He Walks Among Us

December 1, 2013

Stearns (president, World Vision U.S.; The Hole in Our Gospel), with his wife Renee, presents short, illustrated chapters intended to offer intimate, inspiring stories of suffering persons in the Third World countries around the globe where World Vision, the evangelical Christian aid organization, works to help the poor (of any religion). Regrettably, the book is poorly constructed and dubious in content, seeking to send the message that the poor are the rich among us, with clumsy parallels to the struggles of First World Christians. The plight of the less fortunate would be evocative and instructive if it were not consistently followed by a ham-handed tie-in of trite, aphoristic material concerning such matters as prayer, selfishness, and the need to go to church. Biblical references are scarce on the ground, and the link between the "lesson" of each chapter (there's a biblical quote to start) and the story of the particular child or adult covered is tenuous at best. There is no explication of the connection between Third World and First World faiths. The beautiful photographs by Warren (photo director, World Vision U.S.) provide some small redemption, but even newcomers to the Christian faith will find numerous better options for Christian inspiration. VERDICT A disappointment in both style and content, offering nothing but generalized and insubstantial anecdotes that are never brought to fruition through any deeper analysis or advice.--Kathleen Dupre, Edmond, OK

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