Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness Author: Eric Metaxas | Language: English | ISBN:
B00A0VPH5C | Format: PDF
Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness Description
In Seven Men, New York
Times best-selling author Eric Metaxas presents seven exquisitely crafted
short portraits of widely known—but not well understood—Christian men, each of
whom uniquely showcases a commitment to live by certain virtues in the truth of
the gospel.
Written in a beautiful and engaging
style, Seven Men addresses what it means (or should mean) to be a man
today, at a time when media and popular culture present images of masculinity
that are not the picture presented in Scripture and historic civil life. What
does it take to be a true exemplar as a father, brother, husband, leader,
coach, counselor, change agent, and wise man? What does it mean to stand for
honesty, courage, and charity, especially at times when the culture and the
world run counter to those values?
Each
of the seven biographies represents the life of a man who experienced
the struggles and challenges to be strong in the face of forces and
circumstances that would have destroyed the resolve of lesser men. Each of the
seven men profiled—George Washington, William Wilberforce, Eric Liddell,
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jackie Robinson, John Paul II, and Charles Colson—call the
reader to a more elevated walk and lifestyle, one that embodies the gospel in
the world around us.
- File Size: 792 KB
- Print Length: 221 pages
- Publisher: Thomas Nelson (April 30, 2013)
- Sold by: HarperCollins Christian Publishing
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00A0VPH5C
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,890 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #7
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian Living > Men's Issues - #45
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Religious - #72
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical
- #7
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian Living > Men's Issues - #45
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Religious - #72
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical
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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