THE FIGHT OF FAITH
Edited by Michael Clayton and Philip Bray
Panoplia Publishing. 201 pages. £7.00
ISBN 978 0 957 608 900
Although this book has the defects often seen in self-published works, no Christian would quarrel with the motives of the joint editors: ‘While serving in the Armed Forces we have had the privilege of meeting individuals and reading many instances that illustrate the goodness and truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. It seemed good to collect these accounts into a single book’.
The book contains stories of the military and Christian lives of 15 men, many of which are well known. The foreword by Ian Dobbie is largely a good defence of the evidence in favour of real Christians taking part in military matters. Thus, the choice of D L Moody, who tells us that he takes the pacifist position, is somewhat surprising.
Other stories include that of US Ranger Jeff Struecker who wrote an autobiography. His chapter is, therefore, an edited excerpt. Some chapters, such as J Blackadder, C H Malan, Henry Havelock and James Gardiner, derive from bygone centuries. Others are men of the 20th century. Some, like Joe Mullins, tell their own story. Others are extracted from existing books and a few are specially written. Although there are editorial problems throughout the book, the desire to exalt Christ trumps the failings.
Duncan Campbell
The final chapter about Duncan Campbell is edited from his own writings. Most Christians have simply believed all that Campbell wrote, without further research. This pattern has been followed in this book. It is a serious mistake. Even Woolsey’s unsatisfactory biography concedes that he exaggerated so-called ‘facts’. The Fight of Faith includes the story of Campbell’s first ‘Holy Ghost revival’. This took place in a Casualty Clearing Station in World War I. Campbell explains that at the time he could speak only Gaelic. He says: ‘I could barely speak a word of English’. So, as he lay among battle casualties, he kept repeating a verse from a Psalm in Gaelic. We are told, ‘Within an hour seven Canadians had been saved’. (Note that none of these men understood Gaelic). The reader will believe according to his/her point of view…
