RELIGIOUS BOOKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 August 1939, Page 3

RELIGIOUS BOOKS

THE DIVINE DRAMA. Dorothy L. Sayers, who is known to fame chiefly as a writer of detective stories, makes in “Strong Meat,” a pamphlet of 44 pages, an appeal for a vigorous and straightforward presentation of the Christian religion. “Let us, in Heaven’s name,” she says, “drag out the* Divine Drama from under the dreadful accumulation of slip-shod thinking and trashy sentiment heaped upon it, and set it on an open stage to starlie the world into some sort of vigorous reaction. If the pious are the first to be shocked, so much the worse for the pious—others will pass into the Kingdom of Heaven before them.” Miss Sayers fights a battle on two fronts —against those “who heartily dislike and despise Christianity without having the faintest notion what it is” and against the Christian who practises what she calls the “Seven Deadly Virtues”—respectability, childishness, mental timidity, dullness, sentimentality, censoriousness and depression of spirits.” Miss Sayers flails and denounces also the modern inclination to leave it to youth to build a better world. Christianity, she declares, is a religion for adult men and: "To look forward, we must believe in age.” CHRISTIAN BROTHERHOOD. The spirit of Christian brotherhood, broadly conceived, is the theme of "Brotherhood,” by Hugh Redwood, author of “God in the Slums” and other well-known religious books. Of his latest brochure the author says that its chapters contain material from a number of pulpit and platform addresses —some of them elaborations of newspaper sermonettes. "But they are all strung on the thread of brotherhood,” he adds, “and because of that I hope they may interest those who, whatever their religious affiliations, believe that in Christ all_ men are brethren, engaged on their Father’s business." Dealing with brotherhood in various ispocts, Mr. Redwood writes always as >ne who believes that “there is a voice that troubles Israel still, end the time : s ripe for a new challenge,” and who nficipnies in faith the emptying of ['also temples and the spiritual awakn’ng of mankind. Too above publications, copies of c’n have been received from Mr W. . S art. Sydney agents for Messrs. ■I ddci- anil Stoughton, Ltd., may be jb'.a.ned from all booksellers.