This is a classic missionary biography. I just re-read it. I had forgotten that Brother Andrew includes his own personal testimony in the earlier chapters of the book. It's really a great story from angry, drunk, suicidal and anti-God to Christian. God placed people in Andrew's life at key points and I'm sure these people were faithfully praying for him. The book inspired numerous other missionary smugglers, provided funding to van der Bilj’s ministry Open Doors, and drew evangelical attention to the plight of believers in countries where Christian belief and practice were illegal. Van der Bijl protested that people missed the point, however, when they held him up as heroic and extraordinary. I first read GOD'S SMUGGLER years ago, so it was good to re-read the book. Even though this edition is the "Young Reader's Edition," I think many adults will also appreciate the concise length.

Today, of course, Europe has changed. The main threat to Christians today comes not from Communism, but from radical Islam. Brother Andrew has travelled extensively in the Islamic world, talking to the leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah. He is among the few Western leaders to regularly travel to the Middle East as an ambassador for Christ to these groups. He has also broken Christian religious barriers by preaching in Catholic and Coptic Orthodox churches. In his tribute to Brother Andrew, Dr. Albert Mohler reminded listeners that “the power of God’s word is such that, once it is in the hands and it is read with the eyes, the Holy Spirit does the work of taking that word read with the eyes into the heart and bringing about a transformation that only the word of God can bring.” Corrie was married to a missionary and Andrew very much continued to live like a missionary, smuggling bibles into countries closed countries. Over the years, God blessed Corrie and Andrew with five children, three boys and two girls.Within a year, Mao Zedong had died and most of the conference participants were able to start working once again in the People’s Republic of China.

In 1967, van der Bijl published the first edition of God's Smuggler, written with John and Elizabeth Sherrill. [9] An autobiography, God's Smuggler tells the story of his early childhood, conversion to Christianity, and adventures as a Bible-smuggler behind the Iron Curtain. Due to the press exposure following the book, van der Bijl stopped personally smuggling Bibles and Christian literature to other countries, and shifted to evangelism and fundraising campaigns in North America and Europe to support Open Doors. [7] [2] By 2022, it had sold over 10 million copies and was published in thirty-five languages. [10] A comic book adaptation of God's Smuggler was published in 1972 by Spire Christian Comics. [11] Later life [ edit ]There have been several books throughout my journey with the Lord that have impacted me so profoundly that I now view the reading of them as milestones in my life. This book may now top the list. In 1955, van der Bijl founded Open Doors, a Christian persecution watchdog organization that is known for its annual World Watch List, which documents the nations that most severely persecute Christians. The measure of celebrity he acquired from God’s Smuggler and the various sequels meant that his days of personally delivering Bibles to oppressed areas were curtailed. Instead, he embarked on tours of North America and western Europe, including several visits to Britain, evangelising, telling the story of his work and raising funds for Open Doors.

John and Elizabeth Sherrill's dedication to this carefully written and inspiring story touched my own faith-nerve--to live more by faith from day to day. Brother Andrew's openness to sacrifice and prayer were just two topics exemplified in this true thriller of a Bible smuggler's life. Brother Andrew; Conn, Charles Paul (1977). Battle for Africa. Fleming H. Revell. ISBN 978-0-80070876-4. With the end of the Cold War and the relaxation on religious freedoms in former Communist countries, Brother Andrew turned his attention to delivering Bibles to the Middle East and Muslim-majority nations such as Pakistan.

In September 1953, Brother Andrew started his studies at the WEC Glasgow bible college. Over the entrance of the wooden archway of the college were the words ‘have faith in God’. During the following two years whilst studying, Andrew learnt about having faith in God and put his faith into practice in numerous ways. The Kings Way He was shot in the ankle and started reading a Bible his mother had given him during his convalescence. After he returned to the Netherlands, he started compulsively going to church, and in early 1950, he surrendered himself to God.