ADONIRAM JUDSON
Devoted for life
By Vance Christie
Christian Focus. 375 pages. £8.99
ISBN 978 1 781 911 471
This book contains the story of a man who really did, as the title suggests, devote his entire life to Christ. It has inspired me beyond any other missionary biographies I have read.
However, it is not an easy read for two main reasons. Firstly, the book is very detailed and outlines every known fact of his life, as well as providing extensive quotations from his writings and those of his loved ones. Therefore it demands and deserves concentration from the reader in order to follow the intricate ups and downs, and remember the somewhat unfamiliar Burmese names mentioned along the way.
The second reason for it not being an ‘easy read’ is that the subject material being dealt with is often graphically violent, and some of the incidents recorded, though factual, are disturbing. However, just as there is much here that is truly heart-rending and tragic, there is also much to lift the spirits.
Judson was really the first American missionary and he took the gospel to Burma in the early 1800s. He had a privileged upbringing and was well educated, but, after God had dealt with his self-reliance and brought him to a place of complete consecration, he was able to endure severe hardships and personal tragedies for the sake of Jesus. I honestly think it will be hard to complain or moan about anything else again after reading how much he suffered.
Reading this book will challenge the commitment of any modern believer and I thoroughly recommend it, though not to the squeamish! It is because of Judson that there are Christians in Burma today, showing just what one devoted life can achieve!
