Beyond Belief

by Duane W.H. Arnold, Robert Hudson

Collects ninety prayers by famous and lesser-known Christian martyrs including Thomas a Becket, Sir Thomas More, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Oscar Romero, who made decisions according to their faith despite the consequences. Original.

Paperback

Published February 1, 2002

About the author

Duane W.H. Arnold is a church historian and priest. He holds his PhD in Historical Theology from the University of Durham, UK (1989). He has served in academic and parochial posts both in Europe and America, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, Detroit, and St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York. He was named a Senior Research Fellow, The Centre for Reformation Studies, University of Sheffield, UK (1987) and a Fellow of the College of Preachers, the National Cathedral, Washington, DC (1991).

In addition to his academic work, Arnold is a part of the musical collective, The Project, and has recorded two albums, “Martyrs Prayers” and “Mystic Chapel”.

Reviews

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I wanted to read something different, and this is really different for me. It's a short book, so I should have assumed there wasn't going to be a lot of detail in the stories, but I was still a bit disappointed that each snippet was so short -- I would have enjoyed reading more about each person.

I think it was hard for me to connect with the book because it's so hard to imagine what these people suffered. Growing up in 20th/21st century America, I can't fathom the persecution these people suffered, especially when you look at their prayers for the people who persecuted them. I think I'm going to need to revisit this book in the future and really focus on each prayer.

Amazing examples of the kind of love and forgiveness that's possible when people truly commit to God.