
We have been thrilled by the way in which many of you have started to use Utter Wisdom in your English language ministries, not only using the activity ideas and discussion questions laid out in the book but also adapting it in new and creative ways. We were delighted to receive the following review from Terry Young who writes often for Baptists Together. For the sake of transparency, we should admit that Terry is the brother of 2:19’s Director of Operations, Maura Baldwin! But since he himself acknowledges this conflict of interest, and brothers are not always given to public displays of praise to their sisters, we think it retains some objectivity! See what you think!
First, a declaration of interest: Maura Baldwin who conceived this book according to the Acknowledgments and championed it through to production is my sister, so I’m biased…
So, what got me so excited about Utter Wisdom? First, the core idea is that while people arriving in the UK want to know about life here, they often bring with them a wealth of culture and knowledge from elsewhere – which is where Daniel Whetham and his colleagues start. The heart of the book is 60 proverbs from around the world each with a drawing or painting as illustration, an explanation, the flag of the country from which it originated, a version in the original script and a brief explanation. Each also has a short list of suggestions and questions about how you might use it in an English learning context. These proverbs are grouped under 7 headings:
This is not an evangelist tool masquerading as a language learning aid: it promotes effective learning at every stage, with sensible suggestions for higher and lower-level learners, alerts as to where extra sensitivity might be required, and notes about verb forms and vocabulary that will help your learners develop systematically.
Next, I like the art. Steph has given it a clean look with a variety of styles that complement one another instead of clashing with each other (another declaration of interest: I see one of the artworks is by a niece). In its A4 portrait format, with speech bubbles and a palette matched to the 2:19 logo, there is some really fun thinking in there.
I read it cover-to-cover, which is probably the worst way, because it is so highly cross connected. After the 60 proverbs comes a section on 5 magnets that attract everyone to some extent. These come from Dan Strange’s book Making Faith Magnetic which in turn is based on the work of Bavinck, a late 19th/early 20th Century Dutch Bible teacher.
This introduces 5 themes (Totality, Norm, Deliverance Destiny, and Higher Power), which are then cross-referenced back to the proverbs (and when you flick back, you see the links vertically up the left-hand margins) and forward to five of Jesus’ I AM statements.
What emerges is a flexible resource that can be used in many ways. You can simply enjoy pearls of wisdom from around the world and use them to fuel discussion, occasionally throwing in the odd Christian example as your contribution. Or, if you or your linguistic charges are up for it, you might merge your worlds of words and worship and walk your study along the border. Many of your students may well be much more comfortable with this than you might be. Finally, for a few, or at the right time, there is material here for top class Bible study.
But what if you are not interested in internationals or helping them find their feet here with support in English? Stepping past the obvious question, this is still a book worth reading if only for its elegant structure and approach to learning which helps us focus on wisdom and the gospel.
Because it’s a resource for group study, at £25 a pop it may strike some as a pricey luxury for the lone reader. But if you find 10 mates, I’ll gladly negotiate a much better price for your group!
Enjoy!
Do keep a look out for our new Utter Wisdom Cards coming soon.