Thoughts on Fellowship, W. Carl Ketcherside, Mission Messenger, St. Louis, 1962, $3.50.

This is a reprint edition of Mission Messenger for 1957-58, edited by Carl Ketcherside. This is the only way to get all the copies for these years, and it will someday be a collector’s item. The reprint issue is well named, for many of the editorials bear the title Thoughts on Fellowship, and many of the articles and correspondence have to do with problems on unity and fellowship.

Editor Ketcherside is obviously a concerned man, as editors should be, and he is the kind of writer that bears a re-reading. If you have read the editor’s writings for these years, but have let the copies get away from you, here is a splendid way to have them preserved in your library, to read again and again, and to mark certain passages for further study in depth. Few editors have as much to say as Ketcherside, and few can say it so well.

Protestant-Catholic Marriage, C. Stanley Lowell, Broadman Press, Nashville, 1962, $2.75.

Anyone contemplating a mixed marriage, whether he be Jewish, Roman Catholic, or Protestant, should read this book. It has an urgent message, and it sets forth facts that are disturbing. The chapter on “Living With It” will cause anyone to think twice before getting into it. The official Roman Catholic position is explained fairly, with the oaths and requirements included.

Christian is the Name of the Church, J. O. Hunt, published by author, 1962, $4.00.

The author of this work not only believes that “Christian Church” is the name for the congregation of Christ, but that it is only in this Name that unity is possible. It may be that his arguments are less than persuasive, but he deserves a hearing, and here is hoping he will get one. Some of us are convinced that the church has no name as such, and that this matter is not as vital as Mr. Hunt thinks; but his concern is commendable, and it is best to let each reader decide for himself.

The People of The Way, by a Saint to the Saints, Bible Truth Depot, Swengel, Pa., 1961, $3.75.

The anonymous author of this book is a Baptist minister that does not talk like a Baptist. As in our own case, this man is concerned greatly about unity and fellowship. It is a daring book. He calls on well-known evangelical leaders to call a mass meeting in which they shall declare themselves “The People of the Way,” thus breaking down all the party names and sectarian conditions of fellowship. He says these men, whom he calls by name, should declare: “We have pledged to the Lord, and to each other, that from that day forward (some date they decide on) there shall be only one condition for fellowship among us: the individual’s faith in Jesus Christ, his confession of that faith, and his willingness to take his stand with THE PEOPLE OF THE WAY.” He believes that something great can and will happen for those who seek the unity of the Sprit. This “movement” for unity will begin at the grassroots: “The saints of God, the humble saints, that is, are sick and tired of all the feuding that is going on. They want to live for the Lord, and they dislike being made the pawns in the hands of leaders whose contradictory causes make fellowship among them impossible. There is a cry arising in the hearts of the Israel of God; they want to be delivered from their slavery.” You’d better let us send you this book, for we can’t tell it all here.

The Ministry of the Laity, F. O. Ayres, Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1962, $2.50.

Too many books are too highly priced. This one is not, and it is most certainly worth the reading. Mr. Ayres’ premise is that all saints of God are ministers, whether they realize it or not. From this premise he goes on to answer a very vital question: what does it mean to be a Christian? The answer is that it means to be a servant or minister of Christ, and the author enlarges upon this magnificently. His chapters on Awareness (“You are a minister; therefore be aware”) and Affirmation (“You are a minister; therefore affirm life”) are urgent pleas for an awakening of the modern church. Much better than most of our own people does Mr. Ayres grasp the concept of the ministry of all believers.

The King of the Earth, Erich Sauer, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1962, $3.95.

The subtitle of this weighty book is “the nobility of man according to the Bible and Science,” which summarizes the content of the famous Erich Sauer’s latest work. It is man who is the king of the earth, made so by the fiat of God. If you are looking for a study of man from the Christian perspective, this is it. Some chapter titles alone should motivate you: Man the crown of creation, the earthly kingship of man, the divine nobility of true Christian living, holiness and glory. There is extended treatment of questions regarding creation. This book is for the more serious student, and yet it is not technical or abstruse.