Modern Day Book of Martyrs??

The Global War on Christians by John L. Allen, Jr. could be described as a modern-day Foxe's Book of Martyrs.  He makes a valiant attempt at documenting the war on Christians (that term is used loosely to capture many evangelical groups across multiple denominational lines) and provides world-wide evidence. The first part of the book provides a short overview of the anti-Christian efforts around the globe and then he digs in to the major areas:  Africa, Asia, Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. 

Rather than simply telling story after story in gory detail, he provides enough evidence to convince the reader of the actual existence of such persecution.  Then, he shifts into the mode of dispelling myths while talking about results and specific responses.  For instance, many blame the victims - Christians - for the "war" because it's really their fault for trying to tell and convert others.  If they would only stop talking about their faith and getting into the lives of others, things would be just fine.  True Christians cannot live out their faith in private; so despite the persecution, positive results can be seen from Christians that view their struggles as joyful service to Christ. 

The greatest impact of the book is found on the back cover as it contains these simple words -- "it's time to wake up."  He correctly and perpetually hammers home the point that Christians ignore this occurrence.  He posits several reasons and practically all of them focus on apathy due to comfort in the Western world.  It is a clarion call that these types of experiences will soon be knocking on our own doors and that we best be prepared to live out our lives according to God's Holy Word.

While there is much information of value here, I struggled with the introductory parts of the book; and I completely understand that this is not MY book.  The whole discussion regarding the use of the term "war," in my opinion, opened the book slowly for most, modern readers.  Absent an immediate dive into the content, many readers will simply stop reading or lose the entire premise.  I also struggled with the persistent use of contractions throughout -- can't, don't, won't, etc.  His introductory components and overall structure grounded his work as a more scholarly bent; however, the lack of formal writing detracted from that very aspect. 

This book deserves a read and is interesting; however, I just have to put it as an "average" rating. 


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book for free from the Blogging for Books Publishing Group for this review.  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 25:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.