Christian Book Notes

Anderson, Courtney. To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson. Valley Forge: Judson Press, 1987. 530 pp. $17.00. Purchase at Amazon for $13.60 or less.

Introduction

This book was originally published in 1956 by Little, Brown and Company and was recently republished by Judson Press in 1987. The language from the first edition has not been updated and is therefore a little anachronistic but still very readable.

Courtney Anderson (d. 2001) was a teacher, author, film writer, and in the U.S. governemnt for over five decades. This particular book, To the Golden Shore is “considered to be one of the greatest Christian biographies ever written.”

Summary

The detail of Judson’s life as found in To the Golden Shore is breathtaking. His testimony of salvation is given in full detail–it alone is worth purchasing the book. His call to the mission field is abundantly evident and one that he would look back on with great rejoicing as he encountered trial after trial and death after death during his travels.

Ultimately, the life of Adoniram Judson points to one thing and one thing only–the glory and magnificence of Christ our King. By looking at the overview of Judson’s life, the reader can peer behind the curtain as it were to see God’s sovereignty in most every trial that Adoniram and his family faced. It is easy to get caught up the “awesomeness” (my word) of God’s working in one man’s life, but we must realize that the discipline of one-minded devotion to Christ was the catalyst for the life that is being celebrated in these pages.

For a much shorter (by about 525 pages!) biography of Adoniram Judson, check out WholesomeWords.org.

Review

What more can be said about To the Golden Shore that has not already been said? This was an excellently written and researched biography. It is evident that this biography was not written in a hurry and was written at a time when great care was taken in research. I can only imagine the hours that went into the writing of this magnificent book.

Anderson does an excellent job of giving God the glory through the lens of Judson’s life. Every page shouts praise to God and that is the way Adoniram would want it.

Recommendation

If you are a Christian, I commend this book to you. If you are thinking about going on the mission field, then this book becomes a must read. I can think of only one other missionary biography that has moved me the way To the Golden Shore did. That was The Diary of David Brainerd. The only reason I believe that the book on Brainerd “has called more people to the mission field” is because it was written before To the Golden Shore. Pick up a copy today and be blessed in reading it.