The Centurion was launched at Found Church on Sunday 20 September, and what a wonderful day it was. Many people bought the book, with some taking two or even three copies. Pastor Stephen McGuire prayed a blessing over the project.
Jack and his centurion grandson
My hope is that the book will share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through a story that entertains while showing how God works in everyday life.
Set at the height of the Roman Empire, The Centurion follows a Roman soldier whose remarkable family heritage leads him on a journey of faith.
The response has been encouraging. The book has received a five-star review on Amazon and seems to appeal to readers of all ages, from schoolchildren to pensioners. Several people have told me that once they start reading, they cannot put it down. When my publisher first read the manuscript, she called it “a real page-turner.” Hearing readers say the same has been a joy.
Several people enquired about the inspiration which resulted in The Centurion. Here is my reply: ‘For fifty years I lived within sight of Bar Hill, where the remains of a Roman fort, built two thousand years ago, still stand sentinel on the Antonine Wall, once the northernmost edge of the empire. To look across that ancient landscape is to be reminded of the extraordinary reach of Rome.
But I have long been fascinated by the thought that, among the soldiers who marched so far north, there may have been some who had heard the gospel. Could one of them have carried the story of Jesus of Nazareth across the empire to our faraway land?
That question took hold of my imagination and became the inspiration for The Centurion – the story of one Roman soldier who is caught between the temporal power of Rome and the transformative power of a living faith. Forced to decide which master he will serve, the decision will change his life forever.’
During research for the novel, I discovered that there is credible evidence for Christianity in Britain during the four hundred years of Roman occupation. Christianity had spread within Roman society far earlier than is sometimes assumed, and Britain, as a fully integrated province of the empire, was not isolated from these developments.
Taken together, the evidence suggests that the gospel reached Britain not solely through later missionary initiatives, but through the ordinary movement of people within the Roman world. If so, the origins of Christianity on these shores are closely bound to Roman networks of power, mobility, and administration—an unexpected yet fitting illustration of how God may use the empires of humanity to advance His purposes.
On balance, it is therefore highly likely that the gospel first came to Britain through Roman occupation in the centuries following the time of Christ. Perhaps we can explore this evidence in a future newsletter. Meanwhile, as Centurion Marcus would say “Valete. In proximum”. Goodbye. See you soon. To view more pictures of the book launch, click this link - gallery