Thomas Johnson and Charles Spurgeon lived worlds apart.
Johnson, an American slave, born into captivity and longing for freedom--- Spurgeon, an Englishman born into relative ease and comfort, but, longing too for a freedom of his own. Their respective journeys led to an unlikely meeting and an even more unlikely friendship, forged by fate and mutual love for the mission of Christ.
Steal Away Home is a new kind of book based on historical research, which tells a previously untold story set in the 1800s of the relationship between an African-American missionary and one of the greatest preachers to ever live.
My Thoughts
What a relevant book for our modern times. This story of Charles Spurgeon and Thomas Johnson reminds us that we are all in need of freedom. It was true then and it's true now. We all have chains that enslave us and we need Someone to set us free.
The story begins when both men were around ten years of age. They were both curious boys wanting to do ten-year-old boy things. But they are from two completely different worlds. Charles is living mostly with his grandparents in England. He's loved and nurtured and valued. Thomas on the other hand was born into slavery on a plantation in Virginia and is beaten and abused into submission.
While it may seem that Thomas is the only one needing his freedom, Charles is plagued by chains of debilitating depression and physical ailments. As the story unfolds you are taken deeper into each man's world and get to see the freedom that only Christ can bring.
While this book is a fictionalized retelling of their lives it is based on the two men's extensive writings. I was moved deeply by both of their stories. When the two finally meet and become good friends later I was delighted to see how each drew strength from the other. There were many facts that I didn't realize about Charles Spurgeon and that makes his writings even more valuable. When he speaks about trusting God in the darkest of hours he's speaking from experience. I knew nothing about Thomas Johnson before this book but I am so glad to have met him this way.
This is a beautiful story of friendship and love between two men, their families, and their God. I recommend it to anyone that needs to experience freedom from what chains them down. You will be encouraged by the story of these two giants of the faith.
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