The Martyrs' Torch [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Bruce Porter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 2000

In every age of history, darkness has threatened to extinguish the light. But also in every age of history, heroes and heroines of the faith rose up to hold high the torch of their testimony--witnesses to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. On a fateful spring day at Columbine High, others lifted up their torch and joined the crimson path of the martyrs' way. We cannot forget their sacrifice. A call is sounding forth from Heaven: "Who will take up the martyrs' torch which fell from these faithful hands?" Will you?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"1999 will not be remembered for the parties or the politicians but rather for Pastor Porter's challenge to America's youth to take up the Torch. There are books that change your life, and then there are books that give you life. The Martyrs' Torch is the latter. If your family reads one book (other than the Bible) together in the year 2,000, make sure it is The Martyrs' Torch. If you are a leader in your community and you fear that a tragedy like the one in Columbine could happen in your school you must read The Martyrs' Torch. A powerful message of hope, purpose, and promise for the new millennium. Pastor Porter challenges all of us - whether we are policymakers or homemakers, fathers or friends, mothers or ministers, leaders or laypersons to take up the Torch and live for God.

No politician, platform, or policy will change your life the way that reading The Martyrs' Torch will. The tragedy of Columbine continues to ache in the hearts of thousands of Americans. Bruce Porter's words of encouragement and guidance convert tragedy into triumph and pain into purpose. Pastor Porter brings to life the true message of Columbine that wherever there is affliction and destruction, God's glory, love, and hope stand ready to empower each of us to meet the challenge and take up the Torch. For America's leaders, the lessons of Columbine are not found in the death and destruction but in the life and the hope. Pastor Porter's impassioned call for each of us to take up the Torch is the only law in which our country can rely upon to secure our safety and ensure our prosperity. As each shot of the gunman rang out across the country, our nation's leaders reacted swiftly to the sound of violence with a multitude of policies and promises. However, only Pastor Porter has been able to sift through the wreckage and recover that which the gunman could not destroy: the spirit, the hope, and the purpose of each of a few faithful students. Will we, the leaders, take up their Torch?" -- Jewell Patek; State Representative, Missouri House of Representatives

"At Rachel Scott's funeral, Bruce Porter delivered a powerful and appropriate message to all of America. The essence of that message is carried out in this book. Bruce challenges us to take up the torch the Columbine victims carried and to dedicate our lives to Kingdom purposes." -- James Robinson; President, LIFE Outreach International - Fort Worth, Texas

"The Martyrs' Torch...timely, gripping, compelling. This is a must read for every student, parent, educator and pastor." -- Josh D. McDowell, Author/ Speaker

Book Description

On a fateful spring day at Columbine High, others lifted up their torch and joined the crimson path of the martyrs' way. We cannot forget their sacrifice. This story graphically demonstrates why the Church will continue to bear a brilliant torch of God's love to all nations until the day of Christ's glorious return.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Destiny Image Publishers; illustrated edition edition (January 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0768420466
• ISBN-13: 978-0768420463
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,261,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I saw it firsthand, June 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Martyrs' Torch (Paperback)

As a journalist, I was in Littleton, Colorado immediately after the shootings and interviewed dozens of people from then until now. Make no mistake. The shooters were most definitely targeting other students who held their Christian faith dear. Rachel Scott, in particular, is known by many to have expressed her faith in Jesus Christ to these boys on numerous occasions. I heard some of the unpublished details of her death and it was an execution.

Unfortunately, Christians are among the politically incorrect and therefore few in the media are going to objectively speak about the discrimination and prejudice against them. If Rachel Scott had been a lesbian, this would have been called a hate crime. But because she was simply a Christian, few in an official media, school or law enforcement capacity would be willing to describe it as such.

True, Christian students were not the only targets. But a number were specifically targeted. This is obvious from interviewing students at Columbine who knew the killers and knew the students killed. That's precisely why the perspective of pastors and others who have witnessed this tragedy firsthand is so critical when it comes to getting a real understanding of what happened at Columbine. You really had to be there. This event was so horrifying, so unspeakable grotesque that someone sitting across the country watching news coverage in the comfort of their living room really wouldn't get the sense of this that those of us who spent some time on the scene and staying in touch with the victims' families throughout this last year have glimpsed.

I commend Bruce Porter for telling this story from the heart. He's not a professional writer, but he is a witness to the truth, and one intimately acquainted with those most deeply effected.

I would disregard the armchair cynics who critique this book out of their own prejudice instead of looking at the possibility that something beyond teenage violence occurred on that day. To those folks, I recommend you pick up a copy of C.S. Lewis' "Screwtape Letters" and "Mere Christianity."

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There is a VERY REAL spiritual battle!, January 23, 2001

By 

Teresa (Mission, Kansas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Martyrs' Torch (Paperback)

As I read some of the one-star reviews of this book, I am not the least bit surprised by them. It's only proof that God's Word (the Bible) is very real and very true. The scriptures proclaim that in the last days, the name of Jesus Christ will be despised by many. Those dismissing this book as nothing more than propaganda are very lost souls spiritually and are playing right into Satan's hands. They refuse to see the spritual world and its battles as a real element. I have a thought question for those who say Christians were not the targets of these attacks: Why would the question of one's belief in God EVER be posed to ANY of the victims (whether or not it was Cassie or Valeen) if they didn't have it in for Christians? Valeen might have lived through the attacks but she still was shot. They didn't just "let her live" as one reviewer claims. She was shot! They meant to kill or at least injure her. Letting her live would be just not bothering at all with her. And whether or not Cassie was posed that question or not really isn't the issue. There was a lot of confusion -- no one really knows for sure. She did make a drastic change in her life and said yes to God long before her death - that was the point of her testimony - finding freedom through Jesus Christ. Now I must really mention, some may not have heard about the video tapes found by the one Time Magazine reporter. Well I saw clips of them on a newscast. The tapes were ones Eric and Dylan made before the shootings. They were very much making ANTI-CHRISTIAN slurs against people like Rachel Scott. They talked about how they hated Christians and all their "Jesus talk." Most of the remarks were against anyone or anything to do with Christ. If that doesn't tell you this wasn't an attack against Christians, then nothing will convince you.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Columbine mssage to America, February 7, 2000

By 

Russell M. Grell (Littleton Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Martyrs' Torch (Paperback)

What happened at Columbine High School last April was devastating to our country and to our belief that our schools are a place of safety for our children. All of the hurt, pain, frustration, confusion and tears have been well documented in The Martyr's Torch. If you are a mother or a father and really want to feel what those days felt like in our community I can highly recommend reading this book. Bruce Porter has written a very powerful message for the army of God and the youth organization that has sprung from the Columbine nightmare called "Torchgrab". It is a wonderful feeling that our young people are being saved and their lives are being changed for the better as a result of the Columbine murders. We cannot forget these innocent victims. In the end, it's really all about Jesus and where you want to spend eternity and hopefully Mr. Porter's book will help many young and old people alike make a decision for Jesus. I thoroughly enjoyed this well written book on a very difficult subject.