Book Giveaway! Keep the Faith

Dear all, I am excited.

Mum in Zone One‘s Birthday is coming up, so it’s gift time.  We are giving away three copies of Keep the Faith by Martin Ayers.  I asked my beautiful sister, Ta, to write a review of this book for you, since I know she found it really useful and encouraging.  I could have written a review myself, because I too found it very helpful, but the author is my (biological) brother, so I thought it would be too biased!  So don’t take it from me, take it from Ta (who is not my biological sister.  Nobody calls their children Martin, Catherine and Ta.  That would be crazy.)

So, if you would like to receive a free copy of this unique and excellent book, please comment below (click on the little speech bubble, top right) and I will draw names out of a hat (or maybe a stacking cup) on Saturday.  Two, no four, no five things to point out:

1. Entering this competition is not an admission of being crippled with doubts (although that is nothing to be ashamed of either)!  It’s a great book for any Christian to read!
2. I’m really sorry but I can only send copies out to UK addresses.  Perhaps in the future we will have an international giveaway!
3. Between you and me, your chances are pretty good.  Not very many people read my blog.  And of those that do, many are my friends who I know already have a copy of this book!
4. Remember to share this link if you know anyone else who might like a free book on how to doubt your doubts!
5. One year in, I think I’ve finally figured out how to allow comments on the bottom of a blog post!  (We’re very professional here.)

Thank you for entering!  And thank you, Ta, for the review!  (She says she’s not good at this sort of thing, but I think you will disagree.)

Book Review: Martin Ayers, Keep the Faith

“I am a doubter by nature. A disbeliever; a second guesser.

And, of course, this painfully carries true into my Christian faith.

Doubt isn’t dissimilar to pain. It might just be a little infrequent niggle, but it also has the power to overwhelm and shake us violently. Or numb us into resignation. Either way, it is very real.

And whether we acknowledge it or not, doubt saturates the air we breathe.

But, rather than letting our faith be suffocated, may I recommend this book to you? Of course, it isn’t going to magically fix all of our issues of doubt in one sitting, however well-penned, but it does offer succinct, sympathetic support on how we might tackle the issue.

Martin Ayers explores what the Bible itself says on the matter, dissecting doubt at its root, by taking us back to “The Fall”. He shows that objectivity is really an impossibility – despite what the current trendy philosophies of “relativism”, “secularism” and “atheism” would have us believe.

We are truth suppressors. God rejectors. This is not due to a lack of evidence or intellectual ability. In fact, faith and doubt are not primarily issues of intellect, reason or science. Faith and doubt are spiritual issues, and it is only God’s gracious revelation that allows us to see things as He does.

Perhaps it is time we doubted our doubts and shifted our thinking. The stakes are indeed high, no less than a matter of life and death.

In the face of doubt, Martin Ayers delves into the Bible. Yes, reading the Bible in the face of doubt is counter-intuitive and, frankly, down-right hard. But persevere, and you may be surprised to find reassurance in the consistency of God’s Word.

So don’t shy away. Let this book guide you to the Bible. No amount of doubt, disbelief or scepticism can weaken or break any of God’s truth or promises.”

(Incidentally, if you’d like to hear Ta’s deeply moving testimony, please find it here.)