Customer Reviews

Tortured for His Faith: An Epic of Christian Courage and Heroism in Our Day

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This book exemplifies the requisition for Christians to submit completely and without reservation to Jesus Christ. Popov was blessed with physical manifestations of Jesus during his darkest hour. His experiences after 13 consecutive years of torture, fear and starvation enabled him to proclaim this period of his life as an experience he would not trade, and without hesitation, to declare it was all worth it. To walk out of the Bulgarian Communist prison system after 13 years, recounting the countless men who came to Christ and went on to be with the Lord, Popov has said it was indeed worth every moment of suffering he was priviledged to endure. This is truly a special man and a wonderful book to read again and again.

I read this book and couldn't put it down, nor could I get the images out of my head. Some of the details are horrific and the atrocities that this man suffered for his faith in Christ are terrifying. What is more amazing is how he found the courage to endure when most mortals would have given up altogether. I have always been encouraged and inspired when reading books like this, a testimony to the power of God in a life given over in humble obedience to Him. A beautiful, triumphant little book!

A pastor in Bulgaria during the Communist regime, Haralan Popov recounts the testing of his faith during 13 years of persecution in Communist prisons. It truly is hard to believe what he was able to endure in those dark years--but that just stands as a testament to the power of God to sustain him through this awful ordeal, by his faith in Christ. After just having read "Tortured For Christ" by Richard Wurmbrand, another excellent book about a similar situation of a pastor in Communist Romania, I expected this story to be very similar.

There was, however, much unique to Popov's account and his story, such as the different tactics of the Communists in torturing or extricating information from the prisoners, and also the difference in the prisoner's ability to acquire portions or even entire Bibles while in prison. He also describes the laborious but joyful work of many who toiled to reproduce and covertly distribute hand-copied bibles to the underground Christians, to replace those destroyed by the Communists.

The testimony of Christians such as Popov and Wurmbrand in the face of such torture stands powerfully before a world that hates Christ (John 17) and those who follow Him. For they have shared in the sufferings of Christ, not for their own gain, but to show forth the love of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who so willingly died on the cross at the hand of those who hated Him, all to save a sinful world. But in His death, death was conquered, and He rose to life--and Jesus' resurrection life sustains such Christians as Popov with a hope unshakeable, in the face of the worst terror and suffering the world can bring.

Haralan Popov tells of his kidnapping (arrest)and the torture the Communists subjected him to. From being shut in a dark, damp underground cell to being forced to stand in front of a glaring white wall motionless for two weeks straight to forced labor his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ carried him through his sufferings. While he was in prison, Popov ministered to his fellow inmates and became their pastor. When he was finally released, Popov was a spiritual giant. I recommend this book as it clearly illustrates how persecution hones the faith of those who truly trust in the Lord.

This has to be the best book I have ever read. It is very moving. It is hard to imagine how many things the author lived through for Christ. I recommend this book.

I read this book many years ago, and in the midst of moving I lost it and have been trying to find another copy for a long time. What I remember most is what Mr. Popoff went through in his daily life without a Bible, and what we take for granted everyday with Bibles in our homes and not being read. Only but through the Grace of God and Mr. Popoff's strong Faith could he have survived the torment he had to endure.
I promise your life will be richly blessed after reading this book. . You will be counting your blessings everyday.

I just read this book recently, and though it was written in the late sixties, its message is still stirring. Haralan, a pastor in Bulgaria, was taken from his home in the middle of the night and taken to jail. He recounts many of the horrors of the brainwashing process, sleep deprivation, starvation, and imprisonments during the Communist regime. He continued to find opportunities to talk to other prisoners about God's work of salvation. Haralan comes across as a humble man, serving God in each circumstance with grace for each day delivered by the God he served and worshipped. This account is very moving, and I would encourage you to read it for yourself. You will appreciate the freedom you take for granted. I was deeply moved and convicted.

This book humbled me. It opened my eyes to the horrors of persecution against Christians around the world. It caused me to evaluate my level of Christianity. I constantly asked myself, while reading, if I could endure such atrocities and still forgive my enemies and still praise God. Thank God for a man like Brother Popov who stayed faithful to Christ. I read this book to my family because I wanted them to understand how bad Communism is, and I wanted to also give them a better understanding of how to pray for Christians around the world in difficult places. It is one of the greatest books you will ever read.

I picked this up at a second-hand store and soon realized that this was a good find, or maybe it's better to say it is something God showed me. It is amazing that this man survived the torture that he went through. He describes how the presence of Christ and service to others helped him through imprisonment. One story that especially sticks out for me is how he witnessed to a another prisoner by tapping out a code on the wall while being kept in a dark pit of a prison. The code was a very primitive one- one tap for the letter "a", two for "b", and so forth. But even in that situation, God used him to witness to that man and others. This short book was hard to put down.

Short and sweet: recommend for someone 15 and up -- this book made me think about so many things we assume we should and will always have: physical safety, freedom of movement, worship, etc. Made me appreciate freedom in the West but also freedom in Christ. Popov talks about the supernatural strength to endure. Recommended.