{"id":356,"date":"2009-07-01T18:47:31","date_gmt":"2009-07-01T22:47:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/?p=356"},"modified":"2019-10-21T10:35:27","modified_gmt":"2019-10-21T13:35:27","slug":"book-review-boykins-never-surrender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianfighterpilot.com\/blog\/2009\/07\/01\/book-review-boykins-never-surrender\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Never Surrender"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/em>LtGen Jerry Boykin
\nFaith Words, 2008.
\nTopic: Military\/Christian Experience<\/p>\n

Never Surrender<\/em> is the memoir of Lt Gen (Ret) William G. \u201cJerry\u201d Boykin, a name familiar to many even outside of military circles. It documents his military career and much of his personal life, in his \u201cjourney to the crossroads of faith and freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a career that spanned more than three decades, General Boykin was predominantly a member of Special Operations units, including being one of the initial cadre (and ultimately a commander) of the Army\u2019s elite Delta Force. He was involved in virtually every combat action since the early 1980s, from the aborted rescue attempt of the Americans held hostage in Iran to the hunting of war criminals in the Balkans.<\/p>\n

According to the book, Boykin was virtually always expressive of his faith. As a young Army officer, he worked with a church bus ministry and invited the children of other military members living on base to his church. He was even initially told he would not be recommended for the Delta Force because he depended too much on faith and not enough on himself. More recently, Boykin made international headlines when he made statements regarding religion, God, and war that were often taken far out of context.<\/p>\n

Boykin is an animated character who rarely minces his words, and the book reflects his style. The direct nature of his comments on controversial subjects have made him a frequent target for those trolling for sound bites to lift from their context.<\/p>\n

Never Surrender<\/em> contains detailed accounts of many of the military operations in which General Boykin was involved. He also notes the times he called on God to see him through trials, and those times he felt abandoned by God because of them. He discusses the apparent contradictions in a Special Operations soldier being a Christian\u2014not only dealing with the Christian in the military as a participant in war, but also with the unique challenges of Delta\u2014like learning how to deceive, and do it well. He tells of his total dependence on God to help him recover from wounds received in battle.<\/p>\n

There are many examples where Boykin acts as a Christian officer, and many where he sees others do the same. There are encouragements about being successful as a Christian and as a military officer.<\/p>\n

Never Surrender<\/em>\u2019s shortcoming is its casual treatment of Boykin\u2019s family life. While intimate details are shared about nearly every military campaign since Vietnam, and he speaks openly of his faith, there are barely a handful of pages that even mention Boykin\u2019s family relationships. This seems inconsistent with fairly accepted standard priorities in a Christian life, which include God, then family, and then profession.\u00a0 Regrettably, the bulk of the story on Boykin\u2019s family involves his admission of his \u201cfailure\u201d as a husband, his divorce after 30 years of marriage, and his subsequent marriage to a single mother.<\/p>\n

While on one hand the book seems to tell the tale of a successful, outspoken and assertive Christian military officer, on the other it reveals the failure of his marriage with little comment or reaction.<\/p>\n

Of course, Boykin would be neither the first nor the most prominent Christian to struggle with family issues. However, his decision to omit a discussion on the cause or how he may have prevented its demise results in a missed opportunity.\u00a0 As an apparently successful Christian military officer, Christians will be looking at his example.\u00a0 One of the most frequently asked questions by young military Christians–or those considering a military profession–is if it is possible to have both a successful career and a successful family.<\/p>\n

Just as being a Christian is not incompatible with being a successful military officer, neither is a successful military career incompatible with a successful marriage, a point Boykin\u2019s book fails to adequately address.<\/p>\n

Despite that shortcoming and taken as a whole, Never Surrender<\/em> is an interesting read into the intersection of faith and the military profession. It will entertain those interested in the military genre, and enlighten those who are interested in the interactions of the Christian faith and the military.<\/p>\n

Boykin is currently the Wheat Professor of Leadership Studies at Hamden-Sydney College, a private men\u2019s liberal arts college in Virginia. He has also teamed with Stu Weber to form KingdomWarriors.net.<\/p>\n

\"\"Recommended<\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 Never Surrender<\/em> is a lengthy but engaging read.\u00a0 Though the balance of content slightly favors general military operations, the integration of Boykin’s faith and spirituality is woven throughout the book.\u00a0 The book is both an interesting read and a real-life example of one man’s Christian life as applied to the military profession.<\/p>\n

This book is available from Amazon<\/a> and Boykin’s Kingdom Warriors site<\/a>. (This site is an Amazon Associate and may earn from qualifying purchases made through Amazon referrals.)<\/em><\/p>\n

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