FEARLESS FOR TRUTH
A personal portrait of the life of George R. Beasley-Murray
By Paul Beasley-Murray
Paternoster. 244 pages. £15.99
Regarded as one of the greatest Baptists of the 20th century, a long standing Principal of Spurgeon's College, author of more than 20 books, I have to confess that I knew nothing about him, except that as a teenager I used to distribute a tract he had written on the resurrection!
Clearly the loss was mine. This biography, written by his son, is a fascinating story of a man brought up in a non-Christian home. His father died when he was just one year old.
The book is a portrait of a man who was a brilliant academic and a caring pastor with a great heart for evangelism and mission. You read of setbacks, disappointments, controversies, as well as of a man committed to preaching the Word of God and making it relevant to his generation.
He said: 'As I look back on my life, I can see that... two strands of tension claimed me: evangelism, and the study of the Bible, and they are still with me... some evangelists, alas, have little knowledge of the New Testament, and consequently their teaching is often superficial... on the other hand, some scholars have so consistently adhered to one line of research in theology they hardly know how to communicate the gospel.' He genuinely strove to be true to the Word of God, including texts and passages we have a tendency to skirt over.
This brought him into troubled waters with other Christians. His desire for Christian magnanimity led him to contacts and committees that I would feel uncomfortable with. However, just because there may be differences, does not mean there is no benefit from this biography which fed my soul and blessed my heart. It is a good read about a man of our time (1916-2000), who struggled with issues, that we face. All his decisions may not be ours but the discipline and passion of his life will surely challenge you as it did me.
