Christ and His Church

HOME SCHOOL BOOK REVIEW

Book: Christ and His Church

Author: J. C. Roady

Publisher: Rush Printing Company, revised edition 1957

ISBN-13: none

Language level: 1

(1=nothing objectionable; 2=common euphemisms and/or childish slang terms; 3=some cursing and/or profanity; 4=a lot of cursing and/or profanity; 5=obscenity and/or vulgarity)

Recommended reading level:  Teens and adults

Rating: ***** 5 stars (EXCELLENT)

Reviewed by Wayne S. Walker

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Roady, J. C.  Christ and His Church (original edition published in 1948 and revised edition published in 1957 by Rush Printing Company, Maryville, MO  64468).  According to an article entitled “How Are the Mighty Fallen” by Loren N. Raines of Bedford, IN, in Truth Magazine, June 10, 1976 (Vol. XX, No., 24, p. 7), John C. Roady was born near Hamburg, IL, on September 4, 1887. He began preaching when quite young and preached the gospel for seventy years. He gave his entire life to the church, and spent all his life in the evangelistic field. He preached in most every state in the Union. He preached every day in the year unless he was traveling. He spent but very few days in his home. He sometimes preached as many as four sermons in one day. He kept accurate records of all his baptisms, funerals, and weddings. He baptized a total of 15,039 people, besides restoring thousands to the church.

Roady lived for over fifty years at Sullivan, IN.  During the last year of his life he gave up preaching due to failing health. He had a cancerous kidney removed. The doctors said he would have recovered had it not been for complications.  He spent most of seven weeks in intensive care and was in the hospital at Terre Haute, IN, when he passed away from time into eternity on April 8, 1976.  One of his lasting legacies is a small, 78-page booklet entitled Christ and His Church.  The thirty article-like chapters discuss various aspects of the church established by Christ as it is revealed in the pages of the New Testament Scriptures and as it is contrasted to various denominational misconceptions, including the gospel, faith, baptism, conversion, the new birth, worship, officers, mission work, the kingdom, the second coming, eternal torment, and church history.

It is a simple but effective explanation of the Lord’s church suited for handing out to the general public.  Many churches of Christ throughout the Midwest section of our nation have copies of this in their tract racks.  It may be an enlargement of a 32 page tract entitled “The Plea of the Church of Christ” published in 1930 by Roady.  I normally do not review purely religious works on this book review blog, unless specifically asked to do so.  I have had a copy of Roady’s booklet in my library for years, but I recently decided to go back and take a second look at it because I just purchased another book, To Sum the Whole Thing Up: A Collection of Writings by J. C. Roady edited by my good friend Mike Davis.  Raines wrote of Roady, “Few people knew the Bible better, and none could defend the faith more effectively. He was blessed with a strong body, a keen mind, a good memory, and a forceful delivery.”