Steve Goss: 'Free to Be Yourself', 'Win the Daily Battle', 'Break Free, Stay Free', 'The YOU God Planned', (Monarch Books, 2008, each about 100 pages).

As a pastor-evangelist, I'm always looking for materials to give to new Christians. If they're adults or young adults, and not necessarily tertiary-educated, and perhaps a bit disenchanted with routine-church, here's excellent value... These small booklets can be carried around in your pocket or handbag, with good evangelical wisdom about what the Christian life is all about.

Steve Goss is a marketing person, currently running a part-time mail-order business as well as directing 'Freedom in Christ' Ministries in the UK. His mentor, Neil Anderson, the founder of FIC Ministries, was an aerospace engineer, Episcopal church warden, etc. but had a mid-life conversion experience. He spent the rest of his life conducting seminars and writing books. (Several of his well-written devotional articles are on the John Mark Ministries website).

C.S.Lewis said something to the effect that people enter the Christian faith via the conservative end of the theological spectrum, and if they turn out to be theologically liberal later, that means they've succumbed to more sophisticated ideas from authors and teachers and preachers.

Well, these books are conservative theologically. FIC's doctrinal basis gives some idea of their approach: 'The Bible is the inspired, infallible, and only authoritative word of God... The Lord Jesus Christ commanded all believers to proclaim the gospel throughout the world and to disciple men [sic] of every nation.' You get the idea.

These little books share what the Bible says about achieving high self-esteem, doing battle with the world, the flesh and the devil, practical life-issues like dealing with your past, your various emotions etc., and how to be a fulfilled Christian.

If you're looking for a more radical approach to Christian discipleship with a social justice flavour, you won't find much of that here. Perhaps you'll bundle these books up with Jim Wallis' latest offering 'Seven Ways to Change the World' to present a more holistic Christianity.

Rowland Croucher

July 2008.