Richard Wurmbrand: Book Report

When I first became a Christian, my church encouraged me and others to go knocking on doors and passing out tracts on Saturdays. Unfortunately, I was sent out on my own and really was not equipped to have a conversation with someone about Jesus. I did not know the Bible very well and could not provide much in the way of arguments with people that questioned God. On the other end of the scale

     By the end, the only emotion left among the prisoners is fear. The prisoners desire food more than anything, two cauldrons of soup are there for the taking, “but who would dare?” (66). The prisoners are crushed by the fear of death or pain, and drop their hope and desire, having lost the last vestiges of humanity. Without their humanity, the only thing that matters to them is satisfaction of bodily requirements, and the prevention of

Author Richard Wurmbrand grew up in Romania under the influence of a religion-absent home. This lack of religion and period of poverty caused by World War I led to his bitter heart towards religion, especially that which spoke of God (Wurmbrand, 11). Wurmbrand admitted to feelings of emptiness and longing for a God of love. Spiritual conflict within himself led him to enter a catholic church where he prayed to a God he did not believe in, asking for a God to be revealed to him. After stumbling across a village that he was immediately drawn to, he met a carpenter who had been praying for the opportunity to witness to a nonbeliever (Wurmbrand, 12). This miraculous connection, sharing of the gospel, and fervent prayer led to the conversion of

After being cooped up in squalor and surrounded by torture for four years, the prisoners couldn’t grasp the concept of their own freedom: “Its reality did not penetrate into our consciousness; we could not grasp the fact that freedom was ours” (88). They had looked forward to it so much that when it came it was almost like an anti-climax. The freed prisoners also had a strong desire for retribution: “They became instigators, not objects, of willful force and injustice. They justified their behavior by their own terrible experiences” (90). Frankl went onto refute this by saying, “that no one has the right to do wrong, not even if wrong has been done to them” (91). Moreover, the prisoners had kept positive in the camps by thinking that they will see their loved ones upon release. Sadly, for many they found that “the person who should open the door was not there, and would never be there again” (92). To these people Frankl imposed the idea that even suffering has a meaning in life; that it is the individual’s responsibility to overcome it and keep fighting on until their last breath. Ultimately, “there is nothing he need fear anymore-except his God” (93).

The book, The Other Wes Moore, was written by Wes Moore. This story is about two guys named Wes Moore, who lived two different lives not knowing each other existed. In the story, both of the Wes Moore's have to make life changing decisions that will change both of their futures. One of them will change for the better and one will change for the worse. In the book, The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, the author explores the idea of decisions to develop the theme consequences of several single decisions can change a person's life forever.

In his book Share Jesus Without Fear, William Fay lays out an easy and attainable way for one to reach people for Christ. A former mobster, and prostitution house owner, Fay says that if “God can take somebody like me and change him, he can take anybody in your life and change him as well.”1 In an easy to understand, comprehensive way, Fay shows how to overcome your fears and witness to those who are lost. By breaking down the six most common excuses one uses not

In Wes Moore's New York Times Best Selling book, The Other Wes Moore we follow the stories of two young men of the same name. One man is consumed by the life of crime and selling drugs that he was surrounded by as a Baltimore city youth then ends up at the mercy of the law and another man who also begins life in a not-so-good neighborhood in Baltimore but through hard work escapes the fate that many in his situation succumb to and becomes a highly respected, successful member of society. The story of these men have been spread throughout the globe and it teaches the lesson that certain decisions can change the outcome of your life drastically and challenges people to make good choices.

What would you do if you were trapped in a labor camp because of your religion? That is exactly what happened to Elie Wiesel. In “Night”, the book he wrote about his experience in Auschwitz, Elie recounts the horrifying things that happened to him during this trying time in his life. He was greatly affected by what he witnessed there.

We can get a general idea of their daily routine, their living conditions, and how they were treated, but can any of us really come close to comprehending the sheer despair they must have felt? I cannot grasp how someone can continue to believe that mankind is still "good" even when they see such wickedness and atrocity committed on a daily basis. We can only imagine how the faith and beliefs were tested by the unfortunate prisoners while in the camps. How did their experiences affect the way they viewed their own religion? Surely, they questioned how their God could allow such a horrendous thing to happen to them. This was one of Eliezer's struggles. At one point, he decides to completely renounce his faith. Despite the surrounding inhumanity, he tried his best to preserve all of his decency, compassion, virtue, and mercy that he could, as he fought at the same time to simply stay alive. "Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever...Never shall I forget the moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes. Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never." I was reminded that not only can our physical bodies be tortured, but our souls as

By acknowledging each individual’s status as a child of God, the damning effects of fear, deception, and hatred can be eradicated by the powerful love of Christ. For Thurman, the true spirit of Christian relationships rests in the ability to love one’s enemies. Although this specific teaching is not new or unique, its application to Christian relationships (especially between the “disinherited” and the “privileged”) is extremely pertinent. Enmity between two individuals or two groups of individuals causes a physical and spiritual disunion that obstructs the individual’s ability to experience the power of Christ. Therefore, I must resolve to always demonstrate an attitude of love toward my enemies in order to preserve the unity that is so vital to genuine spiritual experience. Ultimately, I found Howard Thurman’s theory on the “disinherited” to be both logically valid and extremely thought provoking. In truth, I experienced a deeper engagement with Thurman’s ideas than any other spiritual practitioner that I have explored thus far this semester. This study has caused me to reflect on my own status as a “privileged” individual, realize my need to identify with the “disinherited,” and remember to demonstrate love to my

All over the world people are faced with troubles. Some threatening to their lives, in these struggles many lose their faith during the fight. In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, several prisoners struggled to maintain faith during the Holocaust. Throughout the novel prisoners witness horrific sights; through this they question who they are and what they believe. Many individuals struggled to maintain faith after witnessing starvation, beatings, and murders of the innocent.

During the atrocity of the Holocaust, prisoners in concentration camps endured many horrific encumbrances; placed on their shoulders with jubilation by the Nazis. However, it was lack of faith that killed many, rather than the actual death they met. They disregarded the wise words of Oliver Wendell Holmes by not having faith to pursue the unknown end. In the novel Night by Elie Wiesel, the majority of the Jewish prisoners mentioned underwent horrible sufferings in the infamous concentration camps of the Third Reich. As a result, a plethora of them struggled to maintain faith in God, hope, and humanity.

Growing up in Texas with a jewish mom and an atheist dad was wildly unheard of and slightly unconventional. Texans are famous for two major slogans, the first being “Come and get it” from the Texas revolution, and the second being “Just being a good christian” from every christian i have ever met. I came out of the womb retaliating against conformity along with religion, i didn't understand the need to associate a good deed with christianity when the reality is that people do good things out of humility and for the common good. As i got older i was further subjected to the scrutiny of others through their religious agenda. On December 21st, 2012 the world was predicted to end, my friends and i decided to spend our last day floating in the

In a world that does not know the Gospel anymore, we must indulge in it, and love our fellow community though they may not share similar values, but find balancing in still remaining in our own values. Though many of times we find ourselves in opposition of the majority of the world, we must exude Christ love onto others as He does to us unconditionally. The author addresses ways in which we are able to live out our faith and still find a place within our community though they may not share similar values.

Within the cultural assignment, I had the opportunity to talk with an atheist regarding the origin of his beliefs. Anthony was the name of the person that I talked to. Within our discussion, I learned that there were vast differences in the story of our personal development. I proclaim to be a Christian and was influenced by my mother to live a Christian lifestyle. While growing up, I was not exposed to a variety of other religions, and was the implication of Christianity as being the right choice in faiths was imprinted on me from an early age. On the other hand, Anthony grew up in a non-religious environment that did not consider religion as being a mandatory part of everyday life.