Authored by Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait and Kevin Max—members of the Christian rap group dc Talk—this compilation, like the first Jesus Freaks
book, tells the stories of Christians throughout history who took a brave stand for their faith. Told in non-chronological order (an account of the gospel writer Luke's life comes after a present-day story of a young American girl who sent her Bible to a boy in Sudan), it effectively argues that Christian commitment is timeless. Most of the stories read not as historical accounts but as morality tales designed to rally the faithful. Unfortunately, the authors rarely clarify which accounts are based on sound historical documentation and which are based on legend. Interspersed among the stories are biblical passages as well as brief commentaries from the authors. Earnest and heartfelt, these commentaries sometimes include insights about the martyrdom of Christians at the hands of other Christians, but at other times lapse into offensive Christian triumphalism. While the authors do occasionally acknowledge that non-Christians have been persecuted and martyred for their religious and political beliefs, they portray Christian zeal as unique and superior to all other commitments. They sometimes display limited understanding of the other religions they discuss, as when they refer to Sikhs as "Hindus." However, such shortcomings are unlikely to bother the book's intended readers, who will be compelled by the stories of people who care enough about a cause to give their lives. (Oct.)
Forecast:The original
Jesus Freaks book, published with Albury (recently acquired by Bethany House), was a phenomenal word-of-mouth success, and has sold more than 1.1 million copies. Bethany plans national, youth-targeted advertising, and will also promote this book through the Jesus Freaks Web site (www.jesusfreaks.net), which proved to be a highly serviceable tool for promoting the first installment to the wired teen community.
