Romans: A letter that makes sense of life

by Andrew Ollerton

With his trademark straightforward teaching style, Andrew Ollerton leads us through Romans - one of the most theologically complex books of the Bible - to discover how an understanding of Paul's longest letter unlocks the whole story of Scripture.

It's been said that if the New Testament were the Himalayas, Romans would be Mount Everest. The chapters of this book therefore imagine the contents of the letter as a great mountain landscape - complex, challenging but highly rewarding. Together, we will take on the challenge of ascending to the summit, taking in the view and then descending to put it into practice on the other side.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Religion, Nonfiction, Christianity

288 pages, Paperback

Published June 6, 2023

Reviews

[Peter Dray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, popular level introduction to Romans. It's easy to read, warm and full of insight. Throughout I've been thinking about a friend who became a Christian recently and will soon get baptised. This is the book I'll give him as a baptism gift.

[Jonathan Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are parts of the Bible & Christian life that look like massive mountains we would love to climb, but just seem to defeat us quickly. In this engaging and exciting book, Andrew Ollerton does the job of an expert mountain guide helping you to understand, enjoy and apply Romans to your Christian life. It is an adventure that Christians young and old will treasure and then lead others on the same path.

[Harry Wilde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Accessible, yet contextually-rooted and helpful exegesis. Most of all I feel fired and up and confident in the gospel (proof of pudding in eating etc etc).

If Dr Ollerton is thinking of ideas for a follow-up, I think something on “The Exodus: the story that makes sense of the Bible” would go down a storm (see Andrew Wilson, Echoes of Exodus)

[Joshua Slade · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book that takes the reader through Paul's letter to the Romans. Ollerton's imagery linked to the mountain ascent and descent is incredibly helpful and memorable, and the applications drawn by looking at Romans and through Romans both uplift and challenge.

[Steve Ayers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable

Very readable and helpful book to accompany the excellent Romans Course, published by the Bible Society. One that I would recommend.

[Šarūnė · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun experience it was to read this book alongside our church sermons, I managed to read almost timely:D
Enjoyed revelling in the insights that I knew to be true for a while, also many great reminders of what our journey as Christians should look like.
,,After all, you learn even more when you're guiding others" (250).

[Antonino Calantoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to have an explanation of what Christianity is, you have to read the letter to the Romans but it is not an easy task to fully grasp Paul’s thoughts. You need a guide to help you climb to the mountain of understanding and appreciate the full view.
For the first time, I understood why Paul says is not ashamed of the Gospel and why he, in the beginning, emphasizes all the evil that man is capable of. Paul needed to make it clear that no one can save themselves – we all need Jesus because we all are sinners. 'Ollerton guides us through this understanding even if being a man of his time is not bold enough, for instance, to highlight the fact that you sin when you have sex outside of marriage but you also sin when you have sex with people of your sex. He simply and openly says he will avoid this sensible issue, (because we live in a crazy and fool world I add) but anyway, he states the ground base from where to start our understanding. I‘m glad I picked Ollerton’s book to understand more about what Paul wanted to teach us in his letter to the Romans, as it offers a good starting point. He made me want to know more and I think this is what good books should achieve: giving some ideas to make you want to explore further and develop your thoughts on the subject.

[Calum Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a brilliant, engaging and inspiring read. It gave lots of insights and explanation but also gave ways to apply this great book.

Andrew Ollerton’s writing uses lots of examples/anecdotes and as the book was released in 2023 it feels very relevant.

An easy going and free flowing style means this deep-dive never feels dry. I’d recommend taking your time and reading the chapters from Romans that Ollerton’s chapters are focussing on.

I’ll be buying his book about the whole Bible and also hope he writes more books like this about different books of the Bible. The only issue is the £13.85 price tag - not cheap, especially in our current climate.

100% recommend

[Rachel Quinlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what an informative and reflective look at Romans.
Started on a retreat looking at Romans, I’ve taken my time reflecting on passages, understanding some a little better and considering the practical implications of this book in the bible.
Certainly a book to dip into again and again, and it’s definitely given me a love of the book of Romans - one that I will look at again shortly.
Well written, easy to understand and anecdotes that explain the narrative in a clear way.
Highly recommended for anyone wanting to get a better grip on Romans.

[Frank Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was excellent. It manages to provide a beautiful overview of the book of Romans in a way that is spiritually powerful and engaging. The book was written in a way that captured my attention and made it very easy to keep reading. I greatly liked and appreciated many of the authors insights into the overview of the book and think others will as well. Due to the short length of the book, relative to the book of Romans, this is not a commentary (so don’t expect detailed analysis of anything), but only a terrific overview.

[Phil Whittall · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many understanding Romans is like staring up at a 5000 metre high mountain and thinking 'I'll never get to the top of that'. Andrew Ollerton uses his love of mountains and climbing a mountain as a metaphor for working his way through Romans and it works!

Wonderfully accessible, down to earth, conversational, personal but also illuminating at almost every step. This is the sort of book that this particular church leader will be recommending to his church when it's time to work our way through this majestic letter.

Recommended!

[Jack Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Ollerton is absolutely fantastic. Romans is one of my favourite books in the Bible, and seeing it laid out in such depth has helped me to understand it much more. As always, his continuous reference to real life scenarios is very charming and engaging, as well as substantial discussion around how to practically apply what we learn from Romans. A fantastic book for both Christians and non-believers all the same…It will reframe your faith in the same way that Paul did for many of those early followers in Rome!

[Lottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this alongside the sermon series we did at church and I enjoyed the extra depth into the book of Romans. I sometimes find the way Paul speaks to be a bit complex and I appreciated how Andrew Ollerton made it simple for me to understand. Reading this was also prevalent as the UK went through a general election and as the USA goes through it's campaign and election process - the reminder from Romans 13 about how all authority has been put there by God, Christian or not, and how we should act as citizens in light of God in the world.

[Alastair Gooderham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great walk through of Romans that is written at a popular level but would be good for all to read. Chapter by chapter Andrew takes us through the big teaching and application always with an eye to community. Such a helpful starting point for a study of Romans or for believers fearful of this great letter.

[Suzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating and accessible walk through Romans, I love the mountain metaphor - it worked so well. As usual Ollerton’s style is sufficiently academic but easily accessible. I hope there are many more books on many more books of the Bible.

[Michael Hillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Ollerton's skill is in giving shape to and making sense of the Letter to the Romans. The same skill he shows for the whole Bible in "The Bible Course". Romans is still a complicated letter with things I find difficult, but it really helps to have a structure to work with.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to Romans. Well structured and very readable. Andrew Ollerton uses anecdotes from his experience of mountain climbing to take the reader to the summit of Paul's gospel (Romans 8) and back down into a life of worship, community and mission.