Romans: A Letter that Makes Sense of Life by Andrew Ollerton 

'A gem - an opportunity to come to understand Paul even without the help of your minister'

Romans: A Letter that Makes Sense of Life
By Andrew Ollerton
Hodder and Stoughton
ISBN 978-1-399-80642-8
Reviewer: Pieter Lalleman

 
On the cover of this book, Andrew Ollerton is called ‘author of The Bible Course’. This is a recent course by Bible Society, which was well received in my church, not least because of the excellent films.  

Bible Society has now launched a course on Romans, with versions for small groups and for entire churches, and my small group is looking forward to it. The present book, not published by the Bible Society but by Hodder, is the companion to this course. It deals with Paul’s famous Letter in ten chapters which each consist of two parts. The book is easy to read and it can therefore be accessed by most church members.

For theologians who studied Romans before, it does not bring much that is new. That is, apart from the overarching metaphor that Ollerton uses and that is brought out well by the book’s cover and illustrations: the metaphor of climbing a mountain. 

As the back cover says, ‘If the New Testament were the Himalayas, Romans would be Mount Everest and chapter eight would be the summit.’ Ollerton is an eager climber himself and weaves many stories about the mountain exploits of him and his family through his explanation of Romans.  

Quotations from Romans and from scholars are printed in large font. Various pictograms guide the reader through the argument and the language is trendy. The problems and cruxes in the interpretation of Romans are not addressed, which is a good decision at this level.

Ollerton follows Romans from major thought to major thought; not all verses are discussed. He is helpfully explicit about his ethical choices. There are some questions for personal reflection.  

I was educated by Ollerton’s discussion of Romans 9 and 13, and happily surprised by Romans 11, whereas the treatment of Romans 10 seems weak (and comes after chapter 11).

Do we need this book? I think it’s a gem. Recently on Facebook a group of Baptist ministers shared that they hardly ever preach from Paul, and nearly always from the (Synoptic) Gospels. I hope that some of these colleagues will pick up this book as a help for themselves and their congregations. 

Alternatively, if you are a member of a church where the diet is largely or exclusively Gospels, here is your opportunity to come to understand Paul even without the help of your minister.
 

Dr Pieter J. Lalleman is the minister of Knaphill Baptist Church