Peter Costello
Fearfully & Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God’s Image
by Dr Paul Brand & Philip Yancey (Hodder Books, £9.99; Kindle edition, £9.99)
These days, with the daily news dominated by medical fears of all kinds and our inability to cope, many people all too conscious of the frailties of the human body and the effects that illness has on the mind and spirit. Wellness, mindfulness, these seem to many to be a distant illusion, mirages of an age of plenty. Here is an answer of a kind to such current fears that takes a more positive view of creation.
This book unites under one cover two previously published books (now edited together in combination) from these two best-selling writers. Mr Yancey is a journalist who has sold some 16 million copies. By contrast, Dr Brand is renowned for his work with patients affected by leprosy, now more often called Hansen’s disease. This condition was once a worldwide affliction; but is now coming under control and is fully curable. It is highly infectious and spreads much as Covid-19 does.
The case of leprosy is an instance that even the most fearful disease can be curable following scientific advice and personal care.
But these two books, however, are not about our frailties, but rather the magnificent nature and workings of the human body – indeed the extraordinary nature of all life as a whole.
Theme
The theme is that the various parts of the body are working together through the brain and through the subconscious nature of life. There is “one body, many parts”. The body is the model of who all things should work together for the good of all.
But the authors write not only as experts but also as Christians.
In these pages they also explore the nature of the Body of Christ in relation to the wonders of the physical actuality. It is the human nature which Christ took upon himself (they argue) that modern science reveals, but which needs to be understood too as a way to exploring also the unifying nature of mystical body of Christ.
The book is written in a plain informative style, but gives expression to a Christian vision of man’s nature and spirit which many will find an enthralling but also reassuring read.
To cheer yourself up about just how wonderful things working well together can be, buy and read this book.