blurbs
Some nice things that people have said about Eric’s work.
“One of my favorite authors is Eric Metaxas. His biographies on William Wilberforce and Dietrich Bonhoeffer are compelling and his weekly Breakpoint commentaries are powerful and thought provoking. His latest effort, Seven Men, is designed to provide men and those becoming men, with positive role models that practically illustrate what manhood is all about. He does this by focusing on seven men who have lived and served well. We all need great examples; we need to understand what it means to be a man and what God intends men to be; and we need to be inspired. That’s what Eric does. I recommend this very readable book highly.”
-Denny Rydberg, President of Young Life
May 23, 2010
In this weighty, riveting analysis of the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Metaxas (Amazing Grace) offers a comprehensive review of one of history’s darkest eras, along with a fascinating exploration of the familial, cultural and religious influences that formed one of the world’s greatest contemporary theologians. A passionate narrative voice combines with meticulous research to unpack the confluence of circumstances and personalities that led Germany from the defeat of WWI to the atrocities of WWII. Abundant source documentation (sermons, letters, journal entries, lectures, the Barman Declaration) brings to life the personalities and experiences that shaped Bonhoeffer: his highly intellectual, musical family; theologically liberal professors, pastoral colleagues and students; his extensive study, work, and travel abroad. Tracing Bonhoeffer’s developing call to be a Jeremiah-like prophet in his own time and a growing understanding that the church was called “to speak for those who could not speak,” Metaxas details Bonhoeffer’s role in religious resistance to Nazism, and provides a compelling account of the faith journey that eventually involved the Lutheran pastor in unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Hitler. Insightful and illuminating, this tome makes a powerful contribution to biography, history and theology. *
Apr 21, 2010
BELIEF IN ACTION
In Hitler’s Germany, a Lutheran pastor chooses resistance and pays with his life.
By JOSEPH LOCONTE
In April 1933, during the early months of Nazi rule in Germany, the “Aryan Paragraph,” as it came to be called, went into effect. A new law banned anyone of Jewish descent from government employment. Hitler’s assault on the Jews—already so evidently under way in his toxic rhetoric and in the ideological imperatives of his party—was moving into a crushing legal phase. German churches, which relied on state support, now faced a choice: preserve their subsidies by dismissing their pastors and employees with Jewish blood—or resist. Most Protestant and Catholic leaders fell into line, visibly currying favor with the regime or quietly complying with its edict.
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Apr 18, 2010
Huge news! My Bonhoeffer book has received a “starred” review in Kirkus! This is spectacular, the equivalent of a gold medal in the publishing world! Here it is:
BONHOEFFER: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
A star is assigned to books of unusual merit, determined by the editors of Kirkus Reviews.
A welcome new biography of one of the 20th century’s leading lights.
Metaxas (Everything You Always Wanted to Know About God: The Jesus Edition, 2010, etc.) magnificently captures the life of theologian and anti-Nazi activist Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945), who “thought it the plain duty of the Christian—and the privilege and honor—to suffer with those who suffered.” In the finest treatment of the man since Eberhard Bethge’s Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Man of Vision, Man of Courage (1970), Metaxas presents a complete, accessible picture of this important figure, whose story is inspiring, instructive and international in scope. Coming of age in Germany at the close of World War I, the precocious Bonhoeffer quickly became a rising star on the international theological scene. In the 1930s he became a leader of the Confessing Church movement, which stood against Hitler, and helped organize its underground seminary. He also joined the Abwehr, the German intelligence agency in which foment against Hitler was most active. Bonhoeffer took part in the conspiracy to kill Hitler, which caused his imprisonment and eventual hanging, just weeks before the end of the war. Throughout this period he also wrote some of the greatest works of practical theology to come out of the first half of the 20th century. Metaxas rightly focuses on his subject’s life, not his theology, though readers will learn plenty about his theology as well. The author makes liberal use of primary sources, which bring Bonhoeffer and other characters to vivid life. For the most part, Metaxas allows this epic story to play itself out, unhindered by commentary; where he does add his own voice, the conclusions are sage.
A definitive Bonhoeffer biography for the 21st century.
END
To order the book, click here.
Apr 09, 2010
Lauren Green has written a SPECTACULAR piece on Bonhoeffer and my new book for Foxnews.com. To read it, please click here. And please share this with your friends!
Nov 11, 2008
“And no Christmas list would be complete without a lullaby book. It’s Time to Sleep, My Love, written by …Read More
Nov 07, 2008
This article appeared in my hometown paper on Nov. 7, 2008 For the actual article, click here.
Eric Metaxas has new …Read More
Sep 25, 2008
This sprightly excursion through the alphabet is a combination of giddy verse and handsome pen-and-ink drawings.
Sep 25, 2008
Certain ideas have been done to death, and parody as a form is particularly susceptible to this pitfall. But when …Read More
Dec 22, 2005
Eric Metaxas aims high. He’s got a book out called Everything You Always Wanted to Know About God (But Were Afraid to Ask). He confesses early on that he’s really just taking “a crack at” the “everything” part, but hopes to get a conversation going about the higher things nonetheless — which he literally does in the book (it’s questions and answers) and does right here, too, always with a light touch.
