Salt Light and Cities on Hills by Melvin Tinker

Salt, Light and Cities on Hills by Melvin Tinker

Salt, Light and Cities on Hills provides an in depth yet comprehensive look at evangelism and social action in light of a Christian's stability in Christ.
 Although quite the in-depth book, this book was concise. It is a practical approach for the reader who is willing to concentrate on the text and really meditate on the doctrines presented therein. The author took great pains to explain many doctrines of old and present day in regard to evangelism and social actions. I want to emphasize that this book is a very specific book for those interested in the subject contained within the pages. Do not pick up this book if you are not prepared to study the topic. It is not an inspirational or devotional book, but a study in itself. If you don't understand the point of this book, you will not be able to grasp the doctrines within it. Once you have understood the author's goal with this paperback book, you will then be able to profit from the lessons. Read, and go forth being salt and light to the world!

Personally, I found this book hard to get in to. It requires a full attention span and dilligence in reading; something I am sure many Bible scholars have a full store of. I do usually, but sometimes I run into books I just can't quite digest as well. Nevertheless, I read the entire book and thought it was interesting. I simply must re-read it at a different time and concentrate on each chapter more thoroughly.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

More about the book: 
Is it possible to co-ordinate evangelism and social action in such a way that it reflects faithfully the pattern of the New Testament; enabling each to reinforce the other while avoiding the extremes of exclusive gospel proclamation on the one hand and the collapsing of evangelism into social action on the other? How has the present situation of tension and controversy amongst evangelicals on this issue come about? Are there lessons which we can learn from our evangelical forebears? How does what they believed and acted contrast with their 21st century theological offspring? What might a biblically shaped and theologically informed co-ordination between evangelistic activity and social action look like on the ground in 21st century Britain? These are some of the questions Melvin Tinker explores in this book in the hope of moving beyond caricatured, entrenched positions to a better rounded and clearly recognizable evangelical appreciation.