EMQ » October–December 2021 » Volume 57 Issue 4
[memberonly folder=”Members, EMQ2YearFolder, EMQ1YearFolder, EMQLibraryInstitution”]By Edward L. Smither
Cascade Books, 2020
98 pages
US$16.00
Reviewed by Laena Maunula, a public health scientist and researcher at Operation World.
While avoiding suffering and prolonging life is a prevailing goal for many people in late modern societies, suffering plays a central role in Christian mission. Amy Carmichael’s famous assertion that “missionary life is simply a chance to die” comes to mind. However, it can be tempting to view martyrdom as a tragedy rather than as an act of joyful worship and witness.
In this engaging book, historian and Columbia International University Intercultural Studies dean Edward L. Smither couches the issue of martyrdom within a broad historical, biblical, and theological exploration of suffering. Arguing that to follow Christ and to participate in God’s mission is to embrace suffering, Smither invites twentieth century believers to reconceptualize suffering as an essential element of God’s redemptive plan.
The book begins by tracing Jesus’s earthly life and ministry through the gospels, highlighting social, emotional, material, and bodily hardships, thereby demonstrating the centrality of suffering in the lives of those who follow Christ. Chapter 2 addresses key points in church history in which suffering and martyrdom served as catalysts for the expansion of Christianity. These period- specific forms of suffering include the oppression and hardships faced by the New Testament church, the legislated persecution of believers within the Roman Empire, the committed asceticism of monastics in the fourth century, and the Franciscans’ and Moravians’ commitment to mission despite danger and difficulty.
The following three chapters each attend to a distinct outcome of martyrdom: gospel witness, raising a prophetic voice, and worship. Drawing from accounts of martyrdom in the first three centuries of the church and some of the earliest Christian apologists, chapter 3 asserts that martyrdom presents an opportunity to confess Christ, clarify aspects of the gospel, and publicly defend the faith. To illustrate how martyrdom serves as a prophetic warning to non-believers and governing authorities, as well as a call to the church to pursue justice and return to the gospel, chapter 4 includes more recent examples of martyrdom, such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Chapter 5 sketches out stirring twentieth century examples of how martyrdom is motivated by, and further inspires, worship.
In the final chapter, Smither reflects on the lessons for the twenty-first century church, including the need for western Christians to learn from the majority world church concerning suffering and hardship, and to cultivate a willingness to suffer for the sake of the gospel.
This is a well-organized and highly readable book addressing an often-misunderstood topic. With this historical analysis, Smither has made an important contribution toward biblically and theologically reorienting our understanding of martyrdom specifically and suffering more broadly. This book would benefit anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of martyrdom and the relationship of suffering to Christian witness, including those preparing for, or currently serving in, overseas or cross-cultural ministry. Its size and accessible language also make it an appropriate book for small-group book studies.
For Further Reading
Litfin, Bryan M. Early Christian Martyr Stories: An Evangelical Introduction with New Translations. Baker Academic, 2014.
Sundquist, Scott W. Understanding Christian Mission: Participating in Suffering and Glory. Baker Academic, 2013.
