Library

When the subject of a well-written biography is one of the 20th Century’s most gifted Christian authors who lived a colorful, courageous life—and her biographer is a skilled author— such a volume will see a warm welcome by women and men alike. This is the first of two promised volumes for which Ellen Vaughn was granted full access by the estate of Elisabeth Elliot to the subject’s unpublished personal journals.

Elisabeth Elliot was first known as the young widow of Jim Elliot, missionary martyred in 1956 with four other Wheaton College men by the Auca (Waodani) tribe in Ecuador.  Younger adults today have no memory of the sensational killing of these missionaries which occasioned a cover story for LIFE magazine. The drama attained a stunning new level when Elisabeth obeyed God’s call to live among the Auca several years with her young daughter, to evangelize them and study their language for Bible translation.
Elisabeth told the Auca story in “Through Gates of Splendor” and “The Shadow of the Almighty.”  She later wrote many other books as an eloquent Bible teacher on subjects such as divine guidance, suffering, and a woman’s role.

When Westminster Church hosted Elisabeth Elliot to speak here twenty years ago, it was the only time we ever had to turn away would-be attendees from a packed sanctuary.  I predict similar interest in this first volume of her biography.  A second volume is being ordered for our library, and even with that, the reserve list for check-out is likely to be long in coming months!