BOOK REVIEWS

State Missionary Rick Lance is executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.

Other Recent Blog Entries:

The Caleb Spirit in 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
In my mind, Caleb is the Barnabas of the Old Testament. When others seemed to lose hope, he offered encouragement to them.

A Year to Remember
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
This can be the most wonderful time of the year if we allow the Christ of Christmas to guide us through the experience. Rather than being caught up in the routined frenzy of long lines at stores shopping for gifts and the endless social gatherings during the season, we can focus on what is called the Advent.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Thursday, December 8, 2011
This can be the most wonderful time of the year if we allow the Christ of Christmas to guide us through the experience. Rather than being caught up in the routined frenzy of long lines at stores shopping for gifts and the endless social gatherings during the season, we can focus on what is called the Advent.

Finishing Strong
Monday, November 21, 2011
I do not pretend to be a football coach, but I do believe this "sports experience" translates into our everyday lives, most notably in our Christian lives. There are times when we have seemingly given our all and we feel spent, emotionally, physically and even spiritually.

Be Encouraged!
Thursday, October 28, 2011
In periods of history like the one we now face, Christians have often done some of their most effective service for Christ. But in order to be an effective servant, we must find our source of encouragement in the face of these discouraging situations.

SBC Today: An Interview
Thursday, October 16, 2011
Managing ourselves means more than controlling the calendar, staying morally and ethically pure, reading the latest books, keeping family time balanced, and running things smoothly in one's ministry. I am convinced this means staying in touch with Lord and with yourself in such a way that you make the right decisions and lead in the right direction.

BOOK REVIEW:
Churchill's Folly: How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq

Churchill's Folly is an examination of what might be considered Winston Churchill's worst mistake in his long career in public service for Great Britain. Christopher Catherwood is the author of this incisive work, and he is also one of the numerous biographers of the famed world leader. Catherwood does not subscribe to a hagiographic approach to historical writing. He is not afraid to look beyond the legendary high points of Churchill's brilliant leadership in order to see the flaws and low points of his service.

What is the "folly"? In the mind of Christopher Catherwood, Winston Churchill's leadership in the establishment of modern day Iraq has caused indescribable problems for the world as we know it. With the help of intriguing figures, such as Lawrence of Arabia, T. E. Lawrence, Churchill carved out a modern nation state called Iraq which included Sunni, Shia and Kurds as people groups. This has led to problems that remain the focus of world attention today.

The context for such an effort to create Iraq was post World War I. The old Ottoman Empire had chosen to fight Britain, France and belatedly, the U.S. in The Great War. Since that shrinking empire had been on the losing side, modern Turkey emerged from the relics of the past and with it came Iraq and other countries.

Catherwood describes Winston Churchill and the ultimate defender of the colonial way of life. This is evidenced in Churchill's obsession to hang onto India as the crown jewel of the remaining empire. This is also the driving force behind his nation building in the old Ottoman Empire.

In retrospect, Churchill does appear to be such a colonial figure in a time when colonialism was fading fast. However, even as Christopher Catherwood reminds his readers, Churchill's stubbornness became an asset in the next big war with Germany and the axis powers. That was the man's "finest hour."