miracles, teachings and claims of Jesus, to a clear explanation of the cross.
Two detailed chapters defend the resurrection as historical fact, and show its meaning. Bible passages are frequently included and explained, helping the reader to form a picture of the man of Nazareth.
Beneath a witty and chatty writing style, obviously much hard thought and careful preparation has gone into putting this book together, and not a little theology.
My only disappointment was at the end. The prayer of commitment came with little explanation of what it meant to turn from sin and to trust in Christ, and without more there, I felt the author was over-stretching himself.
That accepted, this is an excellent book to put into the hands of the younger inquirer, and could be used well in a youth group. A great read, too, for the oldies who teach young people and who are struggling to stay/get back in touch with them.
