The Ascent by Peter Grant 

Accessible story using metaphor of a journey for the Christian life, alongside illustrations applying the story to living the Christian life

The Ascent
By Peter Grant
Onwards and Upwards
ISBN: 978-1-911086-90-1
Reviewed by: Jeannie Kendall

The Ascent is a short and simple book outlining a journey up a mountain with Jesus. Like books before it such as Pilgrim’s Progress and Hind’s Feet on High Places, it uses the metaphor of a journey for the Christian life. The story section is very short, just 25 pages of which about half are simple illustrations. It is followed by a second section of about the same length, but with only small repeats of the illustrations, applying the story to living the Christian life.

There is a simplicity, almost innocence, about this book which will appeal to many and it is a very easy and short read. To get the best out of it the different elements of the story definitely need to be combined with the application in the second section, and personally I felt it would have been better to combine them rather than separate them out, to enable readers to more easily read a section and put it into practice before moving on.

While appropriate to any stage of the Christian journey, I wonder if it is best suited as a gift to those just starting out on it.

The author is donating all royalties from the book to the work of Restored, a charity dedicated to ending violence against women, which I think is really commendable.

Jeannie Kendall is co-minister of Carshalton Beeches Baptist church and a member of the Sutton Street Pastors’ Management Board