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The good news is that there are accessible recent titles, written from a believer's point of view. Approachable scholarly histories can be found in Allen Guelzo's Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President (Eerdmans) and Grant Wacker's history of early Pentecostalism, Heaven Below (Harvard). Recent evangelical biographies include John Perry's Charles Colson (Broadman & Holman), Bruce Shelley's Transformed by Love (on Vernon Grounds; Discovery House), and Kevin Belmonte's Hero for Humanity (on William Wilberforce; NavPress). Myrna Grant's Sacred Legacy (Baker) pulls together the writings of nine influential women in our history. And on it goes.

Breaking the Bind

How can we better showcase our heritage?

First, we encourage CBA to consider adding history/biography to its bestseller lists. Every quarter, 100,000 people read our sister publication Christian History. This market is too big to ignore.

Second, Christian bookstores might promote a few titles as an act of stewardship. Most Christian bookstore owners got into the business because they wanted to promote the fine books they themselves loved. Surely they don't have to give that up completely in order to pay the bills.

Third, Christian publishers should recall their own first love, as well, and continue to do their best (within understandable economic constraints) to keep their history lineup full and fresh.

The Roman historian Cicero said, "To be ignorant of what happened before you were born is to remain a child always." Like any movement, we are in constant need of maturity and wisdom. History is one genre that can help us.

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