POINTERS TO ETERNITY
By Dewi Rees
Y Lolfa. 236 pages. £12.95
ISBN: 978-1-84771-199-1
Pointers to Eternity deals with belief in the afterlife, a concept engrained in the psyches of peoples everywhere. It is written from a Christian perspective but incorporates the beliefs of other faiths, in particular the Islamic assertion that Jesus did not die on the cross.
Dewi Rees considers evidence for belief in life after death from his perspective as a medical doctor. First, he presents the opinions of 67 retired Anglican bishops on the resurrection and their experiences of the presence of Jesus. The second approach provides accounts of Christic visions: people’s recent meetings with Jesus, including instances where the percipients were convinced that they had seen Jesus in his human form. Thirdly, he reviews recent research on people’s experiences of their dead spouses, and considers its relevance to an understanding of belief in the afterlife and Christian teaching on the resurrection.
Dr. Rees has been closely involved in the care of the terminally ill, and their relatives for many years. His range of experience is wide, having cared for people from many ethical backgrounds and religious beliefs. He claims that most dying patients hold to some belief in an afterlife, few being convinced that death means oblivion. This book explores this claim.
The basic thesis of the book is shaped by two fundamental convictions held, and expressed, by the author: that a variety of different faith positions are equally valid and so attempting to convert people to any one of them would be wrong; and by a deep and life-long interest in people’s inner experiences and their awareness of the numinous.
The author’s style is autobiographical and anecdotal, peppered with quirky comments and descriptions. At times his logic is difficult to identify, and he resorts frequently to relying heavily on intuition, admitting: ‘I have learned to give greater credence to seemingly illogical impulses’. His beliefs in the crucifixion — he seems uncertain that Christ actually died on the cross — and resurrection of Jesus seem neither orthodox nor clear. Perhaps of greatest concern is his seeming assumption that because the early followers of Jesus saw him bodily resurrected, so should we, and that both such appearances serve to prove Jesus’s resurrection. Sadly, I cannot recommend this book to a general Christian audience.
Phil Parker,
Chaplain, Cranleigh School, Surrey;
member, Cranleigh Baptist Church
