World Next Door, The: A Short Guide to the Christian Faith

“This book is our best shot at commending the Christian message to our friends and neighbours. It’s driven by the universal human instinct to increase the joy of finding a good thing by sharing it with others. We both think we’ve found a good thing—the best thing—in finding God through Jesus. We want to share it.”

Taking the ancient but timeless Apostles’ Creed as their starting point, pastor Rory Shiner and atheist-turned-theologian Peter Orr introduce you to the fundamentals of the Christian faith. Fast-paced, entertaining, personal, and compelling, The World Next Door invites you into a world where Jesus Christ reigns supreme and where lives are changed forever.

13 chapters.

View excerpt here.

This book is fresh, surprising, honest, and insightful in equal measure. If you want a quick-fire introduction to what Christians believe (and have always believed) that grounds this historic message in our moment, then this book is for you.
—Gary Millar, Principal of Queensland Theological College

This little book is sheer genius. Its lively, bracing exposition of the ‘basics’ of Christian faith is engaging, surprising and delightful. Rory Shiner and Peter Orr write with affection and respect for their readers—especially those who are ‘sceptical’, as they thoughtfully unfold the compelling beauty and deep significance of the things that Christians hold to be true. Their enthusiasm for the subject rolls off every page. The World Next Door is relentlessly contemporary in re-introducing to a new generation one of Christianity’s ancient statements of belief. Buy one for yourself and buy three to give away.
—Kanishka Raffel, Anglican Archbishop of Sydney

Rory and Peter have explained the deep truths of our God with simplicity, with stories, and with humour. Their book draws you into an open conversation, answering many questions and objections to their faith, and ends by extending an invitation to join with God’s people in declaring “I believe”. It was wonderful to be reminded, in such a clear and engaging way, of the foundations for our belief. Thank you!
—Clare Steele, CEO at Compassion Australia

To anyone who feels there must be more than this short life, this book is for you! It’s an invitation to discover a world of solid meaning and glorious purpose in a simple summary of what Christians believe. When I ask someone to read The World Next Door, it will be because I want them to discover and experience the most satisfying truths they could ever know. I want my friends to know the world next door because it’s a place of peace and purpose in our world of uncertainty and wandering.
—David Simmons, Former NRL player

For all our material comfort, the research tells us that we are increasingly fearful, restless, anxious and lonely—and yet we seem strangely reluctant to ask the big questions about who we might really be, and whether anyone really understands, or even if we have any value at all. Rory Shiner and Peter Orr both possess powerful minds and outstanding communication skills, and for those who recognize that there must be more, this book sets out the biblical case for truth, meaning and hope in a fresh and compelling fashion.
—The Hon John Anderson AO FTSE, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia

The World Next Door is a refreshing engagement with philosophy, books, film and personal experience to explain what the Christian faith is all about. Intriguingly set within the framework of the oldest and most widespread Christian creed, the book introduces us not to what we might have expected—the flawed institutional church—but to the God who created the universe, and to his Son, Jesus of Nazareth, who entered our messy life to rescue us mostly from ourselves. It is, in many ways, a love story. This is not a book full of trite one-liners. Instead, it sets out the kind of thoughtful, respectful arguments that its readers deserve.
—Anne Robinson AM, Founder and Partner at Prolegis Lawyers