In a secular society where we hear a lot of negative facts and opinions about the church (church attendance is at an all-time low; and most people consider the church to be irrelevant today), we could easily fall into the trap of thinking that the church has a bleak future. Body Beautiful seeks to ‘recapture in a popular and readily accessible manner the vibrant vision that the Bible offers of what the church is and can be’.

The book considers many different themes. Each chapter opens with a Bible passage and the authors enhance our understanding of the church through it without delving into other material. Some of the main themes addressed include: the marks of a [good] church, the calling of the church, and the future of the church. Questions designed for discussion or further personal thought are included at the back of the book.

The chapter on worship in the church was particularly useful to me, with clear, thought provoking points. Tinker and Buttery are critical of ‘Old Testament religion in New Testament guise’. They cite the example of Catholicism, which offers sacrifices on an altar for our sins during Mass. Instead of a biblical perspective of everyone being able to approach God through Christ (eg Heb 10:19-22), a barrier is artificially created whereby only ‘holy’ intermediaries are allowed in the presence of God. Equally, at the charismatic end of the church, they suggest a reliance on ‘worship leaders’ to create the correct moods in coming to God is unhealthy.

Personally I found Body Beautiful to be a refreshing read. Much literature about the church today appears to be speculative or non-Bible focused, which this book is not. I found it beneficial to be reminded about the glorious eternal future that the church has to look forward to (eg Rev 21:22-22:5), which was simply addressed in the last chapter, ‘The future of the church’. This chapter challenged me always to see the church’s future as God does and to live life today with the perspective of our glorious eternal future. I’m glad I rescued this book from the ever-increasing ‘books to read’ pile!

Rebecca Williams is a clinical student at St George’s Hospital Medical School, London