OCCASIONALLY there comes from the press a book, the reading of which is both profitable and enjoyable. This is such a book. In the summer of 1952 Dr. Henry and the present reviewer had the privilege of visiting the Holy Land under the auspices of the Winona Lake Flying Seminar. The reviewer confined himself to enjoying the trip; Dr. Henry not only enjoyed the trip, he also wrote a book about it. And it is a fascinating book. The Christian who has longed to visit Palestine will find here a remarkable account of a modern pilgrimage. Once he has begun to read he will not wish to lay the book down until he has finished what will seem to him an all too short account of present day Palestine.
Dr. Henry writes with the pen of an accurate and observing reporter, and, as we read, it is almost as though we were actually taking the trip described. We are taken first to Paris. However, the author does not merely give us a guide-book account of the city. He does not merely take us through museum after museum. Not at all. He puts us down right in the midst of modern Paris and presents us with an engaging account of modern French life and problems. We receive the impression that we are actually learning something worthwhile about the country. Best of all we are shown the country through a Christian interpretation. We have been entertained, and that quite royally; but more than that, we have been instructed, for we are reminded that the destinies of the nations of today lie in the hands of Almighty God. As we read what the author has to say about France we are more grateful than before for the blessings which God has seen fit to bestow upon America. And is there not need for a genuine repentance in America lest the calamities and misfortunes which have befallen other nations should also come upon us?
From France we are taken to Italy, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and finally to the Hashemite Kingdom of the Jordan, where we pause at Jerusalem. It is truly remarkable to note how much Dr. Henry's eye has observed. We are brought up to date with the situation in Jerusalem, and at the same time we are constantly being presented with the relation of the modern city to the Bible. There is a fine blending of the modern and the ancient in this discussion of the Biblical lands. One who intends to visit the Holy Land could hardly do better than begin his preparation by a careful reading of this book.
We travel next to Greece, and then to Switzerland and England, and as we travel we learn. The book is well illustrated with clear photographs, and these enable the reader to visualize somewhat the places about which he is reading. The last chapter brings us home again to America which Dr. Henry calls the "Land in the Valley of Decision." After such a journey, it is time to reflect upon our own land which, we are told, is building “—on a humanistic culture—" and so “may have but a rubbled glory." The book closes with a sermon which Dr. Henry preached on Mars Hill.
There are two principal points at which the present reviewer finds himself in disagreement with the author. Dr. Henry is a Baptist, and he substitutes the word "immersion" for “baptism." Thus, for example, he speaks of Christ's being immersed in the Jordan River (page 99). We do not believe that the evidence will substantiate this substitution of "immersion" for “baptism." The second point at which we are in disagreement is that the author finds in the modern state of Israel a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies (page 183ft). With this interpretation we cannot agree, for we think that the prophets of the Old Testament had in mind something far greater than a material state of Israel. But Dr. Henry has stated his convictions clearly and forcefully.
This is a book which should be read not only by those who wish to visit Palestine. It is a book that should be read by every earnest Christian who wishes to be abreast of modern developments in the promised land. It is also a book that should be read by all who wish, for a time, to forget the every day world of hum-drum existence, and to delight themselves with glimpses of the fascinating lands on the shores of the Mediterranean.