The Lamb and the Fuhrer : Jesus Talks With Hitler (Great Conversations) [Hardcover]

Ravi Zacharias (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2005

Destruction and Evil Meet Life and Peace

Adolf Hitler spilled the blood of millions for his own sake. Jesus Christ shed his own blood for the sake of millions. Hitler set himself up as a god and the masses succumbed. Jesus Christ was God in the form of lowly man. Hitler created a living hell for the masses. Jesus endured hell to save the masses. Hitler’s name is synonymous with power, evil, and genocide. Jesus’ name with love, peace, and life. Put the two in a room together and you won’t believe your ears. The third compelling book in Ravi Zacharias’ Great Conversations series addresses fundamental issues of life and death, the evil of violence in light of the value of human life, and other tough issues in modern society.

Adolf Hitler

Evil. Hatred. Pride. Destruction.

Jesus Christ

Peace. Love. Humility. Life.

What could they possibly have to talk about?

In this compelling dialogue, two men of contrasting values meet face-to-face. They address fundamental issues of life and death, the evil of violence in light of the value of human life, and the timeless search for unity in diversity. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor Hitler ordered hanged, joins in and the heat intensifies when the three begin to weigh the value of relationships, love, and forgiveness.

You won’t want to miss this imaginative discourse that will take you inside the mind of one of the most brutal tyrants of all time…and the very God who made him.

“The works of Ravi Zacharias are a vital resource around our house.”

Frank Peretti

Story Behind the Book

This third book in the intriguing Great Conversations series takes Jesus out of the New Testament setting and places him in the 1900s to confront one of the world’s most influential people of all time—Adolf Hitler. The other books in the series reveal fictitious conversations Jesus might have with Buddha and with Oscar Wilde. The three books combine to attract readers who have friends practicing other religions, or who admire or question contemporary figures. These conversations are rich, begging for eavesdroppers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The works of Ravi Zacharias are a vital resource around our house." -- Frank Peretti


From the Trade Paperback edition.

About the Author

Ravi Zacharias was born in India , immigrating to Canada at age twenty. His speaking ministry has taken him worldwide (including the campuses of Harvard, Princeton , and Oxford University ) as a recognized authority on comparative religions, cults, and philosophy. Zacharias holds three doctorate degrees and his books include the Gold Medallion winner Can Man Live Without God? He is the president of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, and teaches a weekly, international radio program entitled Let My People Think, as well as the regular weekday program Just Thinking. Ravi lives with his wife, Margaret. They have three grown children.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books; annotated edition edition (September 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590523946
• ISBN-13: 978-1590523940
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.5 x 6.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,027,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For over thirty-five years, Ravi Zacharias has spoken all over the world in great halls and universities, notably Harvard, Princeton, and numerous universities internationally. He is listed as a Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford university. He has appeared on CNN and other international broadcasts. The author of several books for adults and children, he powerfully mixes biblical teaching and Christian apologetics. His most recent works include Walking from East to West, a memoir; The Grand Weaver, an exploration of God's intention in both the ordinary and the startling elements of life; and The End of Reason, a rebuttal of the claims of the so-called New Atheists. His weekly radio program, Let My People Think, is broadcast on 1,692 stations worldwide, and his weekday program, Just Thinking, is on 412. He is founder and chairman of the board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with additional offices in Canada, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Zacharias and his wife, Margie, have three grown children and reside in Atlanta.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bit contrived, but great discussion flashpoint, November 25, 2005

By 

Albert Cerussi (Lake Forest, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lamb and the Fuhrer : Jesus Talks With Hitler (Great Conversations) (Hardcover)

This book is the latest installment of Ravi Zacharias's "Great Conversations" series. Essentially it is a dialogue between Hitler (after he dies), Dietrich Bonhoeffer (a German pastor who tried to assassinate Hitler), and Yeshua (Jesus). The book is short, to the point, and pretty easy to read.

In a sense, the book is kind of like cardboard. Yeshua, the king of kings, doesn't sound so eloquent, and seems to "debate" not as you might expect. There is not a lot of mentioned about the Jewish question (Hitler discussing the "Jewish Problem" with the Jewish Messiah would have made quite a discussion ...). At times the book seems to be more of a defense of Bonhoeffer's choice to assassinate Hitler than anything else. And the ending of the dialogue was a bit strange, but of course what you expected (ie, Hitler's separation from God).

But despite these deficiencies, I think the book is a great example of the Socratic Method, which is seemingly rarely used in literature today. The topic could not be more interesting, and in fact the whole reason I got the book. And it is easy to criticize anyone trying to say "what Yeshua would say." So how regal should Yeshua sound? Can limited man represent what The Almighty might say, etc. So I can't be too harsh here.

In the end, I think this book is a wonderful idea but it just didn't work as well as I had hoped. I plan on checking out one of the other books in the series. Id give it 3.5 stars in reality.

But this book does accomplish one thing for sure; it will be a center piece of discussion. For a fascinating Bible study, try a discussion about the dialogue (using Bible verses to support your claims). It doesn't get more Jewish than that; the topic of the Holocaust, and open discussion would make for a great study, and in particular a great Messianic Bible study. You see, this is why the book works. The dialogue is a bit forced, and the script is a bit contrived. But the topics are essential cornerstone about good and evil, and cannot be ignored by anyone who is interested in philosophy, religion, and so on. Id check it out.

16 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great Concept, Interesting Premise, but Gets Sidetracked, Too Little Actually Delivered, July 3, 2006

By 

Bryan E. Leed "Jesus says, 'Go and Sin No More!" (Dayton, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lamb and the Fuhrer : Jesus Talks With Hitler (Great Conversations) (Hardcover)

This book looks terrific! It is a beautifully designed gift book, along the style of THE PRAYER OF JABEZ bestseller.

This is also a very intriguing topic and title for the book. But, unfortunately, too little time is spent on the actual conversation between Jesus and Hitler themselves.

The book is written in a script format, where the "name:" and colon appears, then you read what that person is saying.

It's too bad that the book gets sidetracked from the beginning, starting out with a totally excessive, fictional dialogue between two young adults, traveling through Germany, discussing contemporary views, all meant to set up the Jesus/Hitler dialogue. Any reader of Ravi's is already understanding the concept of a fictional conversation between these two famous figures, both of whom are responsible for major turning points in human history, so we do not need the fictional characters to re-explain the concept, or to make the fictional conversation seem logical. On top of that, the fictional characters don't even end the book, but just disappear after their introduction. So this fictional device is not only unnecessary, but it is also poorly executed. Ravi is much better at non-fiction construction, indeed.

The two fictional contemporary adults are a bit too elementary and frustrating to read through, and I would have much more preferred reading Ravi speaking in his own voice, explaining any historical or thematic elements that he felt needed to be said. This would have saved time and made the book better paced and more succinct.

The main section of the book is about Hitler being on trial by Jesus, with several witnesses being called, presumably on Judgment Day, (depending on which details of Scripture you may lean towards in your understanding of the final judgments, etc). This section gets bogged down, too, with extended dialogues from the witnesses. It seems like Hitler spends as much time in dialogue with the witnesses as he spends with Jesus. These witnesses may have good points, but it is STILL not what the book cover promised--dialogue between Jesus and Hitler!

Then the worst part is after Hitler is found guilty and condemned, the punishment is glossed over. Instead of a fiery torment as the Bible teaches, Hitler is merely banished from the presence of God. What non-believer is going to be afraid of not being around God? Non-believers have spent their whole lives ignoring God, and they are not likely to be concerned about a punishment that only amounts to not being around God -- a punishment they cannot grasp the ramifications of, nor will they be intimidated. Jesus tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man, and the rich man is ON FIRE, in Hell, forever. We do NOT need to weaken the terror and torment of how Jesus describes Hell and eternal damnation. It is fine to say Hitler is out of the presence of God, but please do not leave out the fire and brimstone. That is the only thing that concerns non-believers, punishment--not solitude. The book's ending gives a watered down version of what the Bible teaches about Hell, and I am a little surprised. This is the weakest bit of theology that I have ever heard or read from Ravi, to date.

I really enjoy author Ravi Zacharias' weekly radio shows! His is the most intellectual and cerebral of any Christian radio personalities broadcast in my area. He is VERY good at explaining Biblical concepts using logic that can be understood even by non-believers, and he is a welcome addition to the many radio shows that do not offer that accessibility for non-believers who are deep thinkers.

I have read Ravi's new autobiography, WALKING FROM EAST TO WEST, which is a real page-turner for any listeners or readers of Ravi's. It is pretty much his Christian testimony about his own life and how he got Saved! I am currently reading Ravi's non-fiction book THE REAL FACE OF ATHEISM, which is also a good read. Both of these books are non-fiction, and much better written than this gift book, THE LAMB AND THE FUHRER.

2.0 out of 5 stars Buyer Beware - This is a tiny book, December 21, 2011

By 

Christopher Watts (Surprise, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lamb and the Fuhrer: Jesus Talks with Hitler (Great Conversations) (Paperback)

I just wanted to note for potential buyers that this is not a book. It's only 90 pages long, written like a play script:

Hitler: Why is that?

Jesus: Because of such and such

Hitler: But what about so and so?

I am a very slow reader and read this entire pamphlet in about 40 minutes. While I enjoyed the content, I guess that Mr. Zacharias wrote a bunch of other books just like this as well and instead of putting them all together to make one book (and charge one book price), they kept them all separated out and charged a full book price for each one of them.

The content itself is enjoyable, which is why I gave it two stars instead of one.