The Air We Breathe

The book blurb says, "In this fascinating book, Glen Scrivener takes readers on a journey to discover how the teachings of Jesus not only turned the ancient world upside down, but continue to underpin the way we think of life, worth, and meaning. Far from being a relic from the past, the distinctive ideas of Christianity, such as freedom, kindness, progress and equality, are a crucial part of the air that we breathe. As author Glen Scrivener says in his introduction: "The extraordinary impact of Christianity is seen in the fact that we don't notice it".

This is a book for both believers and sceptics--giving Christians confidence to be open about their faith and showing non-Christians the ways in which the message of Jesus makes sense of their most cherished beliefs."

This was the last book we discussed , and so we opted for the briefest of summaries of our discussion. This was that whilst we didn't agree with all the claims of the author, we did agree that he provided many solid examples of how Christianity has and does influence believers and non-believers alike in an overwhelmingly positive way. In particular, it has shaped widely shared views on values such as equality, compassion, consent, education, science, freedom and a drive to improve society's views on what is, and is not, acceptable behaviour. Like the air we breathe however, we tend not to notice it.

Peter Green