By now you will have heard the stats, I’m sure. The Quiet Revival report from Bible Society indicates that church attendance in the UK has risen by over 50% in the past 6 years, with the most dramatic growth coming from 18–24 year olds. And with that has come an enormous increase in people turning to the Christian Scriptures. Research from SPCK revealed that the number of Bibles sold in the UK increased 61% between 2019 and 2024.

This is exciting, but it does raise some challenges, because any new readers of Scripture will quickly find it to be a challenging book! In fact, if they start at the beginning (as many assume they should – how else would you read a book after all?!) the challenges begin on page 1 as they are confronted with a story that seems to fly in the face of modern science.

Readers of the Bible, whether for the first-time or hundredth, need a helping hand to get their heads round the more difficult topics, and Dr. Andrew Ollerton’s latest book is a great resource!

God’s Book: An Honest Look at the Bible’s 7 Toughest Topics offers robust answers to many of the most difficult themes you will encounter when reading through the Christian Scriptures, and it does so in a winsome and accessible way.

If you are already familiar with Andrew’s work, you will know that he is passionate about helping people grow in their confidence to read and apply the Bible to their lives. Perhaps you’ve come across The Bible Course (and if you haven’t, you should check out the new version) or The Romans Course, or maybe his previous books on The Bible or Romans. Well, this new offering fits brilliantly into that suite of resources, and would be a perfect follow on if you’ve done the Bible Course (or indeed Alpha) and need a hand while exploring the Good Book for yourself. There’s also a video series with discussion guides coming soon, which would make it perfect for small groups to work through.

The seven topics tackled are: science versus creation; slavery and Old Testament laws; warfare and violence; suffering; miracles and exorcisms; sex; and heaven, hell and judgement. Each of those could be a book in its own right, and there are plenty of other resources you could turn to for deeper exploration, many of which are signposted within. But for my money, there are a few things that make this book different to other similar offerings.

Many apologetics books treat such topics as philosophical conundrums, abstracted from the narrative of scripture. But Andrew looks at each as they come up within the flow of the Bible’s storyline, and thus as the reader will likely encounter them. As such, he tackles the problems in their canonical context and therefore doesn’t just teach abstract apologetics but hermeneutics. He’s constantly directing us back to the story of the Bible and equipping us to read Scripture well.

Of course, any book like this can only cover a limited number of topics, and there will be plenty of other problems one might encounter that aren’t covered here. But by equipping us to read Scripture wisely, this book gives us the tools to work our way through many of the other issues we might face in the pages of the Bible.

I also appreciated the tone of the book. Whilst some apologists can tend towards an aloof or dispassionate tone, seemingly more interested in cold hard logic chopping than in pastoral concern for the troubled reader, the best apologists see the pain behind the question and answer in a way that brings comfort and gospel hope. This book is of the latter kind. Andrew writes warmly and honestly, expressing his own struggles with Scripture. The answers he offers are warm and well-applied. And each chapter ends with a letter to one of Andrew’s children, which further grounds the pastoral tone of the book.

I would highly recommend this book to readers of all types. To the new Christian or seeker trying to get their heads round the Bible for the first time. To the seasoned Christian who still wrestles with doubts about the Scriptures. To the young person wanting to grow in confidence about this complex text. And to the preacher or pastor who wants to better-equip people to navigate the Bible’s trickiest topics. Whoever you are, Andrew’s book will help you to get the most out of God’s book.     

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