Heroes [Hardcover]

In "Heroes" Iain Murray offers the church an outstanding tool to build up one's faith as the reader discovers what real heroes are.

Murray winsomely writes about the lives of faithful Christians such as:

- Robert Kalley
- William Hewitson
- Charles and Mary Colcock Jones
- George Whitefield

A powerful and not too dainty of a book (320 pages) written to both inspire and exhort. This work may be expensive, but it is well worth the price. Makes a wonderful gift and an encouraging personal or family devotional resource.
God Does Exist!: Defending the faith using presuppositional apologetics and evidence - Does God Exist? Yes and the contrary is not possible

This is a collection of biographical sketches of preachers. Some are well-known, such as Whitefield, Newton and Spurgeon. Others, such as Thomas Charles and William Hepburn Hewitson, I'd never heard of before. The author focuses more on their thoughts and their spiritual works than on telling the miscellaneous details of their lives.

Most chapters are about 30-45 pages, but one (to me the most interesting) is 86 pages. That one tells of Charles Colcock Jones and his wife. He was a plantation owner in the southern US during the days of slavery, but being a plantation owner was far from first in his desires. His passion was the evangelization of the slaves.

The chapter on George Whitefield focuses on the value of the way he embraced Christian unity. I found that odd, because every hero in this book is a Calvinist.

If you're a Calvinist, you'll probably love this book. If you're a non-Calvinist Christian, you'll still find much that's of value. It's well worth your time.

Title: Heroes
Author: Iain Murray
Publisher: The Banner of Truth Trust
First Copyright: 2009
Hardback
Price: $20.44
ISBN 978-1-84871-024-5

General Subject Matter: Biography
Theme: Eight short biographies of Christian greatness
Thesis: The study of history is vital to the health of the church

The purpose of this book in the words of the author, "...these pages may give young Christians a relish for old authors, and encourage younger ministers of the gospel in the assurance that the Savior of yesterday is the same today and tomorrow." (p. xiii)

Murray develops his thesis with a very informative and spell bounding narration of four well known and 3 unsung heroes of the faith. Murray is a very talented writer and his talent always shines when he tells the life story and experiences of God's servants.

Murray's Heroes is an extremely interesting book that will hold your attention from the first word to the very last word. Murray pain-stakingly researches the people and events that he writes about. This book is extremely important and valuable due to the information that Murray preserves for his readers about little know individuals and their stories. The reader benefits significantly by being privileged to take an insight look into the lives of these unique men and women.

Murray is more than qualified to pen this collection of biographies. He was educated at the Isle of Man and the University of Durham. He served as assistant to Martyn Lloyd-Jones at Westminster Chapel (1956-59) and subsequently at Grove Chapel, London (1961-69) and St. Giles Presbyterian Church, Sydney, Australia, (1981-84). In 1957 he and Jack Cullum founded the Reformed publishing house, the Banner of Truth Trust, where he has periodically worked full-time and remains the Editorial Director. He has written numerous books, including a number of excellent biographies. He is amply and ably qualified to not only write on the lives of Christian men and women, but he also is faithful "to help younger Christians understand the great heritage of the English-speaking churches on both sides of the Atlantic and in Australia."

This book is laid out very well. The type and layout makes reading very easy. Murray includes black and white photos of the subjects.

Footnotes are included in each chapter for further referencing. This book contains a subject index in the rear.

In summary, the biographical information provided in Murray's Heroes is outstanding. Murray intended on providing background information and the ministries of these seven (7) individuals and he was successful at that task. Murray included Jonathan Edwards, George Whitfield, John Newton, Thomas Charles, William Hepburn Hewitson and Robert Reid Kalley, Charles and Mary Colcock, and Charles Spurgeon. Murray has made it very clear that the study of (Christian) history is vital to the health of the church.