The Man Who Moved a Mountain [Paperback]

Richard C. Davids (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 1991

This is the definitive biography of Reverend Bob Childress of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Often compared to Mark Twain's tales of the Mississippi, the style and the text show, with stark clarity, the transforming effects Childress and his ministry had on the rough and wild mountain communities of this section of Virginia.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fascinating biography, a moving portrait of a life that transformed a wild and rough mountain folk." -- Presbyterian Outlook

"The Man Who Moved a Mountain does for the Blue Ridge what Mark Twain's tales did for the Mississippi." -- Walter F. Mondale, former U.S. Vice-President and U.S. Senator

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers (May 2, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080061237X
• ISBN-13: 978-0800612375
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Grandson's Perspective, December 22, 2000

By 

"[e-mail]" (Ararat, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man Who Moved a Mountain (Paperback)

The "Man Who Moved A Mountain" was first published as a hardback edition in 1970. The price of $5.95 seemed high to many people, so the second printing in 1972, and all subsequent printings, have been large paperbacks. Thirty years later the book remains in print, a testament to its continued popularity. This book is about my grandfather, the Rev. Robert W. Childress, Sr. Bob Childress was born in Patrick County, Virginia in 1890. His parents were poor and uneducated as were many of the people living in the region at the time. He grew up in an environment where brandy was god, for it was brandy that made life bearable. When he was fifteen, he earned his first five dollar bill from cutting timber. He walked seven miles to Mount Airy, NC and bought an Iver Johnson .32 caliber revolver for two dollars. The next five years of his life were spent mostly "as a heller." Much of the time he was either getting drunk or sobering up. But one day, after several hours of gambling and drinking, he found himself at a church revival. He never knew how he got there, but when the altar call was given, something inside urged him to answer. As he knelt, there was no sudden revelation, only peace. Although his life did not turn around completely that night, it was the beginning of a transformation that would lead to his decision to become an ordained Presbyterian minister. Not an easy task for someone with a seventh grade education and a family to support. The events that transpired during the course of his remarkable life truly demonstrate that our God is indeed an awesome God! Throughout the years many people who have read the book have commented on what a great man Bob Childress was. They are impressed by the impact he had on people and say he won many souls for Christ. But my grandfather would be the first to say that he personally never won a single soul for Christ, it was the power of the Holy Spirit working through him. Without that power to sustain and guide him, he would not have had a fruitful ministry. The beauty of this story is that it demonstrates how God uses ordinary, seemingly insignificant people, to accomplish extraordinary things. To learn more about Bob Childress and a project in progress to preserve and continue his ministry go to www.buffalo-mountain.org.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Spiritual 'Braveheart', September 19, 2000

By 

Daniel Y. Graybeal (Newark, Delaware USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man Who Moved a Mountain (Paperback)

He stood six feet tall, hard as a chestnut log, and once thundered to his rock-hurling, moonshine-swilling neighbors, "If I can't preach the love of God into you, I'll beat the Devil out'n you!" At the same time, this deeply compassionate and committed man drove 50,000 miles a year over roads hardly fit for horses to serve churches and visit shut-ins, in order that his people might live free in the Spirit. In confronting a culture founded on 190-proof alcoholism, gunslinging violence, fatalistic hopelessness, and bridgeless remoteness, Bob Childress was a spiritual 'Braveheart' to the mountain folk, a Moses shouting, "Devil, let my people go!"

Seldom a week goes by that I fail to consult this book as a supplement to my Bible readings. Mr. Davids's account of Reverend Bob Childress is a laboratory manual and field guide for my spiritual exercises. To love as Christ loved means giving a ride to an enemy through the snow. To have faith in God is to believe his love never gives up, and to confront in that love a liquor peddler on church grounds. Doing God's work means to enable release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, through building schools and helping people see that religion is the way you walk, a force for good.

We need the stories of people like Bob Childress, who courageously and faithfully lived out what the Bible teaches. Much of what Bob Childress fought is still with us today, throughout America: idleness among video-gamers, gunslinging violence endemic in school and workplace, and fatalistic hopelessness in voter apathy. This book stirs me toward a working faith in a brighter future. It reminds me of the dignity of a purposeful human life and of the value of even the remotest human soul, no matter how sick and lost.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling and uplifting book, February 6, 2005

By 

Anita - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man Who Moved a Mountain (Paperback)

My husband found this book at a garage sale. He couldn't put it down and related many of the anecdotes to me. I have read this book, since, over and over. There is a sweetness and goodness to it that transforms it from a biography of a great man, to an inspiring book that relates to the possibility for each of us to make our life worthwhile. It is down to earth, funny and wise, a story of a person that lived an amazing life told in a very compelling manner. An encapsulation of the "best" of America's essence.
Anyone who likes history or,especially, anyone who likes Janice Holt Giles books or Forrest Carter will love this book. It is one I return to when I am disenchanted and depressed for a lift.