| Title | : | 10 People Every Christian Should Know |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1441236627 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781441236623 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 122 |
| Publication | : | First published September 1, 2011 |
10 People Every Christian Should Know Reviews
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I don't like to rate books poorly - especially if I found myself enjoying it at times...even if only a little bit. But this book just could have been so much better than it was both in content and style.
No two people would pick the same 10 for the list of people every Christians should know. But I have to believe that almost without exception there are names in this list that would not appear in anyone else's list. (specifics escape me right now...that's just how forgettable those chapters were) So my first complaint with the book is that the list could have been improved by leaps and bounds.
Secondly, the style of the book was a bit of a hangup for me. I suppose if I didn't expect this book to be a standalone volume (albeit a very short one) that would give me some acquaintance with each of its subjects, I would not be as upset with what it turned out to be: an advertisement for other books that would do just that. I got more information about where I could learn more about each person than about the person themselves and it just left me scratching my head wondering why.
To be fair, this book was free to me. I "purchased" it when it came across my news feed as a free title for a limited amount of time - a new gimmick publishers are using to achieve higher rankings at amazon.com, no doubt. So I obliged them in their efforts and downloaded the book. And now here I am, looking the gift horse squarely in the mouth. -
Weirsbe profiles ten great evangelicals--preachers, missionaries, and more. While I have at least a passing acquaintance with most of the individuals covered, I was introduced to Amy Carmichael, who served as a missionary to India for more than fifty years. I also learned things I didn't know about the people I was familiar with. For example,, Oswald Chambers didn't write any of the books attributed to him. His wife, a stenographer, took down all his sermons and messages during his lifetime. After his death, the wife and daughter compiled the books from the notes.
Although the book is for all Christians, the author often speaks directly to preachers. It will be even more useful for clergy than for laymen.
Since his purpose was to introduce readers to these great Christians, each brief profile included recommended biographies, memoirs, and sermons. The only thing I didn't like was that in a few places the author hints at something interesting about the person, but said it was explained in another book. Many of these books are long out of print and difficult to find, and I, and probably most readers, will not go digging around in used bookstores even if we would like to know more. -
10 People Every Christian Should Know is basically a list of people Wiersbe recommends investigating because of their contribution to the Christian faith. Occasionally Wiersbe wanders into the realm of the interesting, but for the most part this volume is incredibly dry and dull. Wiersbe is certainly passionate about his subject, and I'm sure the people he discusses are worthy of being included in this volume, but for the most part I felt like I was listening to a person drone on about his [insert boring item here] collection. I'd give it two and a half stars, given his obvious knowledge and research, and for those moments he managed to be entertaining. My advice to anyone wanting to know more about prominent Christians is to read other more detailed biographies.
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At times this felt like it was dry and boring at other times it felt like an infomercial for pastors. Not interesting at all.
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This is the first time I have ever read anything by Warren Wiersbe, but I have always seen his devotional books in the library and used book store, even though I must confess I do not know much about him. Ironically, in a book about other Christians I've also learn something about the author, that he was a former pastor of Moody Memorial church! In this work (which is an adaptation of a larger work on more Christians we should know), the author gives a short introduction to ten individuals every Christian should know. With the chapters arranged chronologically of when they were introduced into history, I've enjoyed the first chapter on Matthew Henry largely because I know nothing about the biography of this famous man whom I am only familiar with being the authority of a commentary bearing his name. It was interesting to know of him as a man that not only preach the word in the church but a man who practice family worship, in which some of the materials his commentary was based (much of his work was gather from his exposition after his death, since he only worked on it for 10 years before his death). Other chapters I've enjoyed include Jonathan Edwards, J.B. Lightfoot, Hudson Taylor, Spurgeon, Moody, Amy Carmichael and Oswald Chambers. I do have some concern with some of the other chapters though. I question whether John Henry Newman was that important to have been included in a book for Evangelicals to know--especially because he is a Roman Catholic and the author himself admits that he does not give a solution to man's guilt. In the chapters on Tozer, Wiersbe spent more time talking about other works of mystics more than about the man Tozer himself or his theology. Wiersbe gets a little weirdy when he tells readers to buy "devotionals" featuring Kierkegaard and others without the caution about their ideology. I'm not against reading these works to understand the times, for apologetics concern, etc, but I do not know if it is wise to recommend these works as "devotional" reads to get into the grove of being Christian "mystics" (Wiersbe's own words). He even recommends to his readers to read works by Evelyn Underhill, whom the author informs to the readers was a "British mystic" though "unfortunately she was never quite sure of her theology," and "confessed to being 'a modernist on many points.'" Again, for a work for a largely general audience, I don't know what good it is to recommend as devotional readings these works and his appraisal of it. It's for these reasons that in the end I have to say that I cannot recommend this work.
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Surprised at some negative reviews for this book (after having read it myself and really liked it), I reflected on why a series of short biographies would not be intriguing to other Christian readers. I came to the unfortunate conclusion that many believers prefer flashy, public, and radical leaders. I do not mean to convey that all present preachers are of this category, but too many do rely on fame and numbers rather than a quiet, humble faith. Those who disliked this book desired to read more of social change, large congregations, bestsellers, and giant revivals. However, Wiersbe chose 10 believers who sought God in stillness, followed His leading despite obscurity, and desired nothing of this world except the salvation of its lost. He is right to uphold them as role models, to remind us of what God desires in His children.
The book itself is an introduction to these characters. Wiersbe offers numerous references for further study and does well at encouraging readers to pursue more reading (sermons, memoirs, biographies) to challenge one's faith. The ten people are as follows:
1. Matthew Henry
2. Jonathan Edwards
3. John Henry Newman
4. J.B. Lightfoot
5. J. Hudson Taylor
6. Charles H. Spurgeon
7. Dwight L. Moody
8. Amy Carmichael
9. Oswald Chambers
10. A.W. Tozer
In *The Pursuit of God*, Tozer writes this prayer: "Be Thou exalted above my comforts. Though it mean the loss of bodily comforts and the carrying of heavy crosses I shall keep my vow made this day before Thee. Be Thou exalted over my reputation. Make me ambitious to please Thee even if as a result I must sink into obscurity and my name be forgotten as a dream. Rise, O Lord, into Thy proper place of honor, above my ambitions, above my likes and dislikes, above my family, my health and even my life itself. Let me decrease that Thou mayest increase, let me sink that Thou mayest rise above." I found this prayer to be exemplary of how these people lived their lives. If you find it inspirational, you will enjoy this book too. -
Not what I expected. This would have been much better if it had been written in the style of Metaxas' "7 Men". Instead, much of it read like, "This was a great person. You should read more about him/her. For more information, read these books." I don't mind book recommendations — love them, in fact — but use the last few paragraphs of a biographical sketch to share those and why they're good. Help us to get to know the people who you think are important. Individuals were treated inconsistently — some with very short biographical sketches, a couple more extensive biographies, others that seemed half biographical and half bibliographical, while in the last on Tozer, Wiersbe said up front that he was going to deal with Tozer in the first half and then use the second half "to consider some other Christian mystics."
I think one problem with the book is that it is a set of excerpts from a larger work by Wiersbe, "50 People Every Christian Should Know." I would not have know that except that I am fairly compulsive about going back to the cover of a Kindle book (why in the world doesn't a new Kindle book open on the cover?) and flipping through the beginning "stuff" — in doing that, that "disclaimer" caught my attention on the copyright page. That doesn't seem to be mentioned on the Amazon page for the Kindle edition. Not sure that I would read the larger work.
All of that being said, the book was good to read. I know much more about some of these 10 people than I did before. At least at the moment, it's free on Amazon and at that price is well worth reading. -
I downloaded this because it happened to be free. It is a "best of" version of a longer book which I should probably have read instead. In some respects it is a Protestant collection of saints' lives. Except that in some respects it isn't.
It gives a fascinating look into the lives of some sincere, often seemingly unorthodox Christians filled with missionary zeal. Some of these figures are familiar to me, but many are not. Until reading this, I knew little of Henry, Lightfoot, Edwards, Newman and Spurgeon. I knew next to nothing of the others. So this little book was an eye-opener.
The author includes some surprising figures here. The example that leaps especially to mind is John Henry Cardinal Newman. Though Wiersbe disagrees with Newman's conversion to Catholicism and his "sacramental" approach to life and preaching thereafter, he is at least open-minded enough to appreciate some of Newman's positive attributes. And I have to give the author points for that. From time to time he disagrees with the stance or conduct of others too, but never as strenuously as with Newman.
I was also quite intrigued by the biography of Amy Carmichael, a missionary to India, who seems like Protestantism's answer to Mother Teresa (in fact she was called Amma, meaning Mother, by her followers).
Wiersbe is not only very charismatic in tone, he's very serious. In fact his occasional attempts at humour come across as a bit awkward or forced. But he shows a deep and intense knowledge of his subjects which is rather heartwarming. -
Warren Wiersbe presents ten people of the class four centuries to whom much in the evolution of the church is warranted. Such individuals for the most part are those who may not be popular to the modern believer today (some I believe still know the names Oswald Chambers, AW Tozer, or Matthew Henry). Yet, his text does more than provide these names and their assistance in the growth of the church. It also provides the texts which these individuals have inspired or written themselves. Their range of importance comes from the realms of commentaries and devotions - Matthew Henry and Oswald Chambers - to their development in the missions movements - J. Hudson Taylor and Amy Carmichael. These people also influenced the ways in which preachers valued their preaching and shaped their teaching to be both intellectual and emotional. Such people present a good basis for understanding church history and avid reading for the one with little knowledge. I do think personally that the one choice Wiersbe picked - John Henry Newman - was not as impacting as other members in his list. This may in part be due to even Wiersbe's lackluster feelings toward the man's catholic principles but honors the man for his being both a scholar and a pastor.
Overall, an excellent introduction to characters from church history and an easy read. -
This shortened version of Wiersbe’s book 50 People Every Christian Should Know is available on the Kindle for under three dollars and is well worth the price. Weirsbe offers insight into the lives of ten pretty interesting Christians. including; Matthew Henry, Jonathon Edwards, A.W. Tozer, John Henry Newman, J.B. Lightfoot, J. Hudson Taylor, Charles, Spurgeon, Amy Carmichael, and Oswald Chambers.
Of the ten offerings I was somewhat familiar with all but two, however, it was the profile that I knew the least about that was of the most benefit. I had heard of A.W. Tozer before but knew little about the man. Weirsbe describes Tozer as a Christian mystic and lays out a plan for the reader to attack Tozer’s writing. Intrigued, I picked up a copy of Tozer’s Pursuit of God and was blown away! It was a book that I would have never discovered if not for Weirsbe. This is the value of Weirsbe’s little book; it points the reader in the direction of other gems to discover.
As a result, I highly recommend 10 People Every Christian Should Know and look forward to picking up a copy of the expanded version when I get the chance.
Happy reading, Clark. -
A worthy introduction to 10 key figures in somewhat recent Christian history: Matthew Henry, Jonathan Edwards, John Henry Newman, J. B. Lightfoot, J. Hudson Taylor, Charles H. Spurgeon, Dwight L. Moody, Amy Carmichael, Oswald Chambers, and A.W. Tozer. I enjoyed the brief introductions to each of these chapters. In a large part, these chapters function as a springboard with Wiersbe pointing the reader to the writings of these figures, as well as key biographies and supplemental reading - all of which is very helpful. I walked away learning interesting things about those of whom I knew very little - for example: Oswald Chambers wrote none of his books. His wife, a stenographer, and daughter put all of them together from his talks and personal documents after Chamber's death.
All in all, this short read is worth the time and an interesting and insightful introduction into these 10 figures of recent Christian history. -
Not a book that I would typically read, but I still kind of enjoyed it.
I only knew of one of the people in this book...D.L. Moody.
The only gripe that I have with this book is that the author mentions that the reader should read other books on these people for various reasons and that's how he leaves it.
Kind of like me telling someone that they should read a book, but not really explaining why.
The author kept referring to other books which was kind of a turn-off.
Again, it'd be like me talking about "Book A", and in the process saying that to understand "Book A" better, you should also read "Book B" and "Book C".
Maybe it's just me, but that kind of irked me.
This book was still very informational though -
This book was interesting enough for me to finish it and feel like I enjoyed it, but not enough to motivate me to go get the larger book that contains 50 mini-biographies. Many of the essays were good, and the information valuable, but I felt like they were too short, and too much of the space was taken up in listing books you could read in order to get more information. This seemed wasted, because these suggested books were also listed in an appendix, so the space in each article could have perhaps been used to record an interesting anecdote from their life, etc. Due to the fact that this is a short book that takes little time to read, I do feel it was worth the time.
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Brief chapters on important Christians. Some are better written and more interesting than others. Contains brief biographical sketches, not extensive biographies. Writer does sometimes get bogged down in describing literary works, but overall, I found this interesting. For those wanting to learn more, the author provides useful information on what to read. My personal favorites were the chapters on Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, and D.L. Moody, but I enjoyed learning about the others too. Worthwhile.
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I am confused by several of the selections. I can't imagine why, of all the people that Christians should know - including great missionaries, pastors and evangelists - that such men as Catholic John Newman or JB Lightfoot, coworker of Wescott and Hort, should make the list. Or Amy Carmichael, for that matter. I haven't read the longer, 50 people version of the book, but I have to believe that David Livingstone or Adonirum Judson would have been better selections.
The other chapters were well written and interesting, and on that basis I give the book 3 stars. -
An interesting documentary of famous and influential individuals. These Ten Christians were great speakers and lived their lives by their convictions despite popular trends and even legalities at times.
From what I read, I would concur that these men and women were greatly influential especially to the non Catholics constituants. They pointed out many of the problems of the day and preached thusly. Their passion for Christ is evident in all they did and stood for.
This is a excellent resource for those who are looking at improving their public speaking as well. -
A good, very brief introduction to the lives of 10 people, mostly Christian preachers, who have much to offer through their writings. It includes a reading list to get started on any or all of the authors.
I was not terribly impressed with the list - there is a strong theological bent towards the Charismatic camp, to the exclusion of others, but it is good nonetheless, and I'm sure each of the people have much to offer a Christian.
However, I'm still not convinced I should spend my time reading through the sermons of a preacher who didn't preach the gospel, as Warren Wiersbe makes claim. -
How inspiring to glimpse portions of the saints who lived out their lives for the glory of God. Warren Wiersbe has spent countless hours compiling short stories of people from the past whose quality lives can easily inspire us today. Written of Jonathan Edwards: "He saw the mind and heart of God in creation; everything in nature revealed to him something about God." Thank you Mr. Wiersbe. I heartily agree with a man who loved my God in the early 1700's.
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A very brief introduction to ten important people who have impacted the Christian faith. Some chapters were quite concise, remindimg me more of a Wikipedia article. All material was previously published either in magazines or as parts of other books. I was a bit surprised that there was only one woman among the ten, and all were white... diversity evidently was not a factor in choosing subjects.
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I was looking for a short book before I went back to some heavier books I am reading and this one was a good choice. The short stories of ten influential people Christian circles was encouraging and challenging. I knew some of the names and not others but each of the chapters held my attention and interest. In addition, there is a list of recommended reading that will take you deeper with each individual. I'm glad I "took a break" with this rich resource!
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I am a little disappointed with this book. I was hoping to be challenged by the lifes of those discussed in the book but I was not, perhaps because of the author's style of writing.
I will not recommend this book. For anybody who wishes to study about Christian fathers that lived in the past and the lasting impressions they left on the earth, you are better off with GOD GENERALS SERIES by Robert Liardon. -
Concise book briefly outlining 10 people who impacted Christianity marvelously. The author injects his own opinions and preferences frequently and the book would be better with "just the facts" since it is an overview of ten lives. It is a good book for those who have little knowledge of the history and some movements within Christianity.
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If you are like me and cannot control your reading list, do not read this book. Contains ten brief chapters of major Christian figures within the last few centuries. Also contains FAR too many book recommendations for me to give this to fellow reading addicts in good conscience. A good starting point for someone interested Christian history.
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A quick summary of 10 important and interesting Christians that we ought to be familiar with today. This books seems to be distilled version of his longer work that mentions 50 people. I appreciate how he cites many works of the person or about the person for us to learn more. It's a good introduction to these people, but one would need to read more to truly know them.
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Interesting information. There were two or three I either had never heard of or knew hardly anything about. Three or four I was real familiar with and had admired for most of my life. The others I just barely knew of. I was amazed with some of the information and am looking to obtain sermons by some of these people. I want to know more.
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I enjoyed this e-book about these 10 Christian people. Some may not like this book because it gave a lot of facts but for someone like me that loves to read bio's then this would be a book you would want to pick up. Reading these short stories (I would read one a night) wants me to do more research on each of these people.
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With the exception to articles about Spurgeon and Moody, this tome covers relatively obscure Christian preachers/teachers. The material was very very dry and read more like a textbook than a biography. DNF
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The content was okay, but there were so many book recommendations for each person that it greatly affected the quality of the stories in my opinion. I'd rather know what the books said about the person and see them listed at the end of the book than waste space in the story.
