A smile on the face of God (by Adrian Plass)

(Amazon UK link)

Every so often I like to read - or reread - a Christian biography. Some are much more interesting than others, and one that I recalled liking very much is the biography of Philip Ilott. Most people will never have heard of him; he was a hurting child, neglected and abused, who became a Christian, and, later, was ordained. Adrian Plass met him when they were both involved in a late-night TV production, and wrote his biography. I last read ‘A smile on the face of God’ in 2010 and had forgotten most of the details. 

Adrian Plass is an excellent writer, and he brings Philip Ilott to life extremely well in this book. We meet him first as a child of a very damaging - and damaged - mother. Some of the descriptions of what happened to him are traumatic, though, thankfully there is no gratuitous detail. There doesn’t need to be. Philip is a little boy starved of love who longs for approval and affection from his parents. His father, when he’s around, usually seems quite fond of him. But his mother either yells at him or does things to him which he knows are wrong. 

The one bright light in Philip’s childhood is his grandmother, who hugs him, and reads to him, and tells him Bible stories. She also tells him about St Alban, and Philip decides that this courageous saint will be his imaginary friend. The name of Alban has significance in several subsequent decisions. 

After he leaves school, he goes into the army, then becomes a Christian and goes into church army for a while. He falls in love with a girl called Margaret and puts a lot of effort into courting her. Eventually he decides to go into full-time ministry, so he trains to become an Anglican priest. I found myself liking Philip and Margaret very much. Margaret is a wonderful support to him, and helps him begin to discover that marriage can be good, and that not all young women are like his mother was.

The book covers Philip’s forays into different styles of churchmanship: he sang in a cathedral choir as a child, and loved the high church trappings. In the church army, he becomes much more low church, but never feels entirely comfortable. So, gradually, he returns to his high church roots, becoming Anglo-Catholic in his practices. 

He also comes across the charismatic movement, something he is deeply suspicious of at first. Philip has a lot of health issues, and feels very cynical about those who offer to pray for him, believing that he will be healed. Yet he senses the love of Jesus in the people who pray for him, and, unexpectedly, he does experience some dramatic healing. It takes a lot longer, with much counselling and prayer, before he begins to let go of some of his childhood traumas. And when he tries to blend Anglo-Catholic styles of church service with the offer of healing and charismatic prayer, he manages to alienate some of his congregation..

It’s not a fast-paced book, and there are no awards or national recognition of this man. But Philip Ilott is an inspiring example of how God can use even the most confused, damaged and hurting people, and that healing can happen. There’s no explanation about why, very often, healing doesn’t take place. Neither Adrian Plass nor Philip Ilott pretend to understand that. 

In a short review like this, I can’t express the warmth and commitment that shine through Philip’s story. It’s very sensitively told, yet without sentimentality. Philip is far from perfect; we see him clashing with his teenage daughter, and reacting negatively to any form of criticism. He doesn’t seem like a self-pitying type, but there are times when he falls into deep depression. And his health issues are severe at times. 

But all the time, supported and cheered on by Margaret, Philip listens to God, and follows what he believes to be the right path, making mistakes and learning from others. I would recommend this book highly to any believer who is interested to know how God works, sometimes, in ordinary people. 

Sadly, Philip Ilott died in 2010, about twenty years after this book was published. He would have been in his mid-seventies. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews