Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy is the true story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his early life, ministry, education, and eventual involvement in the efforts to assassinate Adolf Hitler. This is a book that has been on my list for quite some time and I finally got around to reading it. The account of Bonhoeffer is interesting in that he was a Christian man who felt it was his duty to bring an end to the evil reign and actions of a wicked man. Although many Christians would land in different places when it comes to involvement in the social and political spheres within our influence, Bonhoeffer was a man who stood on principle and showed moral courage and action when it came to what he believed. This world could use more of that!
The world Bonhoeffer lived in is similar to the world many modern day American Christians face today. Evil is often cloaked in moral language and many within the church go along to get along. Reading this book really is eye opening in showing how the Christian Church in Germany was really lazy and lukewarm in their response to the evil that was overtaking their nation. Look around you and you will see parallels in our society.
The Nazi Officer’s Wife was a book I found at the library that I thought looked interesting. Most biographical accounts I have read from the WWII era have been Christian biographies. This book was different in that is was an account of a secular Jewish woman who went through the evil of the Holocaust as a secular Jew.
This is a fascinating story of how one woman struggled to survive and used the resources available to her in order to simply survive. Edith Hahn Beer married a Nazi and lived a lie in order to make it through the war alive. Her story is fascinating.
Out of Mormonism is a story of how a nominally Christian couple became enthralled with Mormonism and eventually joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This account details the story of their time in Mormonism, their eventual understanding that they were engaged with and a part of a false religion, and eventual journey out of the church and into true Biblical Christianity.
This book fell a bit flat for me, which is surprising because I love Elisabeth Elliot as an author. However, Elliot’s portrayal of Amy Carmichael, although factually true, honestly just felt dull in my perspective.
As far as Amy Carmichael, she is a fascinating character to learn about. She had many quirks and strong opinions about seemingly insignificant things to others, but she held firm to her own personal convictions. She gave up everything to serve the Lord, and for that I deeply admire her.
Brought Into focus 