In this superbly written and compelling book, Anne Coomes artfully tells the story of Stephen Lungu. It is an explosive story of God’s power at work in the darkest of situations. I challenge you to read it and remain unconvinced of the reality of the power of God.
The reader is introduced to the poverty and inequality of Rhodesia in the 1960s and the tragic details of Stephen Lungu’s childhood. Coomes traces Lungu’s deep desire for love and acceptance, the basic need to survive, and how the rebel gang culture of Rhodesia stepped in to fill that void.
Christianity was, for the rebels, a symbol of the white oppression of the black population. Indeed, the climax of this first part of the book is reached when Stephen finds himself leading an armed raid on an evangelistic tent mission with the express aim of killing as many Christians as possible. It is at this point that he is confronted with the gospel for the first time and is powerfully converted to Christ.
From this point on, the book is the story of a life utterly transformed by the grace of God. A refreshingly honest account is given of the difficulties of westernised Christian training for this young African man as he began to serve with the Dorothea Mission. While there are no doubt valuable lessons to be learned, the overwhelming burden of the book is to testify to the faithfulness and power of God. As Stephen goes on to work with African Enterprise, it is simply incredible to see how God prepared him for a truly international evangelistic ministry.
Out of the Black Shadows will refresh your soul again with the power of the gospel and present afresh the profound challenge of world evangelism.
Iain Jamieson
Thornton, Fife
