Book Review – Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

I’ve only just finished this book – what an amazing life story! I had seen this book reviewed on a few sites, so decided to grab a copy. I had maybe heard the name once or twice – but I never realized the importance of Bonhoeffer not just for the time he was in, but to the church as a whole since then.

As a quick preface, I would call myself ‘reasonably interested’ in the World War II period – there are just so many stories and so many take aways for life even now, that it has remained an interest of mine for some time. I just find it amazing the story of one man – Hitler – who would grow to such power and prominence in the world, despite his views. And also to see the responses of the other nation states in the world over time. Lastly, it is a time of personal sacrifice and perseverance, and there are so many amazing stories. As someone born almost 30 years after the end of the war, it is still something that I find interesting.

To the book!

As with most historical works, this being a recent addition allowed the author access to greater resources than some of those before him. He was able to see many parts of Bonhoeffer’s life and provide a great overview – from his childhood, to his final days in a concentration camp. As with anyone, their thoughts, theology and writing are never done in a vacuum - they are affected by the time they are in and their situation in life. By covering his life in such a broad fashion, it allows the reader to understand better some of his Theology and other writing.

For those who have not heard (and that was me recently!), Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Christian, born to an aristocratic family and background just after the turn of the century. In his time, he grew up to become a passionate pastor and theologian. These traits lead then to his place as a spy and rebel against Hitler’s regime, and ultimately, to his death – just before the end of the war. In a way the books title measures up to the content (which isn’t the case with all books!) – Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.

Throughout the book, and especially the second half where the war is prominent, I was amazed by Bonhoeffers complete trust in God. He appeared to have absolute faith that God had a place for him to be, and that whatever the outcome, Gods will would be done. Even in the face of death, when he was given multiple opportunities to escape to a safer life, he took what he thought to be his place – with the German people struggling against Hitler. At one point he actually makes it back to New York – but knows that is not the place for him. From the moment he is there he is very uncomfortable – and knows that his place is back as a pastor to the German people and the Confessing Church. Rather than life in safety, with the promise of a prosperous life as a theologian and speaker in America, he takes a ship back home – to his people, where God had called him to be.

Metaxas uses the third person to narrate the book – almost like an observer to the actual events. You can see he has drawn extensively from books by those close to Bonhoeffer, and his research pays off as the story seems very complete. In the times where there is little or no information he doesn’t invent stories or make theories, but honestly says that not much is known of this time or event.

Whilst this is a lengthy book, I think this is a great book for Christians to read. It gives an interesting perspective on not only the war, but God working through people during that time. And I think a great example of ultimate faith and trust in God – no matter what the circumstances or outcomes.

Book Review – Max on Life by Max Lucado

Max on Life, by Max Lucado.

This is another one of those books that came up through a review program I am part of. Having a history of decent Lucado books, I thought it would be a good one to give a try to!

And I was not at all disappointed.

First, what this book isn’t. This isn’t an in depth, biblical study on any one topic. This is also not like any other Lucado book I have read, in that there are a lot of topics in here – there is a lot of content, across many themes. The simple fact is that people have written whole volumes on some of the topics in here – so it simply wouldn’t be a practical book if it was!

What this book is. Lucado addresses a whole bunch of ‘general questions’ that people have about life and God. Based on letters and questions posed to him over the years, he posts what is essentially a one page answer to them all. As I said – this is not an in depth biblical study. But it excels in that it is a simple, biblical response to all of these questions. There may be enough there for someone to move on – or there is enough there to pique further interest in studying the biblical passages and responses he gives to each question.

There are some pretty basic questions like ‘who is God’ and ‘how can we know there is a God’ and ‘can we trust the Bible’. There are also some doozies like ‘what do I tell my kids about sex’. There is reasonable coverage on the married life, and plenty more on home life, bringing up kids, and general life. In the Help section he also covers some pretty tough ones like abortion, death and disability, and many more.

So in sumnmary – this book is a great primer for many topics. Like a ‘pocket reference’, it provides simple, instant guidance to many of lifes tough questions and topics. If it answers your question, I am sure Lucado would say ‘great’. If it doesn’t, you are started on a Biblical path of understanding of the question, which can help guide you to find out more.

I was just looking at the other books I have reviewed by Max Lucado, and was surprised they were all given 5 stars (out of 5). And again, I have to rate this book 5 stars, no question. My main reason for this is he has tackled a very broad range of topics – and tackled them all with Biblical understanding, love and compassion. The goal of this book appears to be to guide people back to the Bible to find the answers to all the issues in their lives – and I think it does an admirable job.

Product Disclosure – I was provided a copy of this book free of charge, in electronic form, by a representative of the publisher. I was in no way required to provide a positive review, just an open and honest one, and the review above reflects my honest thoughts.

Book Review: Tithing – Test me in this – Douglas LeBlanc

Tithing – from Douglas LeBlanc. I agreed to review this book, because from the title it definitely had promise! My summary? An interesting book of testimonies about tithing, but little Biblical teaching or study. If anything, it would be a good companion book to a dry theological study – providing the ‘human side’ to a Biblical principle.

I have to admit – in the end, I was disappointed with this book – but that is less about the book than the expectation from the title. I was hoping for something theologically strong with examples, but found myself with what is essentially a collection of testimonies about tithing. A better title would have solved this one complaint, such as ‘Tithing – a testimonial’ or ‘Experiencing Tithing’. But then, I am not the publisher

Some of the testimonies I found very interesting and encouraging. Some of them I found irrelevant to me, or long winded – for example, one spent considerable time explaining first why they had moved to the Greek Orthodox church. Whilst this was interesting, it was in the end off topic from what I was looking for, and what the title promised.

So in the end I’ll come back to the summary – the book is a reasonable collection of testimonies from people who have tithed – and experienced Gods generosity in measurable ways. Whilst alone I found it a bit lacking, it would be a great companion to a Biblical study of tithing (which is mostly lacking from this book).

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”