Book Review by Randall Murphree
June 10, 2003

(AgapePress) - "It's hard to hear the good news when your ear is lying on the ground," writes Nicky Cruz in One Holy Fire, his latest book. He's talking about Peter's not-so-subtle "witness" when Peter drew his sword and cut off a soldier's ear.

"Too often," Cruz says, "we present the Gospel the way that Peter responded to the soldiers who came to take Jesus at Gethsemene (John 18:10) -- by raising a sword and cutting off someone's ear."

Nicky Cruz is a man with 40 years of ministry under his belt. He's a man the Church should listen to. And learn from. Nicky was one of 18 siblings born to Puerto Rican parents who were deeply immersed in the occult. When he became rebellious and uncontrollable as a teenager, Nicky's father sent him to live with a brother in New York City.

The 15-year-old Nicky didn't stay with his brother long, opting instead to go his own way. He quickly found his "family" in the streets and within six months he was president of the Mau Maus gang, one of the gangs feared most by rivals and police alike.

His young life and conversion to Christianity -- at age 19 -- were immortalized in The Cross and the Switchblade and in his autobiography, Run Baby Run. The latter has been translated into 43 languages and has sold over 12 million copies. He was the first director of Teen Challenge, and has headed his own evangelistic ministry to inner cities for the past three decades. Fortunately, he saw both of his parents come to the Christian faith.

In One Holy Fire (WaterBrook, 2003), Cruz takes a step back to look analytically, yet passionately, at the Church, the family, and the believer in America today. Frank Martin, who collaborated with Cruz, has done similar work with Bill McCartney and Robert Schuller.

No Sugar Coating
Cruz does not camouflage his blunt message to the Church. He cites numerous exemplary churches where incredible ministry is taking place. He knows there's hope if people allow God to work through them. On the other hand, he looks at the Body of Christ as a whole and sees some disturbing shortcomings.

People ask him, "Do you really think we can make a difference for Christ in the inner cities?"

"Yes we can," he answers. "Of course we can. And not just the inner cities, but in every neighborhood in every corner of the world."

People ask, "Do you really think God works the same way today that He did in the New Testament?"

"Of course He does," Nicky answers. "I see it every day. Since the day I became a Christian, I've seen no distinction between what I read about in the Book of Acts and what I experience in ministry."

People ask, "If so, why don't we see Him working in our church that way?"

Cruz answers, "Perhaps the reason you don't see God doing mighty works is because you don't believe in a mighty God. He doesn't work miracles because you don't expect him to."

No Family Picnic
Cruz writes, "More than thirty years ago, I began warning people and churches that if we didn't address the drug and violence problem in the inner city, it would soon move to the middle-class and wealthy suburbs. It was obvious then that the real cause of this addictive and destructive behavior was not poverty, but the breakdown of the family unit."

He says families are falling apart and parents don't know what to do. "Most don't even recognize the fact that the source of their helplessness is Satan and the only cure is Jesus," he writes.

Cruz says the media would have us believe differently, but the one defense against the ills of our popular culture is a strong family. "There's a way to put an end to violence and hopelessness," he writes, "not just in the inner city but in every home, school and neighborhood. We can do it by bringing families back together and introducing them to the power and person of Jesus ...."

One Holy Fire is not dry reading. In fact, it's an adventure. It is not a magic manual or a 1-2-3 guidebook. Cruz's observations and beliefs about the state of the Church are interspersed with moving accounts of his experiences over four decades of reaching out with the Gospel to gangs and inner cities.

From the street corner "hit-and run" concerts where Cruz's team advertises their crusades, to the packed-out arena crowds that follow, inner city people and gang members are captivated by Nicky Cruz's dramatic testimony. They listen when he speaks, and they respond to the Holy Fire of which Cruz speaks.

The Church, too, would do well to listen. And to respond.

Randall Murphree is editor of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association.

© 2003 AgapePress all rights reserved.

 

E-mail this page to a friend Printer-Friendly Version