The Least of These My Brothers - Harold Bell Wright

I like turn-of-the-century Christian fiction. In the contemporary market of the time, moral ambiguity was the defining feature of literature, but Christian literature was razor-sharp, utterly void of any shade of gray. Rather than reflecting the mediocre reality of the world around them, these novels present the ideal, the firm convictions that Christians ought to hold, the dedication to service that we should all strive.

This is epitomized in The Least of These My Brothers. Originally published as a magazine series under the title of That Printer of Udell's, this novel presents a world that is both frighteningly real and firmly ambitious. Harold Bell Wright, a mining-city pastor, grieved over the sad state of the poor in his community, and his parishoners' attitudes that church was little more than a social club, and wrote this story as a response.

Dick Falkner, a penniless, unemployed printer, drifts into Boyd City in hopes of finding work. Through the kindness of a print shop owner named Udell, he does, and slowly becomes involved in a local church. His past experiences as a homeless drifter give him a different perspective on the social structure of the church, and Christianity as a whole. He motivates the young people of the church on a series of projects aimed at serving the poor of the community, specifically the endless string of unemployed men whose only solace is alcohol and brothels.

This is met with protest and resistance from some class-conscious church members, who believe their wealth and percieved social status sets them apart from the 'common herd'. Because of his passion for service and his practical ideas, Falkner rises as a leader, while men from wealthier and more influential backgrounds seethe with jealousy at the respect he's garnered. When a wealthy young woman falls in love with him, both her father and brother determine to end the romance. The seething underbelly of the city rises to the surface, and we see that the root of problems there are not the poor, but the cruel wealthy, who will stop at nothing to get what they want. A murder is revealed, a cruel father casts his daughter out into the streets, and a selfish man destroys everyone around him in his quest to ruin Falkner.

The book is not without it's problems. It really is melodramatic, and the convoluted plots the characters weave to reveal one another's secrets, and keep their own, can be difficult to follow. In the end, it's difficult to understand exactly what the main villain of the text was working towards to begin with. But I still recommend it, for three reasons. First, though there are romances, they do not take center stage. They are simply a side benefit to the main work of the text, that is, Dick Falkner's and an entire city's journey to redemption. Second, the best examples of Christian living are those characters who do not claim to be good Christians, but work to live their lives according to Christ's teachings. Third, and most importantly, the message of Christ is so firmly and wonderfully woven into the story that it makes it sheer joy to read. It's not just about knowing Christ in this novel, but living Him.

Highly Recommended.