No amount of freedom is worth the compromise of biblical teachings” (52). This maxim can serve as a reminder of Christian priorities at a time when religious freedom remains under threat throughout the world. In Marie Durand, Simonetta Carr reflects on persecuted Protestants in eighteenth-century France. After the revocation of the right to peaceful worship, Marie Durand was one of many who were unwilling to compromise the gospel and thus suffered the loss of freedom, livelihood, wealth, and public esteem. Many lost their lives. Marie was imprisoned in a tower for more than thirty years, having only to recant her faith in order to regain her freedom.
In this and other books in her Christian Biographies for Young Readers series, Carr allows readers to enter the lives of some of the spiritual predecessors upon whose shoulders we unwittingly stand. In this series, readers encounter sincere believers who chose to endure dire situations and consequences in order to honor God and remain true to their consciences. These stories are wonderfully brought to life with the help of illustrator Matt Abraxas.
Contemporary readers will find in this book a reality check. In our day, we wonder if Christianity is really worth it when our convictions become unpopular. We start checking our watches when it looks as if the minister’s sermon might run over time. We leave churches because the vote on the most recent nonessential matter didn’t go our way. Our toleration for persecution is low. Most of us have not resisted sin, nor could we even imagine resisting, to the point of shedding our blood (Heb. 12:4).
The author’s tribute to Marie Durand is therefore applicable to believers today: We must simply continue to do what God calls us to do every day, keeping our eyes on the future triumph of glory (53). Marie Durand was born into a Calvinist family during a time when persecution forced the Reformed Church in France underground. Marie’s brother was a preacher who was discovered and executed, and her mother and father were also arrested and suffered. As mentioned, Marie was imprisoned in the Tour de Constance for thirty-eight years, leaving only personal letters behind as her testimony. She died a few years after her release in 1776, the year of America’s Declaration of Independence.
We might find it hard to imagine being locked in a cold, drafty, unsanitary tower for so long, only to emerge as a mature, loving, sober-minded Christian! But during those hard years, when everything else was stripped from her, Marie learned to say to her God, “There is nothing on earth that I desire besides you” (Ps. 73:25).
This is not to say that contemporary believers do not suffer. What Paul says is true'”All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12)’because believers at all times and places have to tread the same ground on which “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). As we resist the devil, we do well to remember that “the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by [our] brotherhood throughout the world” (1 Pet. 5:9)’indeed, throughout the history of the world. This is why books such as Marie Durand are immensely valuable. Her life provides an imperfect but badly needed tutorial for adults and children alike on how to suffer well as a child of God.
