A True Story of Persecution, Imprisonment, and Perseverance
In 1993, Andrew Brunson was asked to travel to Turkey, the largest unevangelized country in the world, to serve as a missionary. Though hesitant because of the daunting and dangerous task that lay ahead, Andrew and his wife, Norine, believed this was God's plan for them. What followed was a string of threats and attacks, but also successes in starting new churches in a place where many people had never met a Christian. As their work with refugees from Syria, including Kurds, gained attention and suspicion, Andrew and Norine acknowledged the threat but accepted the risk, determining to stay unless God told them to leave. In 2016, they were arrested. Though the State eventually released Norine, who remained in Turkey, Andrew was imprisoned. Accused of being a spy and being among the plotters of the attempted coup, he became a political pawn whose story soon became known around the world. God's Hostage is the incredible true story of his imprisonment, his brokenness, and his eventual freedom. Anyone with a heart for missions, especially to the Muslim world, will love this tension-laden and faith-laced book.
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I didn't know what to expect when I started this book. This wasn't because I didn't know what it was about, I had read the summary. I didn't know what to expect because I had never read a book on someone's persecution for their faith because I am a fairly new christian.
I ended up really liking the way Brunson spoke about his experiences and how he had gone from wanting to stay in Turkey permanently to wanting to be able to leave the country. It was also nice to see that someone with that strong of a faith can still wrestle with it. I'm also glad that Brunson did not shy away from or gloss over talking about some of the harder things he went through while he was imprisoned, I think it really helps to keep the story compelling even though you know he ends up released (since he is writing the book himself). I look forward to finding similar books now and reading them!
I recieved a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway