this book is academic, not the most riveting read. If you press on with it you may find the best chapter is the one about concepts of church. This book comes from a liberal standpoint, and I do not agree with its assumed position that understanding Christianity and the Bible in a liberal way is the best way. However, some points are made which help us to understand the need not to have a 'childish' religion or associate the Bible with childishness. It is of course dated now, and concepts have changed massively since the Britain of the late 1950s / early 1960s in which he was working. It does give insights into society then. For that, and to keep me on my toes it was worth the effort to read it. But this is not for the average reader, I would not recommend it to others. ( )