Redeeming the Routines
Tim Vickers reviews 'Redeeming the Routines - Bringing Theology to Life' by Robert Banks
Don't be put off by the book's title; this is a refreshing, practical and highly stimulating book. Redeeming the Routines is quite simply about putting Christ at the centre of everything we do. And Banks really means 'everything'; all the everyday things of life that perhaps we've never thought about - commuting and telephoning, as well as work and parenting. Rightly, Banks points out that it is only by having Christ at the centre that we can consider any aspect of our lives to be truly redeemed. However, the divide between the sacred and secular that is so common in Christian circles has meant that many of us have no idea what it really means to have Christ at the centre of the apparently mundane stuff of normal human existence. Banks' chief objective is to encourage Christians to "wrestle with the relevance of everyday experience" in order to develop our understanding of God, and our obedience to Him. He sets about achieving this by blending thought-provoking practicality with thought-provoking theological reflection.
Of course, you can't do everything in 200 pages, and inevitably the book skims across the surface of a number of complex issues. Nevertheless, I came away with my head full of ideas of how to apply this helpful thinking to my own life, and also confident that I'd be going back to this book again and again for fresh stimulus. If you're stuck in a rut, or even feel that the routines of life are unglamorous and take up too much time, then have a go at this book. It won't give you all the answers, but it may help you to see how every part of your life could be of profound interest to our Lord, our Creator and our Redeemer.
Redeeming the Routines is published by Baker Books, 2001
Tim Vickers
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