Reviews and Endorsements
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[Endorsement]
- While rich with culture, entertaining anecdotes and fascinating history, Of Falafels and Following Jesus is much more than a journey through modern Jordan and Israel. We are urged to turn our backs on holy places — to be witnesses to what Jesus has done, telling His story and following His example of disciple-making, building a movement of justice and mercy. - Dr Peter Roennfeldt, author, Following Jesus
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[Endorsement]
- Pilgrimages are deeply personal and often transformative. Nathan Brown and his collaborators have shared their intimate stories of spiritual and cultural shifts as a result of visiting Israel, Jordan and Palestine. I was moved by these stories and, as I now re-read the scriptural texts, each encounter includes the smells, sounds and feelings that the authors so thoughtfully crafted. -Dr Lisa Clark Diller, Professor of History, Southern Adventist University
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[Endorsement]
- Nathan Brown and his fellow travellers have delivered an interesting and inspiring account of their travels through the Holy Land. Their vivid writing style brings these places to life! A stimulating read that draws one not only deeper into the world of the Bible but also into some of the challenges we face in contemporary society. - Dr Kayle de Waal, head, Avondale Seminary, author, Mission Shift
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[Endorsement]
- “In the same place where Jesus called a tax collector to collect His stories, Jesus has obviously called Nathan Brown to do the same. An exquisite writer, Nathan takes us into the holy sites, yes, but most of all, into the holy stories—of Jesus, of Scripture. This is a beautiful travel book and an inspiring memoir, all in one.” —Dr Andy Nash, owner, Tabgha Tours to Israel, and author, The Book of Matthew: Save Us Now, Son of David
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[ Bookshelf Review ]
- Of Falafels and Following Jesus is equal parts travel journal, devotional, history lesson and spiritual reflection, with a little bird-watching thrown in for good measure.
And, yes, this book has multiple authors: Nathan Brown invited two fellow travellers to reflect on the journey with him. The voices of Brenton Stacey and Michelle Villis offset Brown’s thoughtful but analytical—and occasionally cynical—voice, with some of their insights providing the emotional heartbeat of the book to balance Brown’s more intellectual, probing style. It can feel disjointed at times, with some chapters covering territory already explored, but the disruption is compensated by unexpected richness and diversity of experiences and viewpoints.
But Brown is definitely the lead tour guide here. Those who are familiar with his writing will recognise his signature approach: descriptive but unpretentious prose that leads the reader through streets and tunnels, temples and tombs with a healthy dose of introspection and self-effacing humour. More importantly, Brown acknowledges the materiality of the Holy Land’s geography, politics and people, but his real gift is in finding the deeper realities: that holiness exists in moments, not places; that stories can be inhabited, not just told; and that following Jesus means journeying in perpetual paradox, where worship and the sacred are both “too much and never enough,” and “religion, even at its best, is only ever a mixed blessing.”
Brown calls his readers to invest in this journey, but the good news is that you don’t have to leave home to do it. This is the implicit message in Of Falafels and Following Jesus: that following Jesus into the Holy Lands can and should happen in our homes and our workplaces, from daybreak to dusk, by recognising that the sacred exists in time and community rather than space and geography. Travelling to the Middle East requires time, money, planning, good guides and good health, but these are just shadows of the investment all Jesus-followers need to make daily, and intentionally, as disciples of Christ.
This thoughtful and thought-provoking book will help any traveller—or armchair traveller—navigate an ancient land in modern times, reminding us to embrace its people, history, religions, and their many bewildering contradictions.
—Dr Lindsay Morton, Lecturer in Literature Studies, Avondale College of Higher Education