Books

Making a Difference

The God Who Hung on the Cross is a vibrant chronicle of an 81-year-old man’s mission

The God Who Hung on the Cross Dois I. Rosser Jr. and Ellen Vaughn Zondervan, 244 pages, $18.99

Complacent, comfortable Christians should find this somewhat uneven book a stirring call to make a difference in the world. “We need to be relentless in the quest to bring help to those whom God loves,” writes Dois Rosser, an 81-year-old former car salesman on a mission to use his time, money, and talent to make a difference wherever he can.

The heart of the book is in its stories: lepers in India constructing a church from scratch; a Down syndrome boy raised by monkeys in Cambodia; or the condition of children’s prisons in India. Despite the heart-rending nature of many of the anecdotes, plenty of wry humor keeps the book from becoming heavy-handed.

Ellen Vaughn, an award-winning author, travels with Rosser and shares her perceptions of him, his work, and how it affects her life. The dual authorship weakens cohesiveness (the reader encounters chapters by Rosser and then by Vaughn in no particular pattern), and the narrative slows when it delves into the details of Rosser’s foundation. But the appeal of the book is in the vibrant enthusiasm Rosser and Vaughn bring to the timeless message of what God can do through individuals.

Copyright © 2003 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere

The God Who Hung on the Cross is available at Christianbook.com.

For more book reviews, see Christianity Today’s archives.

Also in this issue

The Higher Self Gets Down to Business: An old movement appears anew—in the corporate world.

Cover Story

The Higher Self Gets Down To Business

Heavenly Bodies

Yugoslavia: Divided by distrust

Quotation Marks

The Unluckiest Church

Heresy at Wheaton?

Prostitutes Sue Christians

Flash: Mother Teresa Was Human

Evangelism Antagonism

New Life for Prolife

"Reflections: Sex, Love, and Marriage"

Nigeria: Sub-Saharan Powder Keg

News

"John F. Walvoord, 92, longtime Dallas president, dies"

Fighting Within and Fears Without

Darrell Block: ’Public-Square’ Societies Keep Us Honest

We're Rich

Faith vs. Statistics

Openness Season

Words Well Chosen

A Refugee's Challenges

A Stellar Whodunnit

Tallying Compassion

News

Elms Make Like a Tree

Wire Story

Clergy ratings at lowest point ever

Wire Story

Pakistan: Three killed in Christmas attack on church

PLUS: Utopia or Kingdom Come?

PLUS: Prosperity Consciousness

The Profit of God

PLUS: Bad Company Corrupts

"Once you Forgive, there will be Healing"

Headship with a Heart

News

Go Figure

"PLUS: The Neighborhood's Last, Best Hope"

How to Rebuild a Country

Wrath Control

What Conversion Is and Is Not

The Peoples are Here

Saving Black Babies

Local Church fights for evangelical ID card

Beach blanket rebirth

Prolife as Mafia?

View issue

Our Latest

Wicked or Misunderstood?

A conversation with Beth Moore about UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect Luigi Mangione and the nature of sin.

Why Armenian Christians Recall Noah’s Ark in December

The biblical account of the Flood resonates with a persecuted church born near Mount Ararat.

Review

The Virgin Birth Is More Than an Incredible Occurrence

We’re eager to ask whether it could have happened. We shouldn’t forget to ask what it means.

The Nine Days of Filipino Christmas

Some Protestants observe the Catholic tradition of Simbang Gabi, predawn services in the days leading up to Christmas.

The Bulletin

Neighborhood Threat

The Bulletin talks about Christians in Syria, Bible education, and the “bad guys” of NYC.

Join CT for a Live Book Awards Event

A conversation with Russell Moore, Book of the Year winner Gavin Ortlund, and Award of Merit winner Brad East.

Excerpt

There’s No Such Thing as a ‘Proper’ Christmas Carol

As we learn from the surprising journeys of several holiday classics, the term defies easy definition.

Advent Calls Us Out of Our Despair

Sitting in the dark helps us truly appreciate the light.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube