I’ve been saving this review for today. Today marks the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, the attack the precipitated our entrance into World War II and that called for men like Jim Downing to make sacrifices that seem so distant from anything we know of today. The Other Side of Infamy is Jim Downing’s story of the path that led him to Pearl Harbor on that fateful day and the impact his life has had since.
The prologue begins with Downing on the day of the attack as committed follower of Christ preparing to defend himself and his country. In the following chapters Downing begins telling of his early life growing up in the midst of the first World War and then the Great Depression. He tells of his conversion that occurred after he joined the Navy. His time as a new Christian seems much like our own as he recounts in chapter 4, “At the same time I was committing myself to the tenets of the Christian faith, much of the rest of the world was steadily moving away from them. Nationalism, militarism, and expansion were increasingly the favored guiding principles for global leaders- particularly in Germany and Japan (p. 49).” Downing records the impact Dawson Trotman had on his life, his role in mentoring him and ends this book recounting Trotman’s death and Downing’s decision to retire from the Navy and join the staff of the Navigators.
Downing’s life has truly been a remarkable although more so as he is still ministering and speaking in his 100s. If you’d like an insight into how faith can guide one through some of the most difficult experiences Downing’s story is one to pick up.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing it. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.
Puritans & Pastoring 