More on Jesus Freaks

After reading more on Christian Heroes, which is an array of short stories arranged by Dave and Neta Jackson, I have decided to update my blog once more. I have found the overall theme of the book to be courage, bravery, and endurance. Every story told can be seen as a subplot in the whole plot, which is that there are Christians around the world being killed for their beliefs. The theme of all of these stories is to stay fast in your faith. This book, published in 2005, is a recent account of over 200 short stories of a martyrs. The dates of the deaths in it range from BC-AC. It gives a short history of why people believe so strongly in the BC times. It also includes a scripture passage after each story. The short clips are all true. Most are taken from direct accounts, but with some that is impossible. Take the story of John from BC times for instance. There is no account of how he felt lying in prison before he was beheaded, so the authors put themselves in his shoes and imagined how he must have felt as accurately as possible. Although they may have had to do a little play-acting, every event is a fact.
This book is a great non-fiction read for those that find books that recite information to you rather boring. Personally, I do not enjoy a non-fiction book unless it is about something of interest to me. This book kept my attention, while other informative books may not. I would give it high marks on being exciting and page-turning, although it still gives facts. The stories are all the truth, yet they are written in a way that seems exciting and emotional. The story I have found the most impacting so far in the book is one about a missionary and his uncle. The missionary was a strong, hearty man who was kind to the tribes he helped. He was delighted to hear that his nephew Gabriel was coming to help him. However, Gabriel was frail, so he had to be careful of any diseases. Still, he helped his uncle teach about God. One night, both of them were dragged out of their homes by enraged tribe members and tied to stakes. After being brutally tortured, surprisingly, it was the hearty missionary who died first, telling Gabriel to hold on. Feeble Gabriel lived to see the light of the next day. Then (this part horrified me), the tribe members, awed by his endurance and courage, took out his heart and ate it, hoping to absorb some of his courage. Stunning, but yet it is still a true story. That particular story, along with one about a man at a holocaust camp who gave up his life for a man with a wife and kids, has been burned into my mind. It surprised me to learn that this stuff goes on in our world! I had been oblivious to it until now. This book is well-written and eye-opening.