Abstract
Missionary biographies can make you feel a bit miserable if they paint too rosy a picture of the person, but Paul Balisky has penned a balanced account of this dedicated servant of God. The research is impressive and the book carefully written, replete with footnotes, appendices, a bibliography, and an index. The story of Thomas Lambie needs retelling in the 21st century.
Starting in 1906, Lambie spent 47 years as a medical doctor and missionary entrepreneur in the Sudan, Ethiopia, and Palestine. He was responsible for establishing four hospitals in Ethiopia and a tuberculosis sanatorium in Bethlehem. During the pandemic of 1918, he labored to protect Ethiopians who were being devastated by a deadly disease that took the lives of 50 million people worldwide.
Though a skilled medical doctor, Lambie’s primary motivation was to get the gospel out to the unreached—including Muslims. Undoubtedly, he had been influenced by John R Mott and the memorable slogan, The Evangelization of the World in This Generation. Whereas some viewed mission as merely education and medical assistance, Lambie was constantly scouting out new areas to preach and plant churches. He was willing to do anything for the sake of the gospel and, in 1934, even renounced his American citizenship to be more effective. All his efforts paid off: Lambie laid the foundation for the Kale Heywet Church, with its millions of Christ followers. Today, it is the largest evangelical denomination in Ethiopia.
The greatest takeaway from this unvarnished account is not Lambie’s skills as a surgeon, diplomat, and linguist, or even his unusual evangelistic zeal, but the fact that God uses imperfect people. Early on, he was dubbed a loose cannon on the field and, throughout his ministry, often had trouble getting along with fellow workers. Then, during Italy’s invasion, he tried to appease the Fascists, but later deeply regretted his poor judgment.
Yet, despite a few glaring shortcomings and mistakes, he never lost his high calling and sense of mission. As a man of prayer, faith, and the Word, he was able to put his faults behind him and accomplish even greater things for God. This book is highly recommended for libraries, missiologists, the classroom, and, above all, missionary candidates.