Book Recommendation – The Thunder

The target audience of this blog is Christian young people (although if you don’t fit into this category, we hope you still read the blog!). With this in mind, I would like to recommend a book with the same target audience: The Thunder. This is a historical fiction about the life of John Knox written by Douglas Bond.

John Knox was the most influential man in bringing the Protestant Reformation of the 16^th century to Scotland. God used Knox in order to bring the good news that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone to a land that was steeped in Roman Catholicism. Knox is especially well known as being a fiery preacher of the Reformed faith.

The Thunder is a historical fiction. As a fictional work, the author takes the liberty of creating narrative and expanding upon aspects of the history. At the same time, the book is historical. The broad overview of Knox’s life and even many of the details presented in this book are accurate.

I recommend this book to all of you who love a good read. This book certainly qualifies as a “page-turner.” While reading this book, on more than one occasion I was awake well past more my normal bed time – I devoured this book. But there are many books that qualify as “page-turners” out there. Why does this one deserve a recommendation? There are several reasons.

First, this book is a lesson in church history! Even though it won’t feel like it as you read, nevertheless, by reading this book you will learn a considerable amount about how God brought reformation to Scotland. As I indicated, the broader strokes of history set forth in this book are accurate. But so also are many of the details. For example, the author weaves many of Knox’s famous quotes right into the narrative.

Second, this book is spiritually edifying. Bond does not shy away from incorporating the message of the Reformed Faith into the book. For example, on several occasions the narrative contains the preaching of John Knox. Also, the book contains excerpts of the Scots Confession of Faith, which is similar to our own Belgic Confession. In addition, Bond portrays the struggles with temptation and sin that the narrator of the story experienced. Most importantly, this book includes the message of the gospel, highlighting the truth that salvation is not by works, but by grace alone.

Third, this book is free of any filth that you might find in other books. The author is an elder in the Presbyterian Churches of America (PCA). As such, he does not include any inappropriate content.

So if you are looking for a good read, pick up this book and enjoy reading about a monumental figure in church history.

Matt Kortus