Tortured for Christ [Paperback]

richard wurmbrand (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1969

Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand 1969 Paperback

Product Details

• Paperback: 139 pages
• Publisher: Diane Books; 1st edition (1969)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001O8EOJU
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,387,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Peek at the Undergound Church in Eastern Europe, January 17, 2005

By 

Matthew Gunia (Justice, Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tortured for Christ (Paperback)

Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Jew who gave up athiesm for Christianity in his youth, writes about his years working as a pastor in the secret, Underground Church in Romania. Wurmbrand writes about this very book that it has "no literary value," which is true. He writes in a "stream-of-consciousness" style, seemingly paying little attention to chronology and jumping from event to event.

But while Wurmbrand does not skillfully craft a litarary masterpiece, he does give the reader quite a masterpiece as far as emotions and history are concerned. I'm aware of little historical work on Undergrounc Churches anywhere--be it Eastern Europe, the Middle East, China, or other lands. Wurmbrand does history a great service as he provides a first-hand account of Romania's secret church, how they worshiped, how they evangelized, how they communicated and provided support for each other, etc. The resourcefulness of the Church was both inspiring and surprising.

This book is also very emotionally charged. Wurmbrand pulls no punches as he describes the means by which he and other Christians were tortured: placed naked in a freezer until nearly dead, warmed up, then placed back in the freezer repeatedly; made to partake in a mock-Communion service of urine and feces; cut several times then placed in a room full of starving rats; and then there's the conventional methods of torture: beating, attacking your family, and raping. Reading Wurmbrand's descripting of these acts shocked this reader several times.

I highly recommend this book for both its historical and inspirational value. It is also highly recommended because, while Romania's Underground Church no longer has to operate in secret, there exist Underground Churches in other nations of the world: China, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba (just to name a few). Reading about this particular underground church has given me insight to how the other Underground Churches still opperate today.

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Christian-Jew in a Communist Country, January 29, 2000

By 

RaChelle Glauser (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tortured for Christ (Paperback)

What a powerful book! Wurmbrand holds nothing back as he relates his many years in a Communist prison. Beaten, starved, totured... at yet he still came out of prison preaching about God's never-failing love.

In his son's book BETWEEN HAMMER & SICKLE (by Mihai Wurmbrand) he gives a most powerful and awe-inspiring message to his son:

"Mihai, you know that in prison I had no Bible. I have forgotten it. I have forgotten all my theology. But these things I know for sure. First, there is a living God and he is our loving father. Second, Jesus Christ is the savior and bridegroom of our souls. Third, the Holy Spirit works in us to make us more and more Christ-like. Fourth, there exists beyond question an eternal life. And lastly, love is the best of ways. This is what I have learned in prison."

If that doesn't stir you, what does?

...A Christian-Jew in a Communist Country. If you think you need an example of a true Believer, then you should definitely read TORTURED FOR CHRIST and BETWEEN HAMMER & SICKLE.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The cost of being a Christian in certain countries..., June 5, 2005

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tortured for Christ (Paperback)

Back in my preteen years, I first read Pastor Richard Wurmbrand's book Tortured For Christ. It had a big influence on how I viewed religious freedom in Soviet bloc countries. Wurmbrand wrote this book after his release from Romanian prisons in 1964, and he did so to share the story of how the underground churches in Communist countries have to operate in order to spread the Word and their faith. Rather than continue to minister to his countrymen, he was urged to leave and spread the news about the persecution. Wurmbrand probably did more to bring this situation to light than any other single person.

With the demise of the Soviet Union, the situation has improved somewhat. But by no means has religious freedom bloomed. There are more freedoms in the former Communist countries, but the surge in Islamic countries means that Christian persecution has just migrated to new locations. Much of what you read here is still valid around the world. The situation's the same, just the names have changed.

If you're wondering about the cost of being a Christian in many locations around the world, this book will help you to understand what that cost is.