Christian Heroism and Bravery

Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History is essentially a story about fifty-odd historical figures that are heroes within the Christian religion. Author Richard Hannula goes out of his way to portray the characters he discusses in a largely favorable light and to bring out their most heroic actions and deeds, and to show how their greatest achievements affected the Christian Church. Hannula also distinguishes between several types of bravery and heroism in the book. For instance, the first sort of hero Hannula discusses is the martyr, or someone who gives his or her life for the Christian faith. The first example is Polycarp, a Christian minister who was burned alive because he refused to recant his belief in Jesus Christ. Blandina, Martyr of Lions is a hero for similar reasons.

Another type of hero is the missionary. Patrick is the first missionary discussed in...