To mark 150 years from its foundation in 1845, The National Club of the United Kingdom produced this book as 'a clear statement of what the The National Club wanted to see on the nation's agenda for the future'. It is a collection of essays by leading Christian experts and makes both a state-of-the-art summary of where we are now and a clear statement of where we could and should be going. Most readers of Triple Helix would be familiar with at least half the authors. Perhaps recent changes in Britain mean that perceptions of the old political understandings of 'left, right and centre' are fading, but overall I did not detect such a right-of-centre feel as might have been expected.

Edited by a consultant physician, five of the fifteen chapters are specifically about healthcare issues, and all the others are relevant to the big-picture understanding needed by health professionals, whether committed Christians or not. The book covers 'What makes a nation great?', national values, the role of the monarch, morality and the marketplace, education, the family, personal money management, the National Lottery, priorities for health, euthanasia, genetic manipulation, pornography, substance abuse, the environment, and 'a Christian lifestyle'.

I enjoyed every chapter and because of my own areas of ignorance found those on the economy, education and gambling most rewarding. The book is a beautifully produced hardback, which to be sold at £12.99 must have had considerable subsidy. It is a pity therefore that the standard of proofreading falls off dramatically towards the end and mars the presentation.

This is a timely snapshot which should concentrate our thinking and praying about our personal, our professional, and our national lives.

Reviewed by
Andrew Fergusson
(Editor)