Book review
God's Panoply
by Anne Hamilton
God's Panoply
Any time I read a book by Anne Hamilton I find she makes me
confront some ideas I had not encountered or thought about before. I
particularly loved the story of the Maori people who initially had no word for forgiveness.
But only knew payback and the cultural obstacle this caused for missionaries. The
same with the Vikings.
Anne goes on to tackle a verse in Ephesians that manages to get
a lot of people, particularly women, offside. The main reason for that is, as
she explains, a misunderstanding of what the verse is saying. I had heard the explanation
Anne arrived at, once before in a talk by someone else but I felt it was far
more clearly and comprehensively explained in this book than in the talk.
The illustration about geese is another one that stayed in
my mind, so much so that I ended up writing a poem about geese. Yet it is not
really about geese at all, but learning from them. The geese come into play a
bit further in the book too as a cheer squad – a great image. Have I whetted
your appetite to read this book yet? To my mind it one that many of us could do
with reading as it clears up what can often is misunderstandings of verses and
concepts.
Anne makes her points eloquently and uses clear illustrations.
I loved the one about the gold box of kisses and the way she applies it to Psalm
2. I admit to being challenged to try the Christmas celebration idea with our
family.
Anne is very well read and, as anyone who has read her other
books will know, she introduces examples from legends, poetry, nature and
various sources that invariably shed more light on the Bible and our understanding
of God. This book is a treasure trove of ideas. If you want a book that will
make you think, that will challenge you and bear, no more than likely require,
more than one reading then this book is for you. And how about the cover? Isn’t
it gorgeous?
reviewed by Dale Harcombe
Dale writes fiction and poetry as well as bible studies and devotionals. Her current novel is Streets on a Map.
Dale writes fiction and poetry as well as bible studies and devotionals. Her current novel is Streets on a Map.
