Articles - Book Reviews - Malcolm Goldsmith

"Knowing Me: Knowing God", by Malcolm Goldsmith. Published by Triangle. ISBN 0-281-04769-3. Price Ł4.99.

"I think our church services should be more .....". You can fill in your own blank. We've all got our own views of how church ought to be, and more often why it ought not to be the way it currently is. The comments we make about our church tend to say less about the traditions, teaching, and theology of the church we belong to than about ourselves. That's because we "bring ourselves" to church: That is, we don't leave behind the rich mixture of genetics, upbringing and experience that makes us the unique individuals we are, when we come along on a Sunday morning. Part of this unique mixture is the particular way in which we understand God, and how we believe people should relate to God.

Diversity in the way we understand God and Church can feel a threat sometimes, but it's actually one of the richest gifts that God has given to us. God allows us to understand more of him through the experiences and faith of others. This book is about how we can appreciate the strengths (and weaknesses) of the multiplicity of ways that God is known by ourselves and others.

Malcolm Goldsmith guides the reader through an understanding of how our personality can shape the ways we relate to God. He offers a simple methodology to help us understand our own spirituality, and goes on to explain how we can use this understanding to further our experience of God and better appreciate the experiences of others. However, this is not ultimately a book for individuals. Rather, it seeks to serve the greater unity of the Church through our understanding and appreciation of each other and the faith we share.