7 Women - A Review

7 Women:
And the Secret
of Their Greatness

by

Eric Metaxas

A Review

Six months ago Eric Metasas wrote a set of biographies based on the lives of 7 Men who influenced not only their own generation, but continue to influence ours.  Earlier this month, he did the same for seven significant women.

The seven women chosen to review are

1. Joan of Arc
2. Susanna Wesley
3. Hannah More
4. Saint Maria of Paris
5. Corrie ten Boom
6. Rosa Parks
7. Mother Teresa

The format of the biographies are similar to those used in the earlier book except that in the earlier book each chapter concluded with a summary of the significance of each man chosen for review.  In the current book, the biographical sketch concludes with a few paragraphs on the later influence of each woman on society. The stories are worth the time spent reading and reflecting on them. Beside being great devotional material for all believers, they could also support the pastor looking for material to illustrate weekly sermons. The two books are recommended for all looking to examine the life of Christians who have effected the world they were called to serve.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. All opinions are mine alone.

The Case for Grace - A Review

The Case for Grace

by

Lee Strobel

I had been a Christian for almost 20 years, and that was 20 years ago, when I first began to  truly  understand Grace.  I had failed my wife, my family, and my God. And I finally learned what Grace was all about. Though it was not the beginning of my understanding of Grace, Chuck Swindoll's The Grace Awakening made the biggest dent in my understanding of Grace back then; but every so often, I need a swift hit on the side of the head to remind me what Grace is all about.

This year, Lee Strobel's The Case for Grace provided that hit. The book provides a series of biographical sketches, including his own, of men and women who, after living particularly trying lives, came to understand the nature of Grace in their own lives and found ways of sharing that Grace with others. The stories are well done, with enough detail to let the reader know the backgrounds, both the good and bad, of each character, but also provide keys to how they had discovered Grace and how it changed their lives. In some ways, each story echoed my own from 20 years earlier.  

My greatest disappointment as I read the book was finding men and women who had already been or who would have been highly successful whether they found Grace or not. I would like to have found a story or two of ordinary men and women, people from the working class, people who had to struggle with tight budgets, clogged drains, and broken cars, whose attitudes and actions had been touched by Grace.  Lee Strobel's stories focus on those whose lives have made a visible impact - where many who are touched by Grace will find an appreciation for who and where they are, not so much changed by what they do, but by how they perceive the world in which God has already placed them. These stories may not be as inspiring, but they would give a more complete look at the effect of God's Grace on a broken world.

Strobel begins by quoting Thomas C. Oden, "[Grace is necessary] to know truth, avoid sin, act well, pray fittingly, desire salvation, begin to have faith and persevere in faith.  [Grace ...  is nothing less than] the motivating power of the Christian life."  The book accomplished this thesis for this reader. My thought is that it will for others as well.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Seven Men - A Review

Seven Men:

And The Secret of Their Greatness

by

Eric Metaxas

A Review

I first encountered Eric Metaxas last year as I read his abridged autobiography of Dietrich
Bonhoeffer.  I was pleased to have the opportunity to review another of his recent books.  I have not been disappointed.

After nicely presented “Introduction”, the book focuses on short biographical essays on seven men who have influenced western culture:

1. George Washington
2. William Wilberforce
3. Eric Liddell
4. Dietrich Bonhoeffer
5. Jackie Robinson
6. Pope John Paul II
7. Charles W. Colson

Eric Metaxas claims that each of these men had character traits that allowed them to stand out in their in own lifetimes and to world in the years (and, in some cases, centuries) following their death.  

Using the biographies penned by the author, I would agree with his choices except for that of George Washington - a slave owner, a poor military leader for much of his life, and misleading statements made about his own life all contribute to my concerns.  He had traits that made him stand out (humility and leadership skills); but, given the picture of his life portrayed by Metaxas, George Washington does not compare to the other six  men examined in the book.  It is possible that Metaxas missed discussing the faults of the other six, but given the emphasis he gives to the faults of George Washington, his name does not belong with the other six.

My other concern is that the list of names is decidedly Western and European.  Given the international nature of the church, there must be African, Asian, and South American representatives that will have stood the test of time.  The author hints that more books may be coming in this series - perhaps they will cross the cultural boundaries avoided in this current book.

Despite these two concerns, the book was well worth the time I spent reading it over the past week.  The character traits represented by these seven men make each of them stand out in their own time and for all time.  The traits exhibited by these seven are well worth emulating by the men being raised to lead the next generation, as well as our own.  

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.