History is not boring
Many
people think that history is boring. It is usually only boring if it is told badly.
Hudson
Taylor went to China at the of 21 to take the gospel to the Chinese. He arrived
in the middle of a war and his life there was in constant danger. I have
written a book called Hudson Taylor and China (Rhiza Press). Is it
boring? How could it be? It is dramatic
and at times exciting.
History
is full of fascinating people, exciting events, disturbing incidents and great
drama. I write church history and biography with a major focus on nineteenth
century Britain and the missionaries sent from there.
Christian Biography and History
With
some genres one can point to major authors who write in a particular field, but
while this is possible with church history, it is harder with biography. With
biographies one tends to look for a book about a particular person rather than
who wrote it.
Two
Australian examples of biographies where the subject is more famous than the
author are Mr Eternity by Roy Williams and Elizabeth Meyers (Shortlisted for the 2018 Australian Christian Book of the Year Award), and The
Man the Anzacs Revered by Daniel Reynaud.
The first is about Arthur Stace,
a Christian man, who became a legend by writing the word “Eternity” on Sydney’s
footpaths over a period of many years. Stace was an ordinary man, but he did
something that was extraordinary.
The other book is about William “Fighting
Mac” McKenzie, who was a Salvation Army chaplain in the First World War. He was
a remarkable man who was famous between the two world wars, but is sadly les known
today. If you want to read a good biography about a great Australian, read The
Man the Anzacs Revered, for the Anzacs did not revere many outside their
own. “Fighting Mac” was special.
Two
of the best writers of modern church history are Mark Noll (America) and David
Bebbington (Britain). Both are clearly excellent at research and write well. (I
understand that Bebbington’s son was once asked what his father did, and the
son said, “He writes about dead evangelicals.” I do the same as Bebbington
senior.)
Research and Sources
Research
is a vital aspect of writing history or biography. Research has never been
easier and never harder than today. It is easier because there are lots of good
modern books and articles available on most historical figures and events of
interest, and the internet has opened up access to the text of many out of
print books and given us access to many worthwhile articles.
But this presents
two areas of difficulty: firstly, there is a lot to wade through; secondly, as
always with the internet, you have to be careful, for there is a lot of
ill-informed rubbish out there. Check and recheck your sources.
David's Projects
One
of my major projects has been the history of The Salvation Army and its
founders, William and Catherine Booth. William Booth was originally a Methodist
evangelist, who won thousands to faith in Christ Jesus. His preaching was
dynamic and the results often dramatic. Catherine also became a Methodist
preacher and was (no surprise) one of the early Christian feminists. They were
very different from each other, but in their own ways colourful. As The
Salvation Army came into being, they attracted around them a ragtag collection
of odd people, male and female, who excite, intrigue, and, at times, make you
laugh or cry.
Catherine
was a difficult person to argue with. She was smart and always seemed to have
her arguments ready. On one occasion she had just preached at the opening of a
new Salvation Army mission hall. Afterwards a man cornered her and said, “Did
you know, Mrs Booth, that the Apostle Paul told the Corinthians that women
should not speak in the church?” She responded, “Yes, but I am not a Corinthian
and this is not a church.” Wow! I wouldn’t want to argue with her.
I
have written two biographies of William Booth, a smallish one called William
Booth and his Salvation Army (Even Before Publishing) and a two-volume
book, The General: William Booth (Xulon Press). I have also edited,
transcribed and published their letters to each other, Catherine’s diary, her
reminiscences and her letters to her parents, which are all full of their love
of Christ and their great desire to make Him known.
I am now writing a two-volume
biography of Catherine. The first volume, Catherine Booth: From Timidity to
Boldness, has been accepted by Morning Star Publishing.
Making it Readable
I
write two different kinds of biography. One I describe as dramatic. That is, whilst
sticking to the main incidents of the subject’s life, I, in some cases, invent
dialogue and assume people’s emotions, to make it read (hopefully) like
fiction. The other type I write are more authentic, detailed and analytical,
but still (I am told) very readable.
I
think one of the tricks with non-fiction writing is to make it readable, which
is easier than most people think. There are always plenty of exciting and
dramatic events going on now and in the past. Write about them. What interests
and excites you will almost certainly interest and excite others. And don’t use
lots of long and complicated sentences. While some sentences should be long, keep
most fairly short and some very short. Variety in sentence length is important
in all forms of writing.
Two people have told me that my PhD dissertation (The Origins of Left Behind Eschatology) was very readable. I confess that when I heard that, I thought, “It’s a PhD dissertation for goodness sake. It’s not meant to be readable.” You see, even some complicated subjects can be made readable.
David Malcolm Bennett has written over 20 Christian books, mainly biographies and church history. His book “From Ashes to Glory” was a joint winner in the CALEB AWARDS, biography section, and his “William Booth and his Salvation Army” was a finalist in CALEB. That book about William Booth has sold over 25,000 copies in its three editions, English, American and Australian. His latest book “Hudson Taylor and China” is a finalist in this year’s CALEB.
