Today I talk with JR Duren, author of the book, Living Like Lions.
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How did you came to write the book?
I came to write the book by way of opportunism and providence. Les Stobbe, who is now my agent, turned down an autobiography I pitched. After he rejected the manuscript, I asked what editors are looking for. I thought if I knew what they wanted I had the writing chops to be able to impress them. Solid biographies was one of the topics Les mentioned. A few days after Les’ tip, I thought, “I want to write a book about men who said, ‘Screw you!’ to the way things were done in their historical context, pursued a great cause and changed because of it.” I pitched the idea to Les, who passed it along to an editor at Baker. They requested a sample chapter. I wrote one up,sent it to Les and he sent it to Baker. They rejected the proposal, but I was able to use that moment as leverage to sign on with Les and eventually get a contract with LPC.
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How did you pick the men in the book?
I picked the men in my book based on my own personal history…movies I’d watched (Wilberforce), men I’d read about in seminary (Chrystostom, Athanasius, Ambrose) and guys I’d read about in my personal time (Elliot). My goal was to choose men from a variety of backgrounds…a group who would more adequately represent the men of Christianity. Most biographies are about theologians or missionaries, but the male world in Christianity is far more diverse than that.
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What do you hope people will gain from reading your book?
I hope this book will inspire men to aspire to greatness through their nearness to God, to believe that Christian men can still change the world and to recognize that Christian masculinity is a storied tradition which stands outside of the flimsy cowardice that defines today’s notion of masculinity.
J.R. Duren is an award-winning journalist from San Diego, California. He graduated from Bethel Seminary in 2007 with a Master of Divinity. He and his wife Heather live in Barcelona along with their dog, Charlie. J.R. enjoys hiking, volleyball and exploring Barcelona with his wife.
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Email: livinglikelions@gmail.com
Twitter: @jr_duren
Website: www.jrduren.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorduren.