Timeless Devotional Poetry

Book excerpt: This anthology covers thirteen centuries of Christian poetry from the ancient Dream of the Rood to modern poems by T. S. Eliot and C. S. Lewis. I can think of no one better qualified to assemble an anthology of Christian devotional poetry than Elizabeth Marlow. She not only knows this poetry well but has taught it for many years to appreciative students. Best of all, she loves and serves the Lord to whom the poems in this collection direct the gaze of our souls. With this anthology, she has given us a tool with which to stir up the embers of our hearts, that our love for the triune God might blaze all the brighter. I highly recommend this collection. —Greg Bailey, Director of Editorial, Crossway Books I am chastened by comments in the preface to this book: “If we don’t read, reflect on, and enjoy the great wealth of Christian poetry available to us, these poetic gems will eventually be consigned to academic libraries and forgotten by the majority of the reading public.” Apart from reading and singing psalms and hymns, I have not been an avid reader of poetry. I confess this to my shame, and recently I determined to address this appalling shortcoming in my life. Elizabeth Marlow’s anthology of poetry is the ideal antidote. I am excited to recommend this anthology of thirteen centuries of English poetry. Just look at the table of contents, and your appetite will be whetted. So join me in learning to love God better by reading these selections. —Dr. Joseph A. Pipa, President of Greenville Theological Seminary, Professor of Systematic and Homiletical Theology, Greenville, SC