Is this book suitable for Anglicans?

[ClairEuk73]

Some years ago I bought a copy of 'Unlocking the Bible' by David Pawson, while I was attending an AoG church. I never got around to reading it, like so many other books I own, on account of being a student and mother of 3!
I'm now part of an Anglican church, soon to be baptised, and would like some 'study aids' to my bible readings, and wondered if this book is suitable for an Anglican perspective? Being new, I would not like to take on board ideas which are not part of Anglican 'thinking'.
The author (according to Wiki) was a Methodist and is now a Baptist so I'm already aware of the differences in beliefs.
Shall I give it a go, or start anew with a book written from the Anglican perspective?
Thanks in advance

 

[Aino]

Well, Pawsons theology is quite OK, though he's most likely to disagree with the anglican perspective on baptism, also I'd be careful about his views on the sacraments if you want to strictly follow the anglican doctrine. However "Unlocking the Bible" - while i don't know the book myself - sounds very general and hence most likely not "dangerous". Guides on reading the Bible most likely won't differ very much from denomination to denomination. I don't see why you shouldn't read the book you have already... You'll know enough already to avoid the most obvious baptist interpretations, if you know enough to join an anglican church and as for the rest, you'll later be corrected at your church where necessary.

 

[Catherineanne]

Some years ago I bought a copy of 'Unlocking the Bible' by David Pawson, while I was attending an AoG church. I never got around to reading it, like so many other books I own, on account of being a student and mother of 3!
I'm now part of an Anglican church, soon to be baptised, and would like some 'study aids' to my bible readings, and wondered if this book is suitable for an Anglican perspective? Being new, I would not like to take on board ideas which are not part of Anglican 'thinking'.
The author (according to Wiki) was a Methodist and is now a Baptist so I'm already aware of the differences in beliefs.
Shall I give it a go, or start anew with a book written from the Anglican perspective?
Thanks in advance

I don't think it will be mainstream Anglican, no, but you can still read it if you want to. Anglicans are pretty eclectic, and very tolerant of alternative points of view, so reading around our faith is not unusual, I would say.

If my daughter were to ask me this one, I would advise her to choose something a little broader, but I would not object if she wanted to read it. If you are unsure on this one, though, ask your vicar.

 

[ClairEuk73]

Thankyou both for replying. I will give it a go, but keep an open mind and double check things online if needs be. I wanted something to help me along, and would rather avoid spending more money on books at present...my 'to read' list is long enough already!
Mostly I'm looking for help when reading the bible to see things in their historical context, which this book seems to offer.
Thanks again, and I'll let you know how I get on with it

 

[Catherineanne]

Thankyou both for replying. I will give it a go, but keep an open mind and double check things online if needs be. I wanted something to help me along, and would rather avoid spending more money on books at present...my 'to read' list is long enough already!
Mostly I'm looking for help when reading the bible to see things in their historical context, which this book seems to offer.
Thanks again, and I'll let you know how I get on with it

That is fair enough, but bear in mind that Mr Pawson is not a historian, and you may need to double check some of his assertions. I have heard a lot of claims made about the historical context of the gospels, only to find later that they included a lot of wishful thinking. One common mistake is to take the practices of first and second century Rabbinical Judaism, and assume they apply to the time of Christ, before the fall of the Temple; they don't.

And you can always try the library. I have a book called An introduction to the New Testament, by Raymond Brown; that is a very good place to start, imo.

 

[ClairEuk73]

There's an idea...I'm hopefully going to be volunteering at my local library soon so I'll be able to get my hands on lots of books
Thanks for the advice regarding Pawson...I will have a read through and make notes on things to check...a bit more studying won't hurt

 

[Catherineanne]

There's an idea...I'm hopefully going to be volunteering at my local library soon so I'll be able to get my hands on lots of books
Thanks for the advice regarding Pawson...I will have a read through and make notes on things to check...a bit more studying won't hurt

That sounds brilliant. With interlibrary loans you can get your hands on any book at all; you just have to order them. So you don't need to worry about the cost at all, or rely on Mr Pawson's efforts.

I wish you well.

 

[ClairEuk73]

Thankyou