Having lived through the events described in Dr. Sherman’s book, his autobiography helped me set my own experience in the larger context of what has happened among us Baptists over the last 30 years. Dr. Sherman’s ability to share his own experience and thoughts in such a transparent and authentic way—emphasizing throughout that this was and is one perspective—gave me courage to look at my own history within the larger Baptist story with new eyes and with acceptance, mercy, and grace.
Dr. Sherman’s book did for me what I did not know I needed to have done. His highly personal story helped me gain perspective on a hard part of my own history in Baptist life.
Reading this book reminds me how starved we are in our culture for authentic heroes. Having been fed on the junk food of celebrity, perhaps we have forgotten that a real hero has moral courage, radical honesty, faithfulness to his task and to his people, and the rare humility to admit mistakes and yet look for solutions and resolutions, restoration and repair.
In a world that is starved for heroes and so desperate for spiritual nurturance that it will accept almost anything as “spiritual,” Dr. Sherman is a genuine hero.
My memory of Dr. Sherman’s leadership was that he gave strength and boldness to those of us who were following him. He led us with clarity about who he was and what he believed, which gave security to others. Reading this book reminded me of how much his leadership gave to CBF in its early years.
As a Smyth & Helwys writer who has sat at author signings with Dr. Sherman, I have loved seeing how people love him. The long lines formed at his table by people who have read and taught from his commentaries, as I have, give witness to the integrity of his contribution to Baptists for many generations. The affection and delight with which people greet him, and his loving response to them, are evidence that the story he has told, “by his own reckoning,” resonates with the hearts and souls of countless others.
Dr. Sherman’s autobiography is a treasured addition to the Baptist story. He, himself, is one of our treasures.
