Ten Prayers that Changed the World • Random House/National Geographic
""As a historian, Isbouts weighs the culture of ancient times against more modern thinking, suggesting new interpretations for legends and exploring alternative versions of stories." - Publisher's Weekly
"I was immediately drawn in by Isbouts' storytelling. Vivid descriptions coupled with historical context provided a greater depth and understanding of these accounts."-AnAnchoredFaith.com
Ten Prayers offers a radically new way of looking at world history. The book argues that history was not only made by battles or territorial ambitions, but also by spiritual ideas, or “divine whispers” as the book’s author, historian Jean-Pierre Isbouts, calls them.
The book tells the story of ten such spiritual moments. They span 4,000 years of human experience, from Abraham’s journey during the Bronze Age to the battle cry of Joan of Arc in medieval France; from Martin Luther’s reformation of Renaissance Germany to the desperate struggle of George Washington during the American Revolution; and from the trenches of World War I Europe to the nonviolent resistance movement of Mohandas Gandhi in India.
Each story is treated from two different perspectives. First, Isbouts relates the story as narrative history, similar to the way “stories have been told around the campfire for centuries,” before history became a science. He then proceeds to analyze the story from a scholarly perspective, while arguing the impact the story may have had.
The common motif of these ten stories is that religious tolerance and spiritual diversity are not just buzz words of our modern age. In fact, Isbouts argues, spiritual diversity is the Leitmotiv that propelled humankind from the Late Roman Empire to the ideals of the Enlightenment, and the culturally diverse societies of today.
Ten Prayers that Changed the World is published by Random House and National Geographic.
BOOK CRITICS on "TEN PRAYERS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD"
“A thoughtful examination of faiths and faith stories throughout the ages.”—Booklist
“Isbouts weighs the culture of ancient times against more modern thinking, suggesting new interpretations for legends and exploring alternative versions of stories.” Publishers Weekly
"As a history teacher myself, I was immediately drawn in by Isbouts' storytelling. Vivid descriptions coupled with historical context provided a greater depth and understanding of these accounts."-AnAnchoredFaith.com
"Isbouts places the reader right in the thick of the action." -Rebecca Hitt 'Stories in My Pocket' blog
"Isbouts has a storyteller's gift..." -Tonya Parham 'Books Make Everything Better’ blog
“Jean-Pierre does an impressive job of looking at each story through a purely historical viewpoint, not crossing over into theology and a potential minefield. A good reminder of how one person really can change the world and how God sometimes uses the most unlikely of characters to do so.” The Christian Backpager
"This is a book everyone could and should read, no matter if they are religious or not.” I’d Rather Be At the Beach