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Biographies offer little insight

David Giesbrecht

20th Century People Who Shaped the Church Todd Temple and Kim Twitchell. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 2000. 367 pp.

Readers who enjoy biographies will be disappointed with this book because the entries are brief. The authors comment on a strange, albeit noteworthy, assortment of 46 Christian leaders based on several criteria: profession of personal salvation, affirmation of Christ as Lord, and consequently, their contribution as “fruit bearers” in the 20th century. One is left to wonder what Walter Rauschenburg (1861-1918), a promoter of a social gospel, really has in common with Bill Hybels (1951-), founder of Willow Creek, a contemporary mega-church. A three-page introduction on “events that have shaped those who shaped us” and a timeline locate each of these personalities in a chronological setting, and includes lifespans for those deceased (29 of the 46).

All entries follow a set pattern: length (seven pages), content (a skimpy biographical summary), with some added details on “fruit” and “legacy”. For each person, a characteristic slogan is added. Thus, Hybels is identified as “seeking the seekers”. A highlighted quotation and a bibliography of books by or about the person complete the entries. The information is fairly, although mechanically, presented and is helpful as a reference to these leaders, but offers only slightly more understanding beyond what would be available in a good biographical dictionary.

David Giesbrecht is a former librarian at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, B.C.

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Last modified March 6, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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