The Good News of The Messiah by the Four Witnesses is a wonderful new way of presenting the Gospel that is enjoyable to read and is offered in a way that pulls the reader into the story in a fresh and very attractive manner. Mellis has presented the Gospels in a way that pulls the reader and listener into the story. Indeed, it is a story that speaks deeply to one’s heart. At the same time, this is undergirded by sound scholarship, fortified with Biblical integrity, and illuminated with a very helpful glossary and appropriate footnotes. The Good News of The Messiah by the Four Witnesses is highly readable and eminently faithful to the scriptures. I look forward to using this in a class where we open each session with an oral reading from the scriptures.

Dr. Harley Schreck, Bethel University, Minneapolis, USA

I heartily recommend to you The Good News of the Messiah by the Four Witnesses. This fresh harmony of the gospels builds on a long and rich tradition that began with Tatian in the second century. The original translation and arrangement by Drs. James Mellis will enrich the reader’s appreciation of the Biblical narrative. It is creatively laid out in a highly readable screenplay format, with each of the gospel writers contributing to the dialogue as witnesses of the events surrounding the Messiah’s birth, life, death and resurrection. The vividness of the eyewitness account of these history-changing events will touch the reader with dramatic insight.

David J. Hamilton, University of the Nations, Kona, USA

First published some thirteen years ago, Abu Sharif is a novel that deserves to be more widely known (Musafir 3:2, 3-5).  The story uses the “mystery” of the hundredth name of God (the completion of the beautiful ninety-nine names of God, al-asmâ' al husnâ) in order to explore the relationship that God would desire to have with humankind. Mellis understands that this is meant to have implications for our identity as well. Our ethnic and gender identities are not eliminated in the Messiah but are meant to be actualized, in union with him, by grace through faith.

Benjamin Halevi, Editor, Musafir: A Bulletin of Intercultural Studies, vol.6, nr. 2/ vol.7 nr.1, Dec.2012/June 2013, p.2).

These stories are respectful of Islam but give a clear presentation of the Gospel. Abu Sharif could be sold in any bookstore in the Muslim world.

Mohammed, Rif-Imazigen/Dutch

Abu Sharif is excellent and is my kind of dream about an appropriate way to explain the Gospel in a way that is very accessible to ordinary Muslims. It is a brilliantly told tale. Mellis has created a captivating, sensitive tool via the storytelling medium. I am happy to endorse it.  

Rt.Rev.Dr. Bill Musk, Diocese of Egypt; Author of: Passionate Believing, Touching the Soul of Islam, etc.

Abu Sharif is a striking novel about a childless couple in an Islamic country. In this novel, Mellis hands us a creative truthful narrative about God revealing himself to Muslim people in dreams and visions.

The Editors, Opwekking, Jan. 2002, nr. 451, p. 24)

Arabic peoples glean far more meaning and guidance from dreams than we Westerners do. Even the nature of our dreams differs. Western dreamers tend to see themselves participating in mere activities. Semitic dreams center much more around enigmatic symbols. The more mysterious the enigma, the stronger the Semite dreamer's curiosity when he wakes! Mellis' masterful novel, Abu Sharif, treads where Freud left no shoeprint. Muslims and Westerners alike, caught like moths on a web, will wonder with Sharif at the treasure hidden at the core of reality's deepest enigma.

Don Richardson, Author of: Peace Child, Eternity in Their Hearts

These are beautiful stories; I like them because they deeply touch my emotions.

Aisha, Palestinian/Dutch

I thoroughly enjoyed Abu-Sharif and was very moved by it. What a lot of important ideas and approaches woven into one book! Set in an accessible narrative, it nevertheless engages with (ordinary) Islam at quite profound theological depth. And it really helps Christians to see much more of the riches of the scriptures and how things that they might not have thought about can be decisive for others.  

Chris, UK, former community worker in Central Asia

I appreciated Abu Sharif!  It is… powerful for the Arab reader as they think in terms of story and mysticism. Excellent contextualization. 

Phil Parshall, Author of: The Cross and the Crescent, Lifting the Veil, etc.

I read Rode Dromer with a great deal of pleasure. In my opinion, it is more than just a story; it is real, because I know that such things happen. I think that with this story you will get many, many young people thinking, especially when they come to understand Jesus as our eldest brother. This is a very inspired story.

Yosef, Egypt/Netherlands

I just finished reading this interesting story and believe me, I could not hold my tears while reading. Rode Dromer is just wonderful and I am sure it will speak to the hearts of many people.

Wahid, Afghanistan/Netherlands

I was deeply moved by this splendid book. Jesus told ordinary and recognizable stories to explain the challenging message of God’s love and his kingdom. Mellis begins with the questions of Muslim youth, like, ‘Do Christians pray to three gods?’ In an ingenious way, he weaves such questions into a story. Nowhere is the story coercive and it is an easy read. It is told from the perspective of a Muslim culture, and in this way you are challenged—as a Muslim and as a Christian to seek out the meaning of Jesus/Isa for our contemporary world and cultures. Thus Rode Dromer attempts to build bridges. Without mutual understanding you can’t talk with each other. I’ve already come to understand a lot more about a Muslim culture, but also about Jesus. Rode Dromer is a beautiful and well-written book—one to read, even read aloud, and one to stimulate much discussion and reflection

Reyald, HGJP, Nederland