The following article appears in the March/April issue of Ministries Today magazine.
“When God told me (Dutch) to agree in prayer with a dead man, He had my attention!”
That’s how author Dutch Sheets begins his latest book, History Makers, co-written by William Ford III.
Sheets goes on to explain what really is the premise of History Makers:
Even though the man in question has been dead for 30 years, “his prayers are not dead; they’re still alive in heaven.”
Now, if you are theologically conservative, there is much in this book that may rattle your cage. There are many places where the exegesis seems forced and the theological foundations for some of the book’s main points are likely to raise at least a few eyebrows. Nevertheless, the stories used throughout the book are nothing short of miraculous.
Some of the “coincidences” mentioned by the authors to confirm God’s leading are uncanny, easily reminiscent of the Book of Acts. You can argue theology all day long, but it’s really hard to argue with someone’s witness-confirmed experience. At one point, Ford asks, “Has God ever used someone else’s foolish obedience to confound your wisdom?”
Point taken.
The authors encourage readers to consider why, after decades and centuries of trying, members of different races and different cultures still can’t get along with each other. “Is it possible that in these cases there is a spiritual poison flowing through history,” asks the authors.
The majority of the book then is a fascinating first-person account of the author’s “Kettle Tour” to historically significant areas in an attempt to connect with the prayers of past generations in order to bring about future healing. And the starring role is not played by Sheets or Ford, but by a 200-year old cast-iron kettle used by African- American slaves to conceal their prayers for freedom.
If nothing else, this book will inspire a new respect for the power of intercession and for the astounding willingness of the Father to intervene in the affairs of man in order to bring about His purposes in the earth.
