THE CHARACTER AND GREATNESS OF WINSTON CHURCHILL

It might be a surprise to see a little brief here on a book concerning Churchill; however, this contribution to Churchill literature is really an opportunity for its writer to extract lessons from his life that contributed to his greatness and leadership in crisis. Indeed, the subtitle of the book is ‘hero in a time of crisis’. I have read a number of books on Churchill and this one is well written, with short chapters, succinct and to the point and achieves what it set out to do. It also points out elements of Churchill that are more usually hidden in respect of his Christian worldview and its influence upon his life and service. Because of his larger than life character Churchill has never been easy to pin down and this book does not pretend to do that, instead it answers the questions of what enabled him to stand steadfastly when all around him seemed to wither in fear and how he was enabled to inspire nations to endure in the face of terrible odds and achieve the impossible when others had given up hope. The book is divided into three sections the one building upon the other, the first dealing with the character of his leadership, the second, the pillars of his leadership and the last one is entitled ‘the legacy of his leadership”. Churchill was a larger than life personality and this book is large in its scope. There is an inspirational quality in the presentation of his life and those things that formed him. We are lifted above the commonplace, a vital thing in these days when the average hero is the superficial sports personality or the posturing politician striving for approbation and a happy consensus that offends no one or the film star whose life seems to be controlled by heading the fashion stakes of the day. That those who aspire to leadership in the churches or who already are in those positions of responsibility will be challenged to self examination and illuminated as to key components that make for true leadership by a reading of this book I have no doubt. Here is a thought or two, derived from a reading of this book that might whet your appetite a bit. “A leader must see himself as the guardian of a heritage for future generations’. “Great leadership is held aloft by the winds of compassion”. “Great heights are only reached by overcoming great obstacles’. “Leadership is not a popularity contest, criticism and self-criticism is part of the job”.