Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness Audio CD – Unabridged, April 1, 2014

Richard Dawkins, the British ethologist and evolutionary biologist, would hate this book. The late Christopher Hitchens, a political and social analyst whose mind and extraordinary sense of history I respected, would have also hated it. On a much lower rung of the intellectual ladder, Bill Maher, that uber-diminutive enfant terrible pundit and comic, would despise it as well. Why? Well, it's a book about seven men who loved Christ and did what they insisted God wanted them to do in order to be decent individuals. The comic, scientist, and social critic who would have rejected this book of biographies did not and two still do not believe in God, Hitchens going to his deathbed ferociously not convinced that there was a supreme being.Eric Metaxas, biographer of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and William Wilberforce, two admirable examples in this book, gives short biographies and reasons why seven extraordinary men should be held up as heroes and examples of decency in an indecent world. Does he succeed? That depends on whether or not you are tolerant of Christian belief. If the thought of religion, especially Christianity, gives you hives, then he never will convince you of God's role in their lives. However, if you are a true believer in some faith or an out-and-out agnostic or something in between, then this book might be for you. It was for me. Even if you don't believe that there is a higher power or that religion is necessary, there is hope that the lives of these men are remarkable from a purely ethical standpoint for you to read about them.The men profiled are: George Washington (America's first president who was also important for what he refused to do), Eric Liddell (the Scottish Olympic runner depicted in the movie Chariots of Fire who was a missionary in China), William Wilberforce (the British politician who ended the slave trade in that country and around much of the world), Dietrich Bonhoeffer (the Lutheran minister in Germany who stood up to Hitler and the Nazis), Jackie Robinson (the Hall of Fame baseball player and civil rights icon), Pope John Paul II (the pontiff who with others brought down communism), and Chuck Colson (yeah, that Chuck Colson, who redeemed himself through good works and ministries for the incarcerated after Watergate).This is a short but powerfully inspirational book. It illustrates through the travails and successes of these men what it means to do good works and achieve greatness. In addition, it stimulates the appetite for the reader to find out more about any one or all of them. God knows we need inspiration these days.

Question: What do politicians, religious leaders, track stars, baseball players and criminals have in common? Answer: This book. I found Metaxas’s style of writing easy, honest and open. He reveals a lot about himself when he details why he chose the seven men to write about. George Washington—no surprise there. A quote from his farewell address: “reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” Words to live by and to guide our struggling nation.William Wilberforce, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, both included in the seven, along with John Newton (not one of the seven but mentioned in their stories), seem to be following me around. I run into their stories over and over for the last two years. John Newton, a notorious and profane slave trader, converted, wrote “Amazing Grace” and became a father figure to William Wilberforce, the man who Parliament to end slavery in Great Britain. Wilberforce lost his faith and “then found to his significant distress that he had come to believe with his whole mind that what he had been sure was false was in fact true: the God of the Bible existed, Jesus existed in history and was the promised Messiah, and the Scriptures were not silly old myths but truth itself.Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and theologian who received his Ph.D at twenty-one. He stood up to Hitler’s Nazis and was involved in the plot to assassinate Hitler. He died in a concentration camp because of it. His writings while confined have become classics.Remember the great movie, “Chariots of Fire”. This is great runner Eric Liddell’s story. “He didn’t need explanations from God. He simply believed in Him and accepted whatever came.”Then everybody knows Jackie Robinson, the great player who broke pro baseball’s color barrier. This is about not only what he did, but what he was: A man of character and courage, dignity and faith.Pope John Paul II was described by Billy Graham as “the strong conscience of the whole Christian world.” He also played a pivotal role with Reagan and Thatcher in bringing down the Soviet Union, though Metaxas devote few words to that.Appropriately last is Charles Colson, a surprise choice for a book about great men. Readers may be surprised when they learn why he was chosen.

Good reading

I bought this book for my 18 year old son. It was sitting on our coffee table when my dad came to visit and he took it home. My dad enjoyed reading about each of the men and it provided good conversation during our phone calls. I ordered another book for my son and he is pouring through it. He finds the writing engaging and interesting and he is learning something too.

Much needed in this culture that antagonises God.It's such a powerful " gospel alive". That Christianity is not a theoretical old tales but the power of God in action of people life.

The impacted lives of these seven men, shows just how amazing our world can be as God uses them for His greater purpose. This book should be read by all, as it has the capacity to stir the life which is dormant in most of us.

Diese Biographien sind absolut zu lesen. Klar, offen und ehrlich, Eric Metaxas gibt man neue Ideen über Charakter, Gesellschaft und Werte! Super!