From John MacArthur’s foreword to a new biography of David Brainerd:
In this marvelous new biography, Vance Christie has given us a thorough, engaging, meticulously documented but wonderfully readable new chronicle of the life of David Brainerd. Christie makes Brainerd live and breathe for the twenty-first century reader in a vivid, colorful account of the young man’s heart, mind, and work. This is a splendid volume, full of insight into what drove David Brainerd to give his life in the Lord’s service—despite several obstacles that would seem insurmountable to the typical person today.
This retelling of Brainerd’s story is a much-needed and strategic answer to many of the current generation’s spiritual needs. Brainerd’s devotion to serving others for God’s glory makes a sharp contrast with the shallowness and self-centeredness of our postmodern culture, and points to a better, more Christlike way. Brainerd’s own words, quoted frequently but always strategically by Christie, reveal Brainerd as a real and honest man, with struggles, discouragements, and bouts of depression that, if anything, make our postmodern woes seem paltry by comparison. The Appendix deals in detail with Brainerd’s battle against frequent and crippling waves of depression, and is one of the most valuable chapters of the book.
