Machen, J. Gresham
War and Faith: Short Biographies from the Second World War (Stephens)
The Second World War was the most destructive conflict in human history. More than forty million people died and millions more suffered all kinds of loss. This sequel to the author’s best-selling War and Grace tells the stories of eight people and their experiences before, during, and in the years following World War II. Several of them were caught up in the cruel persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazis. Others were involved in the fight to defeat the evil ideology which led to such atrocities. All of these people came to faith in Christ, and from then on their faith was the driving force behind their lives.
Don Stephens has collected moving stories from the Second World War that will enthral and move his readers. As Brigadier Ian Dobbie, OBE says in the Foreword, Don “has the gift of telling a story in a way which grips the reader, and yet he is not guilty of writing in a sensational manner, nor does he fail to remind his reader that war is always a terrible event, and that the God of the Bible remains sovereign.”
The stories range from the South African Air Force war hero who became a vital missionary pilot, to the Scottish lady from quiet Dumfriesshire who was a martyr at Auschwitz, to the German Prisoner of War who found a strong spiritual link with the Wirral. The eight stories combine to remind readers dramatically that our God is able to use even the dire circumstances for his glory.
Author
Don Stephens is a graduate of the University of London and gained his Cert.Ed. at Chester College (now Chester University) before embarking on a teaching career lasting thirty-two years. Until recently he was a lay preacher. Now he prefers to lay emphasis on ‘preaching with a pen’. He is married with one daughter.
Endorsements
Remaining faithful to Christ in situations of extreme suffering and trial is the theme of this remarkable book. As a follow-on from Don Stephens’ highly appreciated War and Grace, we read here of eight more courageous Christians who held firm to their faith in grievous conditions during World War II. May these well- researched pages serve as splendid examples to us of the grace God can give should we too be called upon to face days of serious testing.
Faith Cook, author
The place of testimony in the life of God’s people is at the heart of many of the psalms and needs to regain its importance in church life. These short biographies are interesting, stirring and moving, but above all edifying as we constantly reflect on what it means to serve Christ wholeheartedly. We may not be called to these people’s particular sacrifices, but we are called to serve the same Christian life, follow the same servant Lord and act with the same devotion.
Adrian Reynolds, Director of Ministry, Proclamation Trust
‘Recommended without any reservation.’
Brigadier Ian Dobbie, OBE, Chairman of SASRA 1991-2013