31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
God and Guinness....even for the non-beer lover!, October 30, 2009
This review is from: The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World (Hardcover)
I was a little doubtful that I would enjoy this book, but decide to read it anyway. I thought I'd plod through it, not really like it that much, but maybe learn a little history about Ireland.
I was wrong.
I really, really liked this book. I liked the first chapter that focused on the history of beer pre-Guinness. I liked the second chapter that told the story of Arthur Guinness, his faith, and his philosophy on business and wealth. The third chapter goes on to describe the passing of the chairmanship of the company from one Guinness to another through each generation. The fourth chapter was excellent and focused on the social good that Guinness has done throughout the years by benefiting both their community in general and their workers specifically. The fifth chapter was an interesting look at the Guinness line that did not participate in the brewery business but went into various forms of ministry from evangelistic preaching to foreign missionary work. The sixth chapter took a look at the business as it grew into and through the twentieth century. Finally, Mansfield ended with a superb epilogue that summarizes "The Guinness Way" and how we might learn from it today both in our business and our personal lives. This would be a great book for the beer lover or history buff in your family!
Favorite Quote: "Drunkenness is when the tongue walks on stilts and reason goes forward under half a sail." - Martin Luther (pg. 30)
Favorite Passage: ...it must also be true that a company should be measured by the culture it creates. Culture. It means "what is encouraged to grow," the "behavior and ways of thinking that are inspired." Despite what a company's advertising may boast, aside from what mascot it adopts or the slogan it uses, it is what is inspired in the life of its people that is the most important indicator of how noble a venture that company may be. (pp. 121-122)
DUH Moment: Did you know that The Guinness Book of Records originated from the Guinness company as a pamphlet meant as a promotional gimmick in 1954 for pubs in Ireland and the United Kingdom? Duh. Never put the two names together!
Interesting Fact: In 1954 Guinness dropped 50,000 bottles with messages dropped in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans with the intent for people to find them and then contact Guinness to find out where the bottle was originally dropped. Oh, and to receive a "suitable memento of the occasion." In 1959, Guinness dropped 150,000 more bottles for their 200th anniversary. Bottles were found in the Azores, South America, the West Indies, the Philippines, and India. Bottles are still found today at a rate of one or two a year! Bet we couldn't have a company do an advertising promotion like that today!
I highly recommend this book. It's well written, historically interesting, and spiritually edifying. As a matter of fact, I'm passing it on to my boss next week! Enjoy -
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pull me a pint, reverend, November 5, 2009
This review is from: The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World (Hardcover)
The relationship between God and an alcoholic beverage might be a bit startling at first, but the book The Search for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield shows that the connection makes perfect sense in this instance. The book begins with a very detailed history of beer itself, even tracing some arguments that state the desire to brew beer contributed to the abandonment of the nomadic lifestyle of early humans. In the early 1700s, when the Guinness family first started brewing beer, the water was undrinkable but gin was cheap and plentiful. Arthur Guinness wanted to provide a drink that would be safer and more nutritious than what was currently available. Because of his deep faith, as his business became successful Guinness became active in social causes, founding Sunday schools and hospitals for the poor. After his death, future generations of the Guinness family continued with socially responsible activities, paying a high wage to workers and providing generous benefits. This example of generosity set the standard for other employers in Dublin and improved living conditions for everyone in the city. The book is written in a chatty, amusing style and the author's glowing respect for the company is obvious.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
In Search of God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield, October 30, 2009
This review is from: The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World (Hardcover)
Guinness is a name that is synonymous with beer, but Stephen Mansfield shows that there is more to the famous family than just
the black stout that bears their name. The founder of the world renowned brewery, Arthur Guinness, was a godly man who
truly loved his fellow man as well as a pint. He felt that brewing a stout beer was a service to his fellow man by offering
a healthy beverage, but he also believed it was a calling upon his life by God. The bane of Irish society at the time
was gin and whiskey drinking, which was tearing families apart. Most people considered beer to be the answer to
this problem. Enter Arthur Guinness. The good that was done by Guinness for over two centuries, is recorded by Mansfield
with plenty of historical documentation.
I was very curious about the angle of this book. I mean, I never would have thought to put God and beer in the same sentence,
let alone read an entire book about it, but here it is. It was very interesting, and I am not even a beer drinker. My father was
a beer man and I have only recently even drank wine, but the way Mansfield presents the history of beer, going back thousands
of years to Mesopotamia and then going straight to the pubs of 1700's Dublin, he gives us an interesting read. He also points
out the social aspects of "having a beer" and how people have always bonded over the drink. The family history of the godly
character of the Guinnesses was of great interest, especially how they cared about the brewery employees and the neighborhoods
of Dublin during a time of poverty, pestilence and filth.
Personally, I have a hard time agreeing with Mansfield's idea (which was also the idea of most brewers) that beer was/is
a gift from God, a symbol of His grace. With that being said, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to the curious Christian
as well as the beer drinker who may or may not be a Christian as well. Well written, engaging and full of interesting information,
especially about the clergymen who were Guinnesses. It almost made me want to go to the corner public house and down a pint.
I am a member of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program
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