The Calling of Dan Matthews

Rating:
Summary: Good Wright Book
Review: A young, rookie, naive preacher comes to the Ozark town of Corinth to take the reins of the church. He was raised in the mountains and is a strong man. He quickly generates a rapport with the working class of the town. However, the church elders dislike him on account of his sermons drifting from the old "Jerusalem" stories they are accustomed. Instead, he preaches loving the down-trodden and the poor.

The problem is that the church elders have reasons for disliking the people Dan preaches love for. The chief elder, a "Judge" Strong, collects property and would like to possess a widow's farm. Matthews, becomes friends with widow and a local female pariah (who's father shot the widow's husband), which angers the elders.

The crux of this romance / western book is how much of an individual a minister is. To collect his salary, must he spout the elder's / church's law regardless of his moral feelings or does he have a right to disagree with the policies of the church? Ultimately, the church politics win and a great minister is forced back to his homeland (winning a bride in the process).

This book was rather deep. There were many wise paragraphs involving the purposes of church and religion. I think Wright felt that a belief in God and a practice of his teachings were more important than going to church for the sake of going to church. Dan Matthews finds out the hard way that all people don't believe this and that some of the church's doctrines have ulterior motives.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing follow-up to Shepherd of the Hills.
Review: I dearly loved Shepherd of the Hills...so much so that I didn't want to put it down, & when it was over, I wanted to continue being involved in the characters' lives. I'm having trouble not only following the characters in this book, but even staying awake enough to get involved. I'm sure it's a good story, but the delivery is not nearly as engaging as it's predecessor was with it's use of Ozark mountain dialect.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent heart warming book.
Review: This book is eye opening to organized religion, but shows what true christianity is. Even though it takes place at the turn or the century or there abouts, its lessons pertain to life today.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent expose on how ministers are often treated
Review: This was my favorite. Things have not changed between the early part of the century and now with regards to how most ministers are treated by the congregation. It is truly sad but the things that bothered HBW when he wrote these books are still going strong today. I must read for all churchgoers.