Book Reviews

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Written by: Andrew Katay

Created: 01 June 2026

Timothy Keller: His spiritual and intellectual formation
Colin Hansen
Zondervan Reflective, Feb 2023
Reviewed by Andrew Katay

One of the things that Tim Keller used to say was that, in order to be evangelistically fruitful, Christians needed at the same time to be reassuringly familiar and intriguingly different.

I wonder whether biographies might have the same applied to them.

There’s little point in writing a biography of someone who is wholly and completely different, a full and genuine singularity, to whom it is impossible to relate. And at the same time, there’s equally little point in writing a biography of someone who is simply the same as you, wholly recognisable as the person you might have been. What we need in biographies is someone who is reassuringly familiar - sufficiently familiar that I can see myself in them, or perhaps a better version of myself; and at the same time, someone who is different in intriguing, even challenging ways, ways that call me to be better or deeper or fuller than I currently am.

Colin Hansen’s Timothy Keller: His spiritual and intellectual formation is that sort of biography, although at the outset, Hansen is at pains to make sure that his readers understand this is no ordinary biography. Working from Tim Keller’s own self-effacing convictions as his starting point, Hansen says in the preface that “The story of Tim Keller is the story of his spiritual and intellectual influences”, and so this is a biography of those influences.

Structured in four parts, of between 4 and 6 chapters each, the book is a well-researched, lively narrative of the forces that shaped the remarkable ministry of Tim Keller. Keller was, of course, mostly unknown on a broad scale prior to planting Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City in 1989, and even then, it was only his leadership in the aftermath of the Twin Towers terror event in 2001, and even more, the publishing of The Reason for God in 2008, that brought Keller to a wider audience. It is perhaps for this reason that I found the earlier, less well-known parts of Tim’s journey among the most absorbing - his childhood and teenage days, his time at Bucknell college and involvement with the InterVarsity group there, and the profound influence that Kathy Kristy - who would become Kathy Keller - had on him.

As someone myself whose life course was deeply impacted by my university years and the ministry of InterVarsity (called the Evangelical Union at Sydney University), I found these sections particularly relatable. I was reminded of the enormous changes that uni students are going through, and the wonderful opportunity for mission and discipleship that campus ministry represents. Hansen concludes:

“Even when Keller left InterVarsity for the local church, he brought InterVarsity’s instincts with him. He learned that Christians must never compromise on their core values, which he identified as the infallibility of the Bible, the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross, the necessity of the new birth, and the full deity of Jesus ... At the same time InterVarsity taught him to value what Christians hold in common over the doctrines that divide them. That doesn’t mean that what separates Presbyterians from Baptists or Pentecostals is unimportant. “But the core is the core,” he said. “You ought to be collegial and open-minded to other Christians who differ on the secondary issues. I learned that from InterVarsity.”

Of course, for anyone who knows of Keller’s ministry, these values sound very familiar. Helpfully, Hansen is clear that the influences on Keller’s ministry were not merely intellectual. The description of Tim’s engagement with RC Sproul and the Ligonier Center (sic) gives insight into Keller’s deeply experiential focus, right alongside his intellectual rigour. Hansen writes: “When Keller looks back on Ligonier Valley Study Center, however, he doesn’t primarily recall ideas or debates. Rather, he remembers most fondly many dinners shared with the Sprouls in their Stahlstown home.”

Similarly, the depiction of Tim’s time in small-town USA - Hopewell Virginia to be precise - was moving, summarising them in Tim’s words as “the most formative ministry years” of his life.

The second half of the book moved into more familiar territory, for those who have listened to or read much Keller material.

The time at Westminster, and in particular the influence of Ed Clowney (in relation to Biblical Theology) and Harvey Conn (in relation to contextualisation) is recounted well - and the description of some intra-faculty tensions at Westminster adds colour to the story. Similarly, the impact of Jack Miller on Keller is also described, specifically in relation to the way that Tim embedded what we would later call ‘grace renewal dynamics’ at every level of church life, especially preaching. And then the story of Redeemer, reluctantly planted by Tim, and yet which was the bringing together of all of Tim’s experience in both pastoral ministry and seminary. Of course it grew, and fairly quickly gave birth to a worldwide ‘extension arm’ called City to City (I often say that I praise God it was not called ‘Tim Keller International Ministries’, which of course he would never do). And yet, in this section, it is the account of the deathbed conversion of Tim’s younger brother Billy that is the most moving.

I think there are two ways that this spiritual and intellectual biography could be improved. First, and the smaller of the two points, Hansen doesn’t really address what was one of the most powerfully animating themes for Tim, which is the idea of a movement of the gospel. After all, as Tim said repeatedly, it takes a movement to reach a city, and part of the deep structure of Tim’s motivation was not just to build a great church, but to see a gospel movement emerge that would build a great city.

Second, it seems to me that Hansen hasn’t been able to present an integrated vision of how these many influences on Tim worked together to produce what Tim called a ‘theological vision’. It may be that Hansen regarded this as beyond the remit of his project; however, I would suggest that providing this synthesis would have made for a more compelling biography. Indeed, Hansen concludes his survey by noting that “Keller’s originality comes in his synthesis, how he pulls the sources together for unexpected insights. Having one hero would be derivative; having one hundred heroes means you’ve drunk deeply by scouring the world for the purest wells”.

This is a great insight, and explains much of Tim’s appeal to so many.

Rev Dr Andrew Katay is Senior Minister at Christ Church Inner West.

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Written by: Mike Phillips

Created: 01 June 2026

The Golden Thread

GWEN ASTEN
The Golden Thread can be purchased at underthesun.net.au
Reviewed by Mike Phillips

From a bleak childhood in the north of England, to a near death experience on mission in Nigeria, The Golden Thread is a moving testimony to the faithfulness and goodness of God.

Gwen (Gwyneth) Asten traces the story of her life, with many memorable vignettes, to encourage her grandchildren, godchildren and other readers about the reality of God. And God’s hand is indeed evident in many ways throughout her life. Dealing with themes of conflicted family relationships, forgiveness, the leading of the Holy Spirit, the study of Scripture, vocation and service to others, the autobiography is interwoven with the thread of God’s faithful love and sovereignty, from which the book takes its title.

Asten’s life begins in northern England in a controlling and emotionally barren family. She has limited exposure to Christian faith, or kindness of any form. What kindness she does experience seems to leave an indelible mark on her, whereas her experiences of Christian faith have little impact. After migrating to Australia, she comes to faith through high school friends, marries against her family’s will after a providential court order, and trains as a doctor.

Her adult life includes significant reflection on cross cultural relationships and lay ministry, serving God in healthcare, forgiveness, parenting and seeking to follow the will of God. Her gift for gratitude and generous service of others shines through, and all the more brightly given the hardships she endures. Indeed, it is a testament to God’s grace that these hardships haven’t led to bitterness or cynicism.

Many Christians have found inspiration in reading accounts of the lives of missionaries, spurring us on trust God more fully. In some ways, Asten’s account of her life fits into this category. Her faith in the Lord, and that of her husband, is powerfully evident in their decision to move to Nigeria in the late 1970s while she was 6 months pregnant. And the powerful mercy of God is evident in his protection of her through childbirth, a near-fatal illness, and coercive intimidation by airport officials. Such faith, that is willing to take risks to serve God, even at personal cost, is comparatively rare today, and yet inspiring.

But God’s power is also evident in how he has transformed the other, more familiar, decisions of her life. This is not fundamentally the story of an otherworldly missionary, but simply a Melbourne grandmother committed to following Jesus. Her deep love for God expresses itself in many more mundane aspects of her life. She marries and sets up a practice as a GP, has kids and grandkids, and is involved in a local church. But in each of these areas, Asten’s life is made remarkable by God’s work in her, moving her to love others. She resists her father’s will and marries a man who shares her commitment to Christ. She establishes her medical practice, and makes a point of employing doctors returning from overseas mission hospitals, to assist them as they upskill and update their practice. While learning to raise her own kids in a manner very different from her own upbringing, she begins to write and share her insights with other new parents. And in her local church, she and her husband initiate a ministry to welcome migrants and international students to Australia. The ministry helps them to adjust to Australian culture, enables them to read and understand the Bible, and has led to around thirty baptisms. In all these ways and more, her story reveals how God’s grace has transformed an emotionally starved child into a grown woman profoundly devoted to serving Him and others.

Written in 62 short chapters of a few pages each, the story is fast-moving and engaging, with frequent references to apt Bible passages. Some chapters are particularly moving, including those that deal with forgiving her father, reconciling with her mother, and abusive doctors. Other chapters may raise questions and challenge assumptions, including those on hypnosis (including reflection on Acts 10:10 and 22:17) and the Shroud of Turin. Along the way, she grapples with genuine questions and doubts, personal suffering and disability, the reality of evil and conflict, and the consolation of strong friendships and personal prayer with God. In all these ways, she invites curiosity into the reality of God and his imminent presence working for good in the lives of those who trust him.

Her ultimate hope is that readers will see how God has revealed himself, and ‘come to know Him and love Him and follow Him for yourselves’. It’s a commendable aim and a wonderful example of a Christian grandparent seeking to share their faith as a gift – not only for her own descendants, but for many others. While I am neither her grandchild nor godchild, I do know members of the family personally, and I found it a profoundly encouraging and engrossing read, and would recommend it as a wonderful testimony to how God might use our otherwise mundane lives for his glory. It’s also a wonderful example for others who might wish to record their own experience of God to pass on to the next generation.

Mike Phillips is the Vicar of Ormond Anglican Church, and a friend of the Asten family. The Golden Thread can be purchased at underthesun.net.au

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Written by: Peter Stone

Created: 01 June 2026

“It’s Complicated” 
Tim Davey
Green Hill Publishing, April 2025
Reviewed by Peter Stone

This work introduces us to a new acronym: FICDO. Faith-Inspired, Cause-Driven Organisation. Almost all of us are connected to one (or more) of these and some of us are deeply committed to its aims and their achievement. Many will probably be involved in some way with the organisation’s operations and governance. This book is especially focused on those folk.

The author helpfully maps the genetic makeup of these organisations:

• They are almost always complex. So few things are simple or straightforward.
• They have a social contract with supporters, stakeholders and paid staff related to faith and purpose. Often this is not clearly articulated or actively managed.
• They have a business model that is not widely understood. Assumptions are often based on limited knowledge or data. Measurement of impact is challenging at best.
• The interface with faith can be volatile and sometimes affects goal formation, strategy and management. Areas like risk management and the relationship with regulators can be challenging. It is this faith dimension that delineates FICDO’s from other not-for-profit organisations.

I have worked with the executive and boards of dozens of these organisations in the last twenty-five years and found myself nodding in agreement with Tim’s experience and observations as I read the book. These organisations are both wonderful and infuriating at the same time. Their purpose is almost always laudable but usually struggles to translate into operations, policy, strategy and culture. Sometimes this leads to catastrophic failure. Usually it results in constant low-level frustration and systemic conflict between (legitimate) stakeholders who bring expectations that are often irreconcilable.

One of the drivers of this syndrome is the challenge of finding, training and developing leaders in both management and governance who can rise to the task at hand. That task is evolving rapidly as ever more intrusive legislation and regulation demand attention and resources.

Child protection, risk management, financial probity, mandated reporting, privacy, data integrity, industrial relations (to name a few) have grown hungrier and grumpier over the last two decades. Then add social media and artificial intelligence to the mix. They demand more time, expertise and headspace than most of our inherited practices and policies envisaged or imagined. There are no easy or quick answers to this challenge.

However, there is wisdom gleaned from experience and reflection that can be helpful to guide thinking and practice. This book is a valuable contribution to that worthy goal.

It does this by confronting and wrestling with the overarching issue: complexity. Few people are comfortable with complexity and even fewer enjoy working with it. Most of us either want to run from engagement with it, deny its significance or seek simple answers to short-term manifestations. (Just reflect on how the media engages with complex issues for illustrations of these responses). The author Peter Senge helpfully observed that “there is no such place as away for problems to go to.” Henry Cloud defines integrity as “the courage to confront reality.” The beginning of wisdom is squaring up to the reality and impact of complexity. Tim Davey does that comprehensively in the first half of the book.

The second half looks at practical responses to the challenge.

It looks at the centrality of leadership as the foundation. This not just about knowledge or technique. Issues about character, accountability and calling are explored as well as more secular insights into effective leadership.

Importantly leadership is understood as the impact and influence of leaders at all levels, including governance.

He identities five unique capabilities requisite for leadership of FICDO’s.

• Light the way forward
• Hear and harness diverse voices
• Strive for excellence
• Eliminate fear
• Make space for wisdom

Each of these is explored with helpful guidance of how they play out in practice.

He then goes on to describe four unique attributes for FICDO leaders.

• A clear sense of personal identity
• Humility
• Courage
• Faithfulness

Again each is supplemented by practical suggestion and illustrations. Scripture is cited thoughtfully and helpfully.

The place of prayer is highlighted. The next major focus area is governance where Tim explores the specific role of the board in FICDO’s. He cites secular authorities and accepted standards. He goes on to thoughtfully explore how difficult it is to assemble, lead and make best use of a board amid this complexity. Staffing is then examined. Bringing in the right people, moving on the ones who don’t fit, enabling appropriate commitment managing performance and setting expectations are helpfully illustrated.

The outcome of all this will be an organisation’s culture. Tim ranges across how culture is formed, what a great

culture looks like, and specific traps that often ensnare

faith-based organisations. He then gives helpful clues on how to shape an effective culture.

The book closes with some helpful guidance:

• Do not lose sight of why you exist
• Recognise that you cannot eliminate risk
• Don’t mistake efficiency for effectiveness
• Strive to be faithful to the faith
• Be realistic about what can and should be achieved.
• Do not mistake ego for vision
• Accept that this may be messy
• Recognise that this is a different sector
• Support the people who work in the sector
• Do not give up

Amen to all that!

Peter Stone is a member of Merri Creek Anglican Church in Melbourne. He is a graduate of Regent College in Vancouver and has recently retired from twenty years as a consultant in strategy formation and implementation.

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Written by: Peter MacPherson

Created: 01 March 2026

Repackaging Christianity: Alpha and the Building of a Global Brand.

Andrew Atherstone
Hodder & Stoughton, 2023
Reviewed by Peter Macpherson

This is an easily readable account of Alpha’s origins and development over the past thirty years. The title might suggest it is a polemic but in essence it is a history. Andrew Atherstone, after all, is a serious ecclesiastical historian. He is Professor of Modern Anglicanism, Tutor in History and Doctrine at Oxford University and Latimer Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall. He lists his major research interests as “Anglicanism and Evangelicalism between the 18th and 21st centuries.” Although this is not a long book it concludes with 53 pages of endnotes, detailing Atherstone’s reliance on archives, diaries, interviews and parish magazines.

Alpha began in the late 1970s as an in-house discipleship course at an Anglican church in London called Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB). It was described as “a course on Christian foundations … designed to help those who want to go on in the Christian life” and had six sessions. The curate, Charles Marnham, ran the course in his flat above the church hall and food was provided because those attending were often coming straight from work.

Read more: Book Review: Repackaging Christianity: Alpha and the Building of a Global Brand

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Written by: Tim Collison

Created: 01 March 2026

Robert S. Smith
Lexham Academic February 2025
Reviewed by Tim Collison

Debates about ontology should be nothing new to Anglicans. Fifteen (depending on how you count them) of the Articles of Religion deal with the nature of what a person or an element is. The Articles’ concerns about how we see God, humanity, and what the sacraments are (or are not) demonstrate that trying to understand the nature of what things are is central to our understood identity.

We should then be equipped one, would think, to be able to participate in discussions about transgender issues. I suspect the reality is that most of us struggle with this. Either because we are concerned what people will think about what we might say, or we are unsure what we ourselves might think about it. It may even seem like it is not an issue we need to wrestle with. I doubt that there are many people in our congregations who are transitioning. Yet most of us will either need to provide pastoral care to enquirers about faith who are transitioning or answer the questions our congregations might have about this issue.

Read more: Book review: The Body God Gives: A Biblical Response to Transgender Theory

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Written by: Richard Trist

Created: 01 March 2026

Paul Arnott
Direct from author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., $35 plus postage.
Reviewed by Richard Trist

As you look at your bookshelves at home, or in your kindle or iPad libraries, do you see any Christian books written by Australian authors, or published by Australian publishers? Anything by John Dickson, Leon Morris, John Chapman or Robert Banks? Anything published by Matthias Press, Acorn Press, Albatross Books, National Church Life Survey? Anything purchased from an Australian bookshop such as Koorong, Word, Open Books, or the sadly missed Ridley College Bookshop?

Paul Arnott’s latest book, An Audacious Adventure: Independent Australian Christian Publishing, narrates the story of Australian Christian publishing over the past 50 years. It honours those in the past who stepped out in faith (often on a shoestring budget!) to promote Australian authors. It also points forward to the next generation of writers and bloggers and podcasters who will help shape the Australian church into the future.

Arnott begins the book with the story of On Being magazine, published in Melbourne by Baptist pastor Kevin Smith in the 1970s. This non-denominational evangelical publication was very influential in its time, with an estimated readership of over 35,000 people. I remember as a young, isolated schoolteacher living in country NSW, eagerly awaiting its delivery each month. It was a heady mix of news items, articles and stories, and sought to bridge the gap between biblical conservativism and social radical activism. Arnott suggests that although at times accused of being anti-church, it had the welfare of the church at its heart and, unlike social media today, was a forum where contentious issues could be safely discussed. Financial constraints caused its closure in the early 2000’s.

The next chapter, “Five determined Anglicans”, is the story of Acorn Press, and a famous meeting in 1979 where John Wilson, Kevin Engel, Alan Nichols, David Williams, and Janet Wyatt, each laid down a $100 note, to commence the new enterprise. They saw the need for Australian Christian writers to be published locally rather having to seek an overseas publisher. From that modest beginning Acorn Press went on to produce bestselling books such as Bishop Ray Smith’s People Caring for People, Charles Sherlock’s Pastoral Handbook for Anglicans, and the popular songbook Praise for All Seasons.

The stories of Albatross Books, ANZEA Publishing and Scripture Union are covered in the next chapter. Arnott deftly explores the perils and pitfalls of independent publishing, and how decisions to partner with bigger overseas publishers (in the case of Albatross with Lion Publishing from the UK) had some devastating consequences. I found his interviews with many of the Albatross authors inspiring, especially their processes of turning ideas for a book into reality. An encouragement for all of us who aspire to write.

Probably my favourite chapter was the one describing the genesis of Matthias Media, which continues to be such an important resource for evangelicals today. I was astonished to read that its well-known evangelistic tract Two Ways to Live has sold 4.1 million copies worldwide and has been translated into Chinese, Spanish, Japanese and French. Arnott suggests that the key to the success of Matthias Media has been Its prioritisation of conservative theology and its resistance to commercialisation. It has been strategic in avoiding an over-reliance on generating sales only through Christian bookshops, instead building direct links to customers through conferences and focussed marketing. It is an amazing story!

Much more is covered in An Audacious Adventure including a discussion on the importance of Australian Christian newspapers and journals including New Life, Zadok Perspectives, and Eternity. and the decline of quality Christian print literature in a shifting media landscape. He also describes the downside to the rapid loss of Christian bookshops across the country with only one dominant player remaining, Koorong Books.

Paul Arnott is to be congratulated for undertaking this task of recording the rise and fall of Christian publishing in Australia, and for exploring what this might mean for the future. The book is a worthwhile read and will appeal to anyone with an interest in writing, publishing, and engaging Australians with the gospel.

Richard Trist is Chaplain to the Anglican Institute Ridley College.