Customer Reviews

The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World

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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 -

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.

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

Beginning with much promise, Stephen Mansfield's The Search for God and Guinness: A biography of the beer that changed the world, left me a little disappointed, somewhat confused, though pleased I'd had the opportunity to read the book.

The book begins with an exploration of the connection between Christianity, beer and wider society. Mansfield seeks to show the reader that not only should beer not be seen by Christians as an `evil' in society but rather, when `well respected and rightly consumed, can be a gift from God' (xxv). At this point, it seems that there will be a strong link between the Guinness people, the Guinness beer and service to society. Yet, as the story unfolds, these links become increasingly tenuous.

For those who enjoy history, biography and beer, this remains an interesting read. The stories of Arthur Guinness and, indeed, the Grattan Guinness clan are revealing and well told. Though, as Mansfield does make clear, there seemed to be three, sometimes rather distinct, vocational paths for Guinness family members: beer, clergy and social concern. To make a link between beer and God when the brewery-owning Guinness is not the same person as the evangelical social crusader seems a tad disingenuous.

I think the book would have benefited greatly from the inclusion of a family tree at the outset. If the book had then been divided into more chapters or, at least, subsections, there could have been an image of the part of the family tree relevant to the persons being discussed in each section.

Nevertheless, it was an interesting project on which to embark and has been well-researched and written by Mansfield. It may not go down as one of the most inspiring or gripping books I have read, but I would be pleased to recommend it to others who would be interested in some of the history of the great Irish beer.

This book is, like alcohol itself, a mixed blessing. The story is fascinating to be sure, and is worth getting simply for that. So, I would recommend the book for anyone remotely interested. Less a story about the beer, this is more a story of the family who make the beer, both those directly involved in the business as well as those who were sons and daughters who went other directions. What is interesting is how much of the Guinness story is the story of mission. They saw their business not only as a craft to master, but also as a gift to offer the country of Ireland. They were Protestants who fought against the terrible religions divisions, and were makers of peace in fractious, poverty stricken times.

Essentially, this makes the book less about Guinness beer and more about what is commonly now considered "missional" work--sharing the love of God among neighbors, poor and rich, transforming the society in a positive way.

For those who know nothing about this side of the Guinness legacy,it's quite interesting.

And yet... I was continually put off by the writing itself. Rather than letting us enter into the story, conveying the fruits of solid historical research that brings us into the narrative, Mansfield is a bit like a pre-adolescent story teller. He's constantly intruding and often feels the need to anticipate what is coming next. We begin to feel a flow and he undermines it by telling us, "oh, this is the good part" or "here's the end of the story I'm about to tell." He is a lot more like a tourist to the story than a teller of it.

We are event treated to pictures of him in key places. "Here's the author in the pew of the church!" Rather than being personable, this kind of intrusion quickly gets annoying. Added to this, he is constantly quoting long passages from other biographies. Giving it the feel of a high school "what I did last summer" essay.

In other words, this is a pretty pedestrian historical study, more of a travelogue through an interesting family history.

But it is interesting. And while I don't like his constant intrusion nor his writing style, Mansfield has a great concept and overall approach, making it an easily digested study.

What a privilege it's been to read Stephen Mansfield's "The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World". I was especially intrigued by the title and it was immediately a must read for me. The respect that Mansfield gives the history of the Guinness family is quite apparent as he gives account of the lineage from the first Arthur Guinness through each generation, the apparent heirs along the way and how each made their mark in making the brand "Guinness" into what it is today. He tells the story of the God-given talents given to many in the family that resulted in three main categories of Guinnesses, the Brewing Guinnesses, the Banking Guinnesses and the Guinnesses for God. He also provides a very good overview of how beer was accepted and its purpose through the ages in accordance with religious views of the times.

I truly loved this book. Having grown up in a small denomination that embraced the Prohibition, my own views of alcohol use has evolved slowly, albeit it has evolved. I loved the time travel through religious views through the ages and how beer and alcohol was part of the culture and easily accepted as a healthy choice and necessary choice, in many cases. The religious overview was very helpful and held my attention. The only problem I had in reading this book was keeping straight which generation accomplished which milestones and accomplishments due to family names being passed down from fathers to sons. But I certainly don't blame Mansfield for my confusion.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in history, business practices and how one person's faith and integrity has built a brand and a family that is still highly revered two hundred fifty years later. If you are like I was, open your mind and consider something that is bigger than your box. You'll be so glad you did.

So I'm part of this cool "we'll give you a free book if you post a review in your blog" dealy-o with Thomas Nelson Publishers. The first book I picked was something that immediately piqued my interest - a book about the Guinness brewery. It has been a dream of mine for some time to take a trip to Ireland, and one of the places I would definitely visit is the place where Guinness is brewed. I don't drink very often - and at my latest position, I had to sign something that stated I wouldn't - but I've always liked the way Guinness tasted and have had a few of them in my life.

It's interesting because a few months ago I was having a "conversation" online on a message board about a story I had heard concerning Guinness - that the founder of Guinness looked around his Dublin neighborhoods and saw fathers who were drinking away their money rather than spending it on their families, so he decided to create a drink that would be good for them, be filling so that they only spent a little on alcohol and that they would support their families. The problem in this conversation was determining the validity of this story: googling it produced nothing, so we assumed that since we couldn't find any sources denying it, that it must be true.

It's not. That's one of the first things you discover reading The Search For God And Guinness. Which for me was kind of disappointing; after all, we all love good stories, especially those heart-warming stories about incredible people (not to mention it's always a good thing when you can find some justification for drinking a beer: "Hey, I'm drinking Guinness because it will fill me up and I won't spend as much money on beer.")

However, The Search For God And Guinness is a fascinating tale of the Guinness brewery and the family who founded it: starting with Arthur Guinness, who was quite the man. Although generations of the Guinness family grew the company to what it is today (a beer empire), it was Arthur Guinness' vision that started the whole ball rolling.

To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of Guinness was the way from the beginning the company took care of its employees. These days (well, maybe not so much "these days", since a lot of companies are cutting health care benefits and other things because of the economy, so let's say "in recent times"), we take it for granted that a company would want to take care of those who work for it, but back in the early days of Guinness, that was a rarity. Arthur Guinness understood that if he wanted his employees to work hard and be loyal to his company, he had to provide them with benefits that would keep them happy and their families taken care of.

Guinness also not only cared for its own employees, but also for the community around the brewery. Arthur Guinness started the first Sunday School program for kids in Dublin, which showed how religion played an important part in his life. Several of the Guinness family throughout the ages have decided to forgo the brewery business to enter in the ministry, and church was a staple in most of the Guinness families' lives.

Another fascinating part of this book was the description of the life of Dr. John Lumsden, who was brought on board as the chief medical officer. Lumsden was a man of deep conviction and compassion and helped improved not only the lives of the Guinness worker and family, but also the lives of the underprivileged and poor of Dublin. He was the one who urged the Guinness brewery to champion the cause of the poor and needy. The amazing thing was not only the compassion of this man, but also that the leaders of Guinness decided to do it! From the book:

It is a tribute to the enduring benevolence of the Guinness firm that the board that convened in 1901 was eager to follow Dr. Lumsden's suggestions. It might have been otherwise...They might have felt themselves bullied and manipulated by this upstart, this fresh-faced young doctor with his novel ideas of corporate duties to the poor...instead, they threw themselves into the vision Lumsden had set.

Lumsden offered nine suggestions for improving workers' lives:

1. Technical education for the younger generation
2. Popular lectures of educational value
3. A program of athletics and exercise
4. Literature encouraging hygiene and the prevention of disease
5. Courses in cooking for mothers and young women
6. Education regarding the feeding of infants
7. Recreational opportunities in the form of concerts or social
8. Opportunities for management and laborers to meet and socialize
9. Housing

Like most biography type books, there were certain sections that I felt were a little too detailed, but for the most part The Search For God And Guinness kept me intrigued throughout the book. Here were two issues that I think resonated with me the most:

1. Corporate Responsibility

In today's age, with all of the corporate scandals and greed, and the ever-increasing gap between the CEO and the workers under that CEO, it's refreshing to read about a company who cared for the well-being and development of its workers over making money. We all understand that a company's main focus is to make money, no one is debating that. But to make money at the "expense" of the workers who are making it happen is a travesty. Now, I know that there are many "secular" companies who are doing good things for their workers, and good things for the community and such - however, we mostly only read about the "bad stories", after all bad sells (Enron-World Com-nameyourmessedupcompanyhere). However, I believe a generation is being raised up right now of people who are demanding that companies exist for more than just the bottom line: the almight dollar. And they aren't just demanding it, they are using their buying power to make changes. I think we will see this movement grow throughout the next decade, and it would be beneficial for corporations to look in the past and see what the Guinness brewery did and emulate their corporate responsibility code.

2. The Divide Between "Secular" and "Sacred"

Guinness helped break down the wall between secular and sacred by showing that a person didn't have to be a minister or a missionary to make a difference spiritually in the lives of people. Good things can happen outside of the walls of a church, it can even happen inside a brewery (gasp!). Stephen Mansfield, the author, showed his distaste of other biographies on Guinness, because too often they branched the Guinness family into three groups: the brewery Guinness family, the banking Guinness family, and the God-following Guinness family. To do so, argues Mansfield, is to lessen the impact that the other branches (brewery and banking) had spiritually as well. This type of thinking is one of the reasons why we as ministers feel like we have to do everything in a church: because our people don't recognize (either because we've told them or because that's their expectation) that no matter what they do as a career, it can be used for God.

I really enjoyed this book and it gave me new appreciation for the lasting impact a company, even a brewery, can have on the world. My hope and prayer is that we will see more companies take the example of Guinness and show more corporate responsibility towards its employees and the community around it.

This book explores the history of Guinness and lets us peer into the lives of those who turned the dark brew into an internationally recognized brand. Along the way we meet real people with genuine faith and a deep commitment not only to improve the quality of their product, but to improve their employees' quality of life.

Guinness was far ahead of its time in providing education and health benefits to its workers. They also had a tremendous impact outside of the brewery through social activism and missionary work.

This book caught my attention because God and Guinness struck me as an odd couple. The title might even seem sacrilegious to some. Yet Mansfield reminds us that only a century ago, Christian attitudes towards alcohol (beer in particular) were very different.

If you believe that beer always was and always will be indisputably evil, you may not like this book - but you should read it anyway! Beyond the brewery, this book tells the stories of Christians who lived out their faith in the workplace. They stood up for unpopular social causes. They gave back to their communities. They took care of their workers. And they did it all despite famines and wars, economic downturns and political upheavals. Those are lessons we could all stand to learn.

Searching for God and Guinness is a "biography" of beer's role in history and culture through the lens of one of the most famous brands and the family behind it. In simple and readable prose, Stephen Mansfield traces the arc of beer--specifically its origins as a moral and healthy alternative to the hard liquors that destroyed men and marriages, the economic and social development of the Guinness family, and especially the latter's incredible impact on the justice issues of the day.

Guinness' social influence, particularly on the poor and downtrodden lower classes, cannot be overstated. They were on the forefront of treating their employees responsibly and with compassion, taking care of them and their families long before legal requirements were in place--and even far beyond what many companies do today. The Guinness brand provided scores of programs and incentives to not just employees, but their wives and children--courses to learn skills, free dental care, subsidized housing, and more. My favorite "perk" was the daily pint of beer that every employee was entitled to. Mansfield makes clear it was the foundation of all this was the Guinness family's strong Christian faith.

I mentioned above that the prose was simple, and it is. Unfortunately Mansfield's writing and the sociological analysis often felt weakly speculative, almost like a mediocre high school English paper. This surprised me, considering the author's pedigree. Despite it all, the story is a good one--it's particularly relevant to the modern discussion about what is appropriate for an employer to offer to those on the payroll. This book should help serve as a corrective to those Christians with a myopic sense of beer's role in history and culture (and overly informed by the American Prohibitionist era), not to mention a valuable contribution to the discussion on business and social responsibility.

(I was provided with a free copy of the book to review, with no obligation or expectation about my content.)

When one thinks of Guinness, it's usually an image of lifting a pint down at the local pub or a record book listing all sorts of wild accomplishments. There are many aspects of this company and its 250 year history. It would be too simplistic to say that this book is the story of how a Dublin brewery owner can leave a legacy of benevolence and employee loyalty.

Stephen Mansfield has written a book which looks into the back story of how the Guinness brewing business and Guinness family developed the heritage that they have today. Many family members were in Christian ministry and believed in social responsibility. This sense of responsibility also guided their business principles.

These principles are best put in a quote from the book; "Guinness understood this. The company did not drain a man and then expect the church or the state to rebuild him again. They invested. They paid high wages, offered every type of education, provided medicine, sports, entertainment, and even a place to think, and assured every kind of a financial safety net for those who served them well. They also built houses, sent sons to college, and lifted whole families to new economic heights. They did this because it was the right thing to do, yes, but also because it made their firm more successful than those who did not understand this vital kind of investment."

It doesn't seem that God and beer mix but Mansfield has crafted an inspiring story of how Christian principles shaped this world renowned company. I would recommend this book for anyone who is curious about the history of the company and how it became successful.