December's Book - The Hiding Place

"The Hiding Place", by Corrie Ten Boom

This is one of the classic books in Christian literature, because of its powerful witness to compassion and forgiveness. 

Corrie ten Boom was a woman admired the world over for her courage, her forgiveness, and her memorable faith. In World War II, she and her family risked their lives to help Jews escape the Nazis, and their reward was a trip to Hitler's concentration camps. But she survived and was released--as a result of a clerical error--and now shares the story of how faith triumphs over evil.

For thirty-five years Corrie's dramatic life story, full of timeless virtues, has prepared readers to face their own futures with faith, relying on God's love to overcome, heal, and restore. The Hiding Place tells the riveting story of how a middle-aged Dutch watchmaker became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's death camps, and one of the most remarkable evangelists of the twentieth century.  (Book summary adapted from Amazon.com book review).

We discussed this book on January 6th, and in particular discussed some of the compelling aspects of the book:

• When is it OK to lie? Corrie "lied" in order to save the lives of those whom she was protecting.  Her sister Nollie did not lie, resulting in the arrest of several people, trusting that God would honor her integrity and faith.
• What does this book say about forgiveness?  Does it come from an act of our own will, from the grace of God, or both?  Did Corrie's forgiveness free the man that she forgave, or did it free Corrie?
• Would we have had the courage to do what this family did under these circumstances?  Why or why not?
• What does this book have to say about a radical, minute-by-minute dependence on God?
• What was the blessing in the fleas?  How can we look for the blessing in even the worst of circumstances?
• How was it possible that Corrie's sister, Betsie, when watching a cruel beating, felt sorry for the perpetrator rather than for the victim?

This book was a joy (and a heartbreak) to read or re-read, and we each got something new and valuable out of this amazing story.