Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
B00CKYR9EE | Format: EPUB
Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness Description
What makes a great man great?
Seven Men offers answers in the captivating stories of some of the greatest men who have ever lived. In this gallery of greatness, seven historical figures come to life as real people who experienced struggles and challenges that probably would have destroyed the resolve of most other men. What was their secret?
How did George Washington resist the temptation to become the first king of America, and why did William Wilberforce give up the chance to be prime minister of England? What made Eric Liddell cast aside an almost certain Olympic gold medal? What enabled Jackie Robinson to surrender his right to fight back against racists, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer to jeopardize his freedom and safety to defy the Nazis? What gave John Paul II the ability to identify with the most helpless members of human society and even to forgive the man who tried to murder him? And why would Chuck Colson volunteer to go to prison when he didn't have to? The seven men in this compelling volume evince one particular quality: that of surrendering themselves to a higher purpose, of giving something away that they might have kept.
Having heroes and role models was always tremendously important for society, but in the last few decades this has changed, with seriously troubling results. Eric Metaxas says it's time to reverse the trend. With vitality and warmth, the New York Times best-selling author restores to the listener a sense of the heroic - the idea that certain lives are worthy of emulation. Get to know these seven men, and your life will be immeasurably richer.
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 7 hours and 46 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: Brilliance Audio
- Audible.com Release Date: April 30, 2013
- Whispersync for Voice: Ready
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00CKYR9EE
Do we really need one more book about manhood? Author Eric Metaxas seems to think so because manhood is the theme of his latest book, Seven Men: And the secret of their greatness. In this encouraging and well written book, he seeks to answer two questions: What is a man? and What makes a man great?
What sets this book apart is that the author doesn't talk about manhood. Instead, he shows what manhood looks like in the lives of great men. As he explains, "Seeing and studying the actual lives of people is simply the best way to communicate ideas about how to behave and how not to behave."
Metaxas believes that one of the primary characteristics of authentic manhood is someone who sacrifices himself for those he loves. As the author says, "That's a picture of real fatherhood and real manhood." The author picked seven men who he believes exemplifies these characteristics. After reading the book, I concur with his assessment.
George Washington could have become the first king of America. Instead, he gave up real power for the sake of his new nation. William Wilberforce gave up the chance to become prime minister of England. Instead, he spent his life working to repeal slavery. Eric Liddell gave up the opportunity to win an Olympic gold medal in the one event in which he was most likely to win it. Yet he is better known for his sacrifice than for winning a race. Dietrich Bonhoeffer courageously defied the Nazis and surrendered his freedom and safety time and time again. In giving up his life, he inspired countless people to do the right thing in thousands of situations. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in professional baseball. But he had to surrender something very few men would have the strength to surrender--the right to fight back against injustice.
I first saw Eric Metaxas when I attended a Socrates in the City event in Manhattan, and I became a big fan. From the first time I heard him speak, I knew he had a kind of style that someone who grew up in the New York area--a style that was sometimes poignant, sometimes deep, sometimes inspiring, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes downright silly. but always authentic and genuine.
I read his book on William Wilberforce cover-to-cover. I've heard amazing things about his book on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but unfortunately I haven't gotten a chance to finish it yet, as it's the kind of book you really need to read without much interruption, and that kind of time is kind of hard to find in my life these days. And admittedly, my attention span is more of the Twitter variety than the War and Peace variety, so I really need to get myself in the mood to read a 600 page book, no matter how well-written it might be.
Enter Seven Men and the Secret of Their Greatness. This was the perfect book for me. Instead of being one long book, it's like getting seven mini-books in one; I could finish one of the "mini-books" in just a few sessions of my morning commute (and admittedly, at times the content was so compelling I snuck in some pages after I got to the office).
The book is broken into seven sections, each focusing on a mini-biography of a different man. The men are George Washington, William Wilberforce, Eric Liddell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jackie Robinson, Pope John Paul II, and Chuck Colson.
I admit that I've gotten awful tired of reading contemporary biographies. Today's historians have gotten as secular and politically correct as the rest of the world, and it's painfully clear that, intentionally or not, they inject their biases into their work.
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