Since I've
come to believe that one's personal faith walk is something between God and the
individual, the title They Were Christians:
the Inspiring Faith of Men and Women Who Changed the World (Cristóbal
Krusen, BakerBooks, 2016) immediately caught my attention. How does someone in
the 21st century presume to know who was a Christian in the 19th
or 20th century? How in fact can somebody in the 21st
century presume to know if his neighbor, co-worker, or family member, someone with
whom there is daily contact, is actually a Christian. True Christianity is a matter of the heart,
not just a simple declarative statement, and to my way of seeing things, only God
truly knows about another person's faith walk.
Even with the doubtful start, I
found the book to be a fairly enjoyable read. As the title suggests, Krusen
writes about several people who played an influential role in the affairs of their
time. A Secretary- General of the UN, a United States President, a 19th
century slave, writers, nurses, doctors and philanthropists, all played a part
in shaping the world, and along the way, their writings and actions led others
to recognize their faith.
The author doesn't just give
biographical sketches of his subject matter, he ties their stories in with his
own. Some of his autobiographical entries deal with his life before becoming a Christian,
and some is post-conversion. Somehow he manages to tie it all neatly together.
Since the author chose to include
some of his own story at the beginning and end of each chapter, I would have
preferred to read more of the autobiography.
History buffs will probably disagree and would like more of the
biographical sketches about each of the people being written about.
I received
a copy of this book from Baker Books in exchange for this review. I was not
required to post a positive review.
4/5
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