COLOSSIANS & PHILEMON
So walk in him
By John Woodhouse. Christian Focus. 307 pages. £8.99
ISBN 978 1 845 506 322
No one will read this book, not in my church at least.
It has a boring cover, an uninspiring title and, to compound matters, it’s a commentary — which surely means it’s only for the pastor or the lay person facing a Bible study crisis. This is a real shame because John Woodhouse’s book on Colossians and Philemon is among the best Christian books I’ve read in a long time and would do anyone in my church the world of good to read.
Woodhouse starts by reconstructing the setting of the two letters. While some of this is speculative, it’s well grounded and he skilfully avoids being drawn into an unhelpful debate about the nature of false teaching in Colossae.
Easy read
The format of the book makes it very easy to read. Woodhouse takes small, consecutive chunks and works his way through them clause by clause. The chapters are short and the writing is not technical or obscure, but, rather, penetrating and well applied to everyday life, with questions for group or personal study at the end. One gets the feeling as you read the book that you’re listening to a pastor who has prepared his sermon well and thought hard about the people he’s speaking to, as well as the text he’s speaking from. The chapter on the neglected doctrine of the Christian life from Colossians 2.6-8 is a brilliant example of this, as we are shown how Paul’s central concern that we ‘walk in him’ is something we often fail even to consider.
My only suggestion is a new title, maybe ‘Your Awesome Christian Life’ or ‘Identity Crisis No More’. Neither of those titles are very good or even better reflections of the content, but we must do more to get people reading books this good.
Steve Palframan,
pastor, Aigburth Community Church, Liverpool
