Matt McAvoy Book Review

Firstly, I should say that I received an ARC of this book from the author for my honest review.  I’m not sure I was the best person to provide this, being an atheist, but then came to realize that, from a literary perspective, an impartial reader may be the very best reviewer, objective and without any preconceived notions of religion and the Bible.

That’s exactly what this book is: an interpretation of the scriptures and how it relates to every aspect of our day-to-day lives.  More specifically, Chris Tham’s interpretation.  Whilst there is a lot of verbatim quoting of the Bible, these quotes are broken down and analysed in significant depth – indeed, a good 500-odd pages of significant depth.  The quotes are long and extensive, and Chris applies them to all aspects of the human condition; it is a hugely profound study of theology in humanity, with the Bible as its reference point.

Whilst I have no personal taste for the faith genre of books, and I admit become a little goggle-eyed when reading pages upon pages of religious sermon, even I simply cannot deny the sheer amount of work which the author has put into the book.  It is an immense, holistic and comprehensive project, and for this alone Chris deserves a huge amount of praise.  Clearly this is not just a book to him, but a calling and a mission.  I am in no doubt that this book was a lifetime in the making, and frankly one has to admire such dedication by any author, whatever their subject or genre.  I won’t lie, the subject matter itself, and indeed the verbatim prose, went totally over my head, and the message was probably wasted on me.  Nor, either, was the proofing in the best condition, some of the language feeling a little broken, but that’s actually fine, because it only goes to show that the Christianity at the heart of this book is universal.  Whether you are religious or not, it is difficult to deny the primary message in the Bible, or indeed that of any religion, even if summarily dismissing the parables and individual scriptures.

This book is one for the faithful; it is not coffee table reading for the layman, nor an entry level reference to the Bible.  This is sermonizing and theological interpretation at its most intensive, and it may well be wasted on those who do not devote their lives to faith.