Seven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness

Excellent Intro to 7 Men worth learning more about

Seven Men is basically an introductory biography of, well, seven different men. They are George Washington, William Wilberforce, Eric Liddell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jackie Robinson, Pope John Paul II, and Charles W. Colson. Each biography is its own chapter and each biography is short by design. In addition to the pertinent information a biography requires, Metaxes offers the character traits of each man that, in his estimation, led to their greatness in the eyes of the world. Review I am going to say it: Eric Metaxes’ Seven Men is a ‘gateway drug’ to deeper biographical reading. I am going to spill the beans as to the primary character trait that he states is the secret of the greatness of these men. It is humility and selflessness – character traits missing in so many leaders today. While it would be easy to tee-off on a couple of his biographical choices in a work that is explicitly Christian in nature – for example, was Washington really a believer? What in the world is a Catholic Pope doing in a book of Protestant men to emulate? – I will not do so here. For in reviewing a book one must base the review on the intentions of the author and what he seeks to accomplish. With that in mind, Eric Metaxes sets out to study the lives of men in order to “communicate ideas about how to behave and how not to behave.” In so doing, he exceeds all expectations. He is willing to take a look at men who we may disagree with greatly theologically in order to point out that even they have certain character traits worth emulating. Each man sought something greater than notoriety and power and fame. Each man was ultimately driven by a cause rooted in a biblical understanding of equality because of our Creator. Each man gave up a perceived right to be known as great in order to fulfill an even greater call. This is why, Metaxes argues, we still remember Eric Liddell though we cannot recall who won the gold medal in the 100-meter race in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Point made. Whether ...