Basic Information : Synopsis : Thoughts : Evaluation : Book Group : New Words : Book References : Good Quotes : Table of Contents : References
Basic Information:
Author: Eric Metaxs
Edition: Hardback
Publisher: Ecco
ISBN: 0061859362 (ISBN13:
9780061859366)
Start Date: August 6, 2018
Read Date: August 24, 2018
256 pages
Genre: History, Biography,
Christianity
Language Warning: None
Rated Overall: 2 out of 5
History: 2 out of 5
Religion: Christianity
Religious Quality:3 out of 5
Christianity-Teaching Quality:
3 out of 5
Synopsis:
The author provides an
introduction where he talks a bit about why he wrote this book. He
then spends some time talking about how writing and judging women is
different than men, He then gives a biography of each of the seven
women who he chose to write up.
Introduction
The reason why he wrote this
book was because after a book about seven men who changed their
world, people were asking him to write something about women. Sort of
a parallel book. He is not trying to say this is The Seven Women of
who should be studied, These are women whose lives Metaxas felt lived
compelling lives. Metaxas also notes he is not writing a book trying
to measure women against men
What is greatness? Is the the
woman who first did something? .He chose these women because they did
their things in the context of being a woman, rather than a gender
neutral characterization. What does this mean? I am not sure. But his
assumption is that mean and women are not interchangeable. But
Metaxas really does not define what makes a woman great. The New
Testament says the following:
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Mat 5:19-Whoever practices and teaches God’s commandments will be called great
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Mat 15:27-28-The woman who said that even the dogs get the scrapes off the table was called a woman of great faith
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Mat 18:1-5; Luke 9:45-49-Jesus asks, who is the greatest in the kingdom of God? His answer was to call over a little child and tell his people that to be great is to be like one of them.
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Mat 23:10-12; Mark 9:33-35; 10:42-44; Luke 22:23-27-To be great in the kingdom of God is to be a servant
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Luke 1:14-16; 7:27-29-John the Baptist will be called the great in the sight of the Lord because he will bring people back to God.
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Luke 1:31-33-Jesus will be called great
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Luke 7:8-10-Centurion who understood he commanded and people obeyed was like faith. Jesus said his faith was great.
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Luke 7:46-48-Mary Magdalene poured perfume on Jesus. This was called great love.
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John 4:12; 8:53-What makes Jesus greater than Jacob? Or Abraham?
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John 13:16-A servant is not greater than his master
Seems like greatness according
to the Gospel is in humility and love. How does Metaxas’ women
measure up on this? I wonder if Metaxas is talking about greatness
which Jesus talks about, or more excellence like Tom Peters defines?
The hypothesis which Metaxas
has is that women and men are different. They are interchangeable on
one level in that physically they both can do similar things. He
feels as both women and men function similarly, there is competition
for one gender to do things better than the other. But his hypothesis
is that there are attributes which are more female or more male.
These are the areas which each should work on differentiating from
each other.
Each era has the fatal
hubris to believe that it has once and for all climbed to the top of
the mountain and can see everything as it is, from the highest and
most objective vantage point possible. But to assert that ours is the
only blinker-less view of things is to blither fatuousness.
I sort of agree with Metaxas here, but only to a certain extent. Even
such a statement here passes judgement on a group of people, himself
to be somewhat a limited arbitrator of correctness. But the part I do
agree is that there is a tendency for each generation to condemn what
is before it with being blind to its own areas of weakness. From
this, we can learn from previous generations.
We see that our view of
many things, not least our view of how women can be great, is fatally
tinged by our own cultural assumptions.
Not sure what Metaxas means? I think where he is going is that in our
current environment we do not let women be women, we try to make them
into some unisex version of a male. This inhibits a women’s
greatness-what Metaxas does not say, which I think would be better,
is that anytime a person is placed into a position which they are not
able to function with their God given talents and abilities, then
they cannot become excellent.
Joan of Arc
I was disappointed with this
section. In a lot of ways as I was reading this part I was thinking
the Veggie Tales had just met Wikipedia. Rather than anything of
depth, I got the sense of reading facts about Joan of Arc. Maybe her
greatness should have shown own-which it did, but I am not sure that
I got what the secret was. The only thing I got was she listened to
voices and consistently stood up for what the voices was telling her.
Then in the end, the voices stopped and she was captured and put to
death.
Susanna Wesley
Her husband had dedicated a
book to a couple from Holland. They became the king and queen of
England and remembered them. He became the rector of a parish in
Epworth.
Metaxas said it was not
customary to teach females at the time, but Susanna Wesley taught her
daughters as well as her sons. Earlier Metaxas says that her father
taught Susanna how to read and write. Would it not be a natural
progression for Susanna to continue that with her children?
Susanna Wesley was into
educating her children. She was dissatisfied with the textbooks of
her era. So she created her own textbooks. The first taught how to
read, write and reason. There was an emphasis on God as creator. The
second concerned the Apostle’s Creed while the third was centered
on the Ten Commandments. The texted were Christian in nature, but
taught the skills of both sacred and secular. Metaxas concludes she
could not have taught her own if she had not been taught herself.
Which points back to my previous paragraph.
Hannah More
Metaxas seems to be interested
in women who are ahead of their time. He has noted this about Joan of
Arc and Susanna Wesley.
Metaxas said that More thought
that the idea of educating a woman was to make a better companion to
a her husband. This was because at the time for the upper class, a
woman was a commodity for either a better social or economic
position. In this way More was leveling the playing field with a
husband. Should it be that way today? We have lost the meaning of
love in many cases. There seems to be a marriage more for glamour and
pleasure. Is that better than what More was trying to accomplish?
Hannah More understood that
the culture in which one lived was as much or more influenced by the
arts than by legislation, and she undertook to use her gifts in God’s
service. She did not wish to retreat from culture into a religious
sphere, but rather to advance with the wisdom and truth of religion
into the cultural sphere.
What influences our culture today? Arts? Thought? Science?
Entertainment? …. How does it. Where can a Christian most influence
our culture? How?
Part of More’s legacy was
her influence on William Wilberforce. She was part of the drive to
make goodness fashionable. What does she mean by goodness? Is it the
cute little stuff where you go around with a smile on your face? Is
it more like Mother Teresa?
Saint Maria of Paris
Metaxas shows her to be an
earthly saint. One who had a lot of trouble in her life, some of her
own making. Still found a way to be good for others.
Both
[Bonhoeffer and Saint Maria of Paris]
were less interest in meeting the expectations of their own church
denomination than in helping their denomination meet the expectations
of God himself.
This seems a bit artificial to me-the denomination part. But I thank
the structure helps to understand Saint Maria of Paris-she was God’s
representative rather than something from a more earthly source. How
much do I want to meet others expectations and leave God’s to
another day?
Revolution can be
intoxicating. Maybe this is why the young are always ready to lead
the charge.
Metaxas says that 77 de
Lourmel would become legendary as a place of hospitality, grace and
Christian love. Legendary? To sound a bit too modern, but when I
Google it, it appears to be just another residence. Was it more for
that time?
At the Last Judgment
I shall not be asked whether I satisfactory practiced asceticism, nor
how many mows I made before the divine altar. I will be asked whether
I fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick and the
prisoner in his jail. That is all that will be asked.
This is a good reminder of what is important. If for nothing else,
Saint Marie of Paris should be included in this book.
We bear the distorted image of
God-Christ’s mission was to restore this image.
Corrie ten Boom
Rosa Parks
Metaxas says that the Bible
has a social mandate. I wonder why Metaxas said that. Is it because
Metaxas thinks it is an add-on to the gospel? Is that why Parks is
included to show that there is a human impact to Christianity?
It is noted that being called
as a Christian does not mean being passive when your life is
threatened. Has that been true? How do we know when? We see in Park’s
life where she worked to be an activist rather than having it being
thrust on to her. Her resistance was purposeful. How does that play
into our notion of letting God lead circumstances in social action?
In our time, when from my perspective there is so much non-Christian
in President Trump’s approach to making America Great, how can I
show what is Christian and what is not?
Psalm 23 and 27 were some of
Park’s favorite psalms.
I was a person with dignity
and self-respect and I should not set my sights lower than anybody
just because I was black.
That may be the answer to above. How we live our lives should allow
God’s image in us and in others to show through. Particularly when
others are not respected is it time to take a stand.
Interesting twist of story is
that Rosa Parks was kicked off of a bus 12 years earlier than her
famous incident. The same driver on the first bus was the same on the
more famous incident. Parks tried to avoid him whenever she saw who
was driving the bus.
Parks says that she was tired
of giving in. No more tired than normal after a work day.
Interesting. Several places
credits this sentence to Martin Luther King Jr: Some
of us must bear the burden of trying to save the soul of America.
But King’s reference to it seems to be in April 4, 1967. Not sure
if Parks heard it while King was developing the phrase or is it being
misplaced.
Metaxas wrote:She
became convinced of the efficacy of large, non-violent demonstrations
and boycotts, even though she continued to believe that in some
situations, as with self-defense, violence was sometimes necessary.
Does Metaxas believe this? Is this what he is saying is a secret of
her greatness? What Christians should emulate?
Mother Teresa
The chapter on Mother Teresa
caused me to be the most thoughtful, not because of how Metaxas
wrote, but who Mother Teresa was. Maybe it is what Metaxas chose to
bring out in her caused me to look at how I walk as a Christian.
Either way, it caused me to do the most evaluating of my life.
It was said that just her
presence caused you to feel honored. Muggeridge comments that he
thought that he had left all beauty and joy behind him when she left
on a train. How does one get to be that way? This is the sort of
question which Magnus the Magician asked of Paul when he asked to be
taught the art of healing. It is not the sort of thing which you
achieve because of your will, but because to submit yourself to God’s
calling. Not my
will, but Your Will.
Mother Teresa is someone who you understand to be used up for God. If
I want to be used by God like her, I need to be submitted to Him like
her. But the results will be different. He does not make two pots the
same.
Not prideful enough to not
only get assistance, but to ask for it.
Is joy the mark of doing what
God wants us to do?
She died on the street. I
[Mother Teresa] knew
then that I must make a home for the dying, a resting place for
people going to heaven … We cannot let a child of God die like an
animal in the gutter.
How does seeing a person as having God’s image in them change how
we see people who we meet?
If Mother Teresa’s life had
a theme, it was to do small things with great love. She did not
discount large programs, both private and government, but that was
not her calling. Her love was person to person.
Here you have the Welfare
State. Nobody need starve. But there is a different poverty. The
poverty of the spirit, of loneliness and being unwanted.
Also there is the thought that we try not to be inconvenienced by
those who are suffering-even the prosaic like aging. Mother Teresa
looked at these people as being the purpose of her life.
Metaxas cannot help but get a
zinger in against the Clintons and their agenda.
Mother Teresa also felt
spiritual dryness as well. The pain of God’s apparent
absence-thirsting for Him, but not being able to drink deeply.
Metaxas’ conclusion on
Mother Teresa is that she was following Jesus injunction in Matthew
25. We can do the same.
Evaluation:
I
am disappointed with this book, Seven
Women: and the Secret of their Greatness.
I have read other books
by Eric Metaxas where I have been able to gain valuable insight into
both the object of his book-Dietrich Bonhoeffer and William
Wilberforce. On this book, much of that was lacking.
It would seem like from the
title, you would explore both what is greatness, then find out how
these women achieved it. The “secret” might include how I can
better walk a Christian life. But the seven people presented were
pretty flat in how they were presented-at worst something which I
would get from Wikipedia or at best a rehash of books I have already
read.
My suggestion is that if you
want to know about these women, then read a book which focuses on
that person rather than spending the time with this book.
Notes from my book group:
Many of these questions are
mine. But some have been adapted from LitLovers.
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Why the title of Seven Women: And the Secret of Their Greatness?
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Why did Metaxas write this book?
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Did he accomplish his purpose?
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Metaxas works from the basis that women and men are not the same, so there is different measures of greatness. Does this assumption work?
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Given Metaxas’ hypothesis, is there a reason why a male should read this book? (Conversely, should a female read the Seven Men book?)
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What is greatness? How does Metaxas define greatness?
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Was there a unifying theme to what Metaxas consider their greatness?
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What were their secret or secrets?
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Which character inspired you? Why?
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Why did Metaxas think she was great? What was her secret? Can you emulate what she did?
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Is there any characters which you felt was not inspirational? Why?
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Hannah More
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Metaxas thinks Hannah More thought that a woman should be educated to be a better companion to her husband. How does that sound to your ears today? Why? What is the situation for marriage in this day? Is it better than what More faced in her day?
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Hannah More understood that the culture in which one lived was as much or more influenced by the arts than by legislation, and she undertook to use her gifts in God’s service. She did not wish to retreat from culture into a religious sphere, but rather to advance with the wisdom and truth of religion into the cultural sphere. What influences our culture today? Arts? Thought? Science? Entertainment? …. How does it. Where can a Christian most influence our culture? How?
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Hannah More wanted to make goodness fashionable. What does the goodness which she is talking about? What would Hannah More’s goodness look like in our culture? How can we make goodness fahionable?
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Saint Maire of Paris
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Metaxas introduces to her with Both [Bonhoeffer and Saint Maria of Paris] were less interest in meeting the expectations of their own church denomination than in helping their denomination meet the expectations of God himself. What do we learn from this statement about living our lives?
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If there is no justice there is no just God. Yet if there is no just God, that means there is no God at all. Where is there truth in this statement?
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Corrie ten Boom
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I did not have any comments for her. Is that because she is not noteworthy or is it because her story is too well known or is it because I am dead to her greatness or because Metaxas did not bring out why I should pay attention?
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Rosa Parks
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It was pointed out that Colin Kaepernick, the football player, is very similar to Rosa parks in what he is trying to do.I do not see anything where Metaxas has commented on Kaepernick's protest. A Washington Post article contrasts Tim Tebow and Kaepernick bended knee where Metaxas is more aligned with Tebow.
Is social action part of living out the gospel? -
What place does passive resistance have in Christian action? Does aggressiveness have a place? How?
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She became convinced of the efficacy of large, non-violent demonstrations and boycotts, even though she continued to believe that in some situations, as with self-defense, violence was sometimes necessary. Does Metaxas believe this? Is this what he is saying is a secret of her greatness? What Christians should emulate?
-
-
Mother Teresa
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Metaxas reports that Mother Teresa thought that Joy was the proof of the rightness of any endeavor. Is joy the mark of doing what God wants us to do? How is that shown?
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She died on the street. I [Mother Teresa] knew then that I must make a home for the dying, a resting place for people going to heaven … We cannot let a child of God die like an animal in the gutter. How does seeing a person as having God’s image in them change how we see people who we meet?
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Mother Teresa’s theme in life was to do small things with great love. How is this effective? How is this impractical? She said that Christian love is for a person. How can we fulfill that love?
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Why doesn’t Metaxas have a concluding or ending chapter?
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How would this book be different if it was written by a woman?
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Are these stories inspirational?
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Every story has a world view. Were you able to identify this story’s world view? What was it? How did it affect the story?
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Why do you think the author wrote this book?
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What would you ask the author if you had a chance?
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What “take aways” did you have from this book?
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Does Metazas present ideas which you can use?
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Do they seem workable? Practicable?
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How would you implement them?
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How did this book affect your view of the world?
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Of how God is viewed?
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What questions did you ask yourself after reading this book?
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Talk about specific passages that struck you as significant—or interesting, profound, amusing, illuminating, disturbing, sad...?
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What was memorable?
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New Words:
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fatuousness (Introdution): foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner; silly.
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percocity (Susan Wesley): the state of being or tendency to be precocious. (unusually advanced or mature in development)
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sanctum sanctorum (Hannah More): fictional building appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and is the residence of Doctor Strange
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suttee (Hannah More): the act or custom of a Hindu widow burning herself to death or being burned to death on the funeral pyre of her husband;
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quotidan (Saint Maria of Paris): ordinary or everyday, especially when mundane
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peroration (Mother Teresa): the concluding part of a speech, typically intended to inspire enthusiasm in the audience.
Book References:
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Lives by Plutarch
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The Privilege of Being a Woman by
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Alice von Hildebrand
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Man and Woman: A Divine Invention by Alice von Hildebrand
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Robinson Crusoe by Daniel DeFoe
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Life of Christ by Samuel Wesley
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The Book of Common Prayer
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Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas
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Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More by Karen Swallow Prior
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The Search After Happiness by Hannah More
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History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
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The Inflexible Capitve by Hannah More
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Sir Eldred and the Bower by Hannah More
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The Ballad of Bleeding Rock by Hannah More
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Percy by Hannah More
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The Fatalist Falsehood by Hannah More
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Cardiphonia by John Newton
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Sacred Drums by Hannah More
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Thoughts on the Importance of the Manners of the Great to General Society by Hannah More
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Slavery by Hannah More
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Village Politics by Hannah More
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An Estimate of the Religion of the Fashionable World by Hannah More
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Strictures on the Modern System of Female Education by Hannah More
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Vindications of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft
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Hints Toward Forming the Character of a Young Princess by Hannah More
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Coelebs in Search of a WIfe by Hannah More
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Bible Rhymes by Hannah More
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Scythian Shards by Elizabeth Kuz’mania-Karavaeva
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Rosa Parks: A Life by Douglas Brinkley
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My Story by Rosa Parks
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Quiet Strength by Rosa Parks
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Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue with Today’s Youth by Rosa Parks
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Something Beautiful for God by Malcolm Muggeridge
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Great Souls by David Aikman
Good Quotes:
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First Line: Before I wrote this book, I wrote two long biographies, one about Dietrich Bonhoeffer and one about William Wilberforce.
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Last Line: A light that flies not from darkness-but ever towards it.
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If there is no justice there is no just God. Yet if there is no just God, that means there is no God at all. Mother Maria Skobtsov from Sergi Hackel in Pearl of Great Price, page 76
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No one is aware that the world is on fire. Mother Maria Skobtsov from Sergi Hackel in Pearl of Great Price, page 23
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At the Last Judgement I shall not be asked whether I satisfactory practiced asceticism, nor how many mows I made before the divine altar. I will be asked whether I fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick and the prisoner in his jail. That is all that will be asked. Mother Maria Skobtsov from T Stratton Smith, The Rebel Nun, p 135
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Some of us must bear the burden of trying to save the soul of America. Martin Luther King, Jr. Paraphrased from his April 4, 1967 speech: Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.
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Here you have the Welfare State. Nobody need starve. But there is a different poverty. The poverty of the spirit, of loneliness and being unwanted. Mother Teresa as quoted by Kathryn Spink in Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography, page 86
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Beautiful are the ways of God if we allow him to use us as he wants. Mother Teresa as quoted by Kathryn Spink in Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography, page 226
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Introduction
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Joan of Arc
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Susanna Wesley
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Hannah More
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Saint Maria of Paris
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Corrie ten Boom
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Rosa Parks
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Mother Teresa
References:
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