WASHINGTON, DC — Inspired by the iconic martyrology, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Johnnie Moore and Jerry Pattengale spent more than five years researching, excerpting and adding to this iconic work in order to produce an entirely new book which artfully integrates the historic Foxe’s text and modernizes it for a new generation. The New Book of Christian Martyrs is on sale now (Tyndale House).
Co-authors Moore and Pattengale remind us that along with a King James Bible and Pilgrim’s Progress, Foxe’s was one of the most popular books in Early America and England. They conclude that “in a time of rising, global persecution we believe it’s time for a new generation of Christians to learn again about the sacrifices of the 2000 years of Christians that came before them. Our prayer is that there’s a copy of The New Book of Christian Martyrs in every Christian home.”
This inspiring keepsake honors the heroic sacrifice of modern martyrs—including those from the last several years—for their Christian faith, while also showing how their actions mirror a long line of brave Christians.
The book is groundbreaking in two respects: it provides substantial, historic (and sometimes unflattering) context for the modern reader and the book pulls together powerful stories of Christian sacrifice from the Catholic and Orthodox Christian communities to complement the historic Protestant accounts in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.
“Integrating Catholic and Orthodox stories into a work inspired by Foxe’s Book of Martyrs was once unfathomable—it is groundbreaking,” said Moore and Pattengale. “Foxe’s historic work emerged in the aftermath of the reformation and reflects the vicious conflict among the reformers and Catholics; we have been faithful to that history but we have carefully selected and integrated stories in the modern era of Christian sacrifice from all Christian communities because we have all learned that when someone decides to kill a Christian for their faith they simply look for a cross.”
The book highlights key martyrs from the first century to the twenty-first century, from Europe to Africa and from Asia to the Americas to inspire Christians around the globe.
Supported by new first-hand interviews with surviving family members and friends of modern martyrs, many of their stories were unknown until now.
“This book is especially important because . . . we are witnessing in the twenty-first century, Christian persecution rarely seen since the first century,” said Moore and Pattengale. “Many people don’t realize that today thousands of Christians are dying cruel deaths throughout much of the world. There were, in fact, more martyrs in the last century than in all the previous Christian centuries combined.”
The New Book of Christian Martyrs has already received wide ranging acclaim:
Praise for The New Book of Christian Martyrs
“Johnnie Moore and Jerry Pattengale have created a labor of love that’s sure to be a timeless resource for generations to come.”
— CHRIS HODGES, senior pastor of Church of the Highlands and author of Out of the Cave and Pray First
“The strength, spread, and sustainability of our faith is due to men and women whose lives and deaths certified the truth of the gospel. Johnnie Moore and Jerry Pattengale chronicle such a cloud of witnesses. May we in our reading be inspired to do the same.”
—BISHOP CLAUDE ALEXANDER, senior pastor of The Park Church in Charlotte, NC
“This work glorifies God through telling the stories of the martyrs of our faith.”
—DOUG CLAY, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God
“Scripture compels us to remember well when great sacrifices have been made. The New Book of Christian Martyrs helps us do just that.”
—SANTIAGO “JIMMY” MELLADO, president and CEO of Compassion International
“Wow—what a book! God bless you, Johnnie and Jerry. Christians will be motivated as they read the testimonies you’ve shared so clearly and effectively.”
— JAMES ROBISON, founder and president of LIFE Outreach International, Fort Worth, Texas
“The persecuted show us the path to truly live as disciples of the one true God.”
— MICHELE BACHMANN, dean of Regent University and former member of US Congress
“an instant classic”
— REV. SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
“The New Book of Christian Martyrs is a profound gift.”
—JOHN STONESTREET, president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview
“I could not stop reading these accounts—many through tears…a must for every household.”
—JO ANNE LYON, general superintendent emerita of The Wesleyan Church
“As a new believer during my freshman year at university, I discovered Foxe’s Book of Martyrs… this classic has been resurrected. Get it . . . keep it close . . . read it!”
—O. S. HAWKINS, former pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas and author of The Joshua Code and the Code series of devotionals
“Johnnie Moore and Jerry Pattengale … recount the compelling stories, both across history and in our own time.”
—D. MICHAEL LINDSAY, president of Taylor University
“These sacred records remind us that persecution is present, not past; it is to be expected; it is not abnormal; and it wears many different faces in our world today.”
—DONALD SWEETING, chancellor of Colorado Christian University
“Just as the testimonies of these martyrs have influenced my life, let them touch you”
—ELMER L. TOWNS, cofounder of Liberty University
“The epic battle between darkness and light will only intensify as we approach the climactic Day of the Lord. Johnnie Moore and Jerry Pattengale have reminded us all to be strong in the Lord … The New Book of Christian Martyrs chronicles the power of a heart fully surrendered to the love of God and tempered with the zero victim mentality of Christ, in overcoming the forces of darkness.”
—JAMES E. WARD JR., founder and pastor of INSIGHT Church in Tinley Park, IL, and author of Zero Victim: Overcoming Injustice with a New Attitude
The New Book of Christian Martyrs (Tyndale House) by Rev. Johnnie Moore and Dr. Jerry Pattengale is available now wherever books are sold.
Media note: To schedule an interview or request a print copy or a digital galley of The New Book of Christian Martyrs, please email Ashton.Compton@JDAWorldwide.
Read more news on Christian Ministry on Missions Box.
