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dramagirl2003's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
gosh this is the perfect mix of inspiring and challenging. these middle-eastern christians have really been through the ringer but are still standing strong in their faith
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Grief, Death, Mass/school shootings, War, Child death, Rape, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Violence, and Blood
jdintr's review against another edition
4.0
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness," Jesus once said, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Charles Morris finds the embodiment of this text in his travels among the refugee camps of Jordan and Syria, collecting the stories of some of the most persecuted Christians in the world. In a region where converts to Christianity face death from their own family members, where ISIS wages genocide, one would expect to find despair (indeed, Christians make up about 30% of the refugees from the conflicts in Syria and Iraq). Instead, the reader will find in Fleeing ISIS, Finding Jesus a remarkable amount of hope.
In fact, Morris reports, "In the last twenty-five years there have been more Muslims coming to Jesus Christ than in the whole fourteen centuries preceding," according to one of his hosts, a Christian pastor named, Naser, "Since the birth of Islam, there has never been a time like this."
While this assertion--along with the ideal of a "golden age" of Christian conversion--is repeated several times in the book, it isn't Morris's primary focus. The evidence is anecdotal--stories of Muslims seeing Jesus in a dream, encouraging them into his kingdom--and Christian readers will find inspiration in every chapter.
Readers find first-hand accounts of ISIS brutality--rape survivors and those who lost entire families share their stories with Morris. The Christian town of Qaraqosh, just outside of Mosul, is featured heavily in the book, as several survivors recall ISIS's onslaught on the village.
Morris ties his reporting together at the end in a very inspiring way. He doesn't lower his vision to counter or demean Islam. "We don't belong to the land; we belong to Jesus," another Christian priest tells Morris near the end of the book. "Wherever we have Jesus, we have the Promised Land."
In an epilogue, Morris calls on American Christians to use the suffering and the soul-winning of Iraqi & Syrian Christians as a tonic to complacency and luxury here at home.
Out of one of the darkest conflicts of the present day, Morris's book has brought a great light to shine.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Charles Morris finds the embodiment of this text in his travels among the refugee camps of Jordan and Syria, collecting the stories of some of the most persecuted Christians in the world. In a region where converts to Christianity face death from their own family members, where ISIS wages genocide, one would expect to find despair (indeed, Christians make up about 30% of the refugees from the conflicts in Syria and Iraq). Instead, the reader will find in Fleeing ISIS, Finding Jesus a remarkable amount of hope.
In fact, Morris reports, "In the last twenty-five years there have been more Muslims coming to Jesus Christ than in the whole fourteen centuries preceding," according to one of his hosts, a Christian pastor named, Naser, "Since the birth of Islam, there has never been a time like this."
While this assertion--along with the ideal of a "golden age" of Christian conversion--is repeated several times in the book, it isn't Morris's primary focus. The evidence is anecdotal--stories of Muslims seeing Jesus in a dream, encouraging them into his kingdom--and Christian readers will find inspiration in every chapter.
Readers find first-hand accounts of ISIS brutality--rape survivors and those who lost entire families share their stories with Morris. The Christian town of Qaraqosh, just outside of Mosul, is featured heavily in the book, as several survivors recall ISIS's onslaught on the village.
Morris ties his reporting together at the end in a very inspiring way. He doesn't lower his vision to counter or demean Islam. "We don't belong to the land; we belong to Jesus," another Christian priest tells Morris near the end of the book. "Wherever we have Jesus, we have the Promised Land."
In an epilogue, Morris calls on American Christians to use the suffering and the soul-winning of Iraqi & Syrian Christians as a tonic to complacency and luxury here at home.
Out of one of the darkest conflicts of the present day, Morris's book has brought a great light to shine.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
mveldeivendran's review against another edition
3.0
The book is about a Christian evangelist journey to the Middle East mostly in Syria, Jordan and Iraq surrounded by the wake of ISIS, meeting some people from various geographical areas in which significant numbers of Muslims are coming to faith on Jesus and some firm innate believers persisting, experiencing the atrocities of the local radical groups.
I was curious to experience the mindset regarding the happenings in Middle East through a Christian perceptive. Despite my expectations, the work has only a few parts boasting Christianity and resenting Islam where he claims Christianity to be 'the' true face of seeking the God's blessings at various points vicariously through his interviews and by critiquing the negative impacts of Qur'an. It is hard to read this particular part realising the reality that the Judeo-Christian holy books were reinterpreted periodically for its survival. Author from his justified façade thought he could criticize Qur'an.
I won't consider this as a rigorously researched, detailed account but still relevant in some places and reading about the experiences of the victims and those circumstances in which they're intended to believe, is worth reading. Bringing back the faith in Christianity across the people in Middle East has a lot to do with its base elements as Friedrich Nietzsche said in his book, The Birth of Tragedy.
Overall, the accounts of several people recorded on their surviving the chaos amidst the radical ISIS with Near Death Experiences and other similar circumstances are worth knowing about the life in Middle East in case you haven't read any yet.
Author Charles Morris had been using his journalism background and communication skills for evangelism since early 2000 through an 80-year-old Christian radio program based in Los Angeles called Haven Today. The book's available from January 1, 2017.
I thank Netgalley, Author and David C Cook for the opportunity in reviewing this advanced copy.
I was curious to experience the mindset regarding the happenings in Middle East through a Christian perceptive. Despite my expectations, the work has only a few parts boasting Christianity and resenting Islam where he claims Christianity to be 'the' true face of seeking the God's blessings at various points vicariously through his interviews and by critiquing the negative impacts of Qur'an. It is hard to read this particular part realising the reality that the Judeo-Christian holy books were reinterpreted periodically for its survival. Author from his justified façade thought he could criticize Qur'an.
I won't consider this as a rigorously researched, detailed account but still relevant in some places and reading about the experiences of the victims and those circumstances in which they're intended to believe, is worth reading. Bringing back the faith in Christianity across the people in Middle East has a lot to do with its base elements as Friedrich Nietzsche said in his book, The Birth of Tragedy.
Overall, the accounts of several people recorded on their surviving the chaos amidst the radical ISIS with Near Death Experiences and other similar circumstances are worth knowing about the life in Middle East in case you haven't read any yet.
Author Charles Morris had been using his journalism background and communication skills for evangelism since early 2000 through an 80-year-old Christian radio program based in Los Angeles called Haven Today. The book's available from January 1, 2017.
I thank Netgalley, Author and David C Cook for the opportunity in reviewing this advanced copy.
leah_152's review against another edition
5.0
Best book I've ever read. I hope my faith grows like this one day! 😊
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