Chris Radley
ISBN 9781853454523 (1853454524)
CWR, 2008 (104pp)
£7.99

Category: Prayer and Poetry

This fascinating little book took me by surprise, both delighting me and disappointing me in equal measure.

It delighted me in the beginning with the author's eloquence and passion: Chris Radley writes clearly and dynamically; and he is evidently a man with a deep love for his Lord and for this prayer, a prayer which, according to the Gospels, was taught directly by Jesus himself to his disciples.

Radley describes the prayer as having "taken up permanent residence" in his head, in the well known, traditional language version found in the Book of Common Prayer:

Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.

Radley's writing captivates at the outset; there's no going back:

This is personal. From the moment that I had it off by heart, the Lord's Prayer became a constant in my life. It was there for some time before I found my faith in adulthood, the celestial equivalent of having a dedicated line installed before connecting up the computer. Now it elbows into my thought whether I summon it or not. Often it has some part of me praying before the rest of me has caught up. At night it invades my unguarded moments to remind me of my self-absorption or my mortality. By day it can occasionally come to mind when my concentration is otherwise fruitlessly directed. It knows when it hasn't been said for too long... (Opening paragraph, p.11, from Chapter 1: The Undeniable Light)

The book itself is attractively presented, ideal for the gift book market, a large-pocket sized hardback. It has seven short chapters following the theme of light:

1. The Undeniable Light
2. The Reflected Light
3. The Lingering Light
4. The Daily Light
5. The Unquenchable Light
6. The Directional Light
7. The Lifelong Light

In the end, however, I was disappointed. Perhaps I was expecting too much: for me, the promised light failed to dawn and the publisher's promise on the back cover — of a book that "encourages us to look with fresh eyes upon these familiar words and let God illuminate the path before us" — failed to take shape. Rather than the exploration of the Lord's Prayer itself I'd hoped for, I was treated to an extended excursus around it, looking at its history, its variants and translations, its presence on the internet; but no meditation or journey through its themes, little reflection on what it means to pray this same prayer day in, day out.

That's not to say that there are no pointers. We're reminded early on (p.13) that with its repeated use of the words us and our, this is an "unarguably communal" prayer, yet one that "feels private"; and Radley admits to being troubled (like many of us, I suspect) by the line, "Lead us not into temptation" with its implicit suggestion that God might lead us there: "every time — after countless times — I stumble again over that opening verb and am tempted to question where it leads me." (p.77).

The impression the book left me with was that I was reading about some sort of magical spell, a formula for instant spiritual connection rather than a pattern for prayer: instant prayer for an instant coffee generation. The message seemed to be that these words and their sequence possess a life of their own, imbued with supernatural power by Jesus himself, so that even Google's search algorithms can't resist them (pp.91-96).

To sum up, then: as mentioned earlier, this is an attractively presented book, an ideal product for the burgeoning Christian gift market — a "gathering of Lord's Prayer fact and fascination" (p.15) as the author himself describes it. If that's the kind of approach you're looking for, you'll appreciate this little volume; but if you're looking for a book to help someone grow in prayer or deepen their spiritual life, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.

Phil Groom, March 2008

Phil Groom is this site's Webmaster and Reviews Editor. He's a regular contributor to Christian Marketplace magazine and is the manager of London School of Theology Books & Resources. Any opinions expressed here are personal and should not be taken as representing the views of London School of Theology or of any other group or organisation.  

Publisher's Info: Sample Pages (pdf)

Authors | Categories | Publishers | Reviewers | Titles