Faith Without Pretending (by Anne Townsend)

(Amazon UK link)

'Faith Without Pretending' is an honest and moving autobiographical account by Christian writer Anne Townsend.

The author shares her childhood and teenage experience of the 1960s evangelical culture in the UK, where she felt accepted and able to 'fit in', so long as she did what she was told to do by the church leaders and mature believers around her.

However she had an odd sense of things happening around her, without much sense of involvement. Still, she carefully suppressed all her doubts and questions, not wanting to cause conflict, and eventually became a missionary in Thailand where life was often very difficult - but still she kept the outward appearance of a contented evangelical Christian.

Anne Townsend then became well-known as a writer, but her doubts and worries increased as the pressures around her became more difficult to cope with. Suddenly she attempted suicide - something we know is going to happen right from the beginning - but God saved her; gradually she then came to terms with her doubts, and learned to broaden her faith so she could learn what God wanted her to be and do.

I thought this was a wonderful book, full of honesty and insight. Highly recommended.

You can also read a slightly longer review of 'Faith Without Pretending' which I wrote after re-reading nearly twelve years later.

Review copyright Sue's Book Reviews, May 1999