I am not a fan of the theological tome. Books that one has to struggle through endlessly simply to discover the author’s view on a relatively unimportant or obscure ecumenical matter fill me with dread, and I tend to skim through them without taking much in.

It is, therefore, always a pleasure to discover an author who is clearly gifted at writing putting across something of great interest that will have an enduring impact on one’s life, in a concise and enjoyable manner. Just like our old friend Ockham and his razor, I believe in simplicity in life, as far too often we overcomplicate things!

‘Cross Examined’ is, as you may have by now inferred, pleasantly short, or at least it certainly seems so. I found it slipped down my throat in just two days like an agreeable egg custard, and yet its content remains with me, far more so than the weighty doctrines of the aforesaid volumes. It is incredibly readable; analogies of all sorts are used, and effortlessly woven into the text, to convey the most important of messages in an approach that must surely have universal appeal.

Meynell does what so many long to do; he puts God in the dock for a ‘cross examination’. Rather than preach pointlessly at the atheist, he puts himself in their position and carefully and thoroughly considers the evidence against and for the Christian God. Inevitably this leads very soon to the cross, for if the death and resurrection of Jesus did not happen then the Christian faith is a farce, but if they did, (and I won’t spoil it by telling you the outcome!) then Meynell suggests that the tables might be turned somewhat, with us ending up in the dock, and facing a cross examination ourselves, from the ultimate judge.

Meynell is very empathetic with his reader; he uses many examples and quotations from modern literature and media to assess the way the modern world is thinking and how this relates to the message of Christianity.

If you only buy one book this year, may I truly recommend this one, especially for non-Christians eager to hear a fair analysis. If the message of Christianity is untrue, you have nothing to lose by reading it – indeed if you’re clever you can get it out of the CU library (available after the Christian Union meeting every Saturday, or by request – email mw558@york.ac.uk) for free, and if it turns out to have some truth in it, then you have everything to gain by finding out!