DAVID ADAMS reads ‘Dangerous Faith: 50 Powerful Believers Who Changed the World’…
Compiled by Susan Hill
Dangerous Faith: 50 Powerful Believers Who Changed the World
Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee, US
ISBN-13: 978-1400232871
“Dangerous Faith makes for an interesting read, particularly for those looking for an introductory point to start exploring the history of the Christian faith and the lives of those who have gone before us.”
Ask 10 people to compile a list of famous Christians through the ages and, depending on its length, Bible translator John Wycliffe, Salvation Army founder William Booth and US Catholic activist Dorothy Day may well appear on many of them. But less likely to do so are Tudor-era Protestant martyr Anne Askew, Chinese evangelist Wang Ming-Dao and Phillis Wheatley, the first Black woman to publish a book in the US.
Written by Susan Hill whose previous books include Dangerous Prayers: 50 Powerful Prayers That Changed The World, and featuring illustrations by Darko Stojanovic, Dangerous Faith includes the faith journeys of some very well known figures as well as those whose stories are less well known. Through a series of short biographies – each no more than two pages, it tells the stories of those who have (mostly) come before us in the Christian faith.
While there are a couple of Biblical figures included in the list – including Jesus’ mother, Mary, Esther and Rahab – and one who played an instrumental role in the early church – Justin the Martyr, the majority of those featured in the book lived from the 18th century onwards (although only one person featured in the book is still alive – US disability Christian activist Joni Eareckson Tada).
Given it’s published in the US, it’s perhaps not surprising that more than half of those selected are American. There’s also a considerable number of English figures represented but just a smattering of figures from elsewhere.
Of course, a list like this is always subjective – there’s many big names who don’t get a look in here including Martin Luther, Jan Hus, and CS Lewis, but it would have been interesting to see a wider representation of figures from outside the English-speaking world. With no introduction to the book, however, we don’t really get any insight into how the list was compiled (aside from the fact these were all Christians whose faith had a considerable impact).
Still, Dangerous Faith makes for an interesting read, particularly for those looking for an introductory point to start exploring the history of the Christian faith and the lives of those who have gone before us.
It’s the sort of book that can be dipped into when you have a few minutes, put down and returned to. It could also be a useful resource for families to use to delve into for a greater understanding of the Christian heritage that came before them. And, of course, it makes a great conversation starter as a coffee table book in the home or at a workplace.
Apologies – a formatting issue on this story has been corrected!
