This is the autobiography of pastor Sam Childers, who is a rather unusual missionary in South Sudan. He is the type of pastor who would have been at home in the more aggressive areas of Reformation Europe, or as a missionary to the Scots and Picts in the early days of Christianity – the pastors who preached with their weapons right next to them ready for the attacks of the enemy.
Childers has had an unusual life, including being a bikie on drugs before turning to Christ and doing construction in Sudan, which lead to his current work there, maintaining an orphanage for children he and others had rescued from the LRA. These children are often in great physical danger, and there is a lot of security and weaponry involved at the orphanage and surrounding areas.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved how Childers neither skimmed over his life before Christ nor dwelt on it in a way that was distracting. I found many of his comments from being on the field in South Sudan to be interesting, especially in regards to the activities and movements of the LRA and the different political groups operating in the region.
Obviously this book will appeal more to those who have an interest in Africa, especially Sudan and the surrounding areas, but even if you are not , it’s a great autobiography.
It has been made into a movie, Machine Gun Preacher, which will be reviewed in a future post.
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