The Friend I've Never Met
- Laureen Simper
- Mar 4
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 5
Friends in the cybersphere, I'd like to introduce you to a dear friend of many years, Mr. Eric Metaxas.
Technically... we've actually never met. Truly, this is a mere technicality.
In 2011, a good friend from my book group heard Eric speak at an event, promoting his recently published biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, titled Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. She chose the book for our book group to read the following year. Besides learning about the incredible man whom the book was about, that book also served as my introduction to the mind and faith of Eric Metaxas.
I look forward to eventually indulging in Eric's two other lengthy biographies on the lives of William Wilberforce (Amazing Grace), and Martin Luther (Martin Luther). His take on people's approach to living in faith and discipleship is insightful and inspiring. He's an artisan wordsmith - that's my writer's version of "You had me at hello," and has a delightful and winsome sense of humor which can border on the ridiculous. ALWAYS A PLUS.
The other of his many books I've read are worthy of mention and recommendation:
Miracles - In 2014 Metaxas wrote a fabulous piece for the Wall Street Journal titled "Science Increasingly Makes the Case for God." (https://www.wsj.com/articles/eric-metaxas-science-increasingly-makes-the-case-for-god-1419544568) The article was so wildly popular and so widely viewed and shared, his editor suggested he flesh it out for an entire book. Miracles is the result. The first half of the book is an expansion of the original 2014 WSJ article. The second half are personal witness stories - Eric knows each subject personally - who have experienced what he believes is a true miracle. As he puts it - he didn't want to use mere coincidences which serve miraculously in helping someone, but the miracles where God unmistakably intervened by suspending what we humans recognize as the natural laws of the universe. They are truly phenomenal.
7 Men and the Secret of Their Greatness - an anthology of short biographies on men as diverse as George Washington, Chuck Colson, and Jackie Robinson.
7 Women and the Secret of Their Greatness - an equally enthralling anthology of women including Rosa Parks, Corrie Ten Boom, and Joan of Arc.
I was quite taken with both the introductions to these two anthologies. Eric makes the case for what makes a man or woman great in these introductions, but he also lays out his view of the divine roles of men and women as he understands them from his faith as a converted evangelical Christian. As a member of what I believe is the restored church - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - I could imagine any of my church leaders, whom I sustain as prophets and apostles, quoting from Eric's introductions in our church's general conferences. His opinions of men and women mesh beautifully with our church's document from 1995, "The Family: A Proclamation to the World."
My fandom of Eric's writing became a genuine feeling of friendship as I began to listen to his radio show on podcasts, or listen to his lecture/discussion events called Socrates in the City.
As I wrote about in a recent post, "Having a Thing with God" (https://www.laureensimper.com/post/having-a-thing-with-god), the best friends are those where we share more things in common - from cooking to quilting, from writing to faith. Those friendships deepen when friends draw you into their world, and you are the Thing, or your friend's friends are the Things. Friendships are sweetest when the Thing you share is mutual love for mutual people.
That's what Eric has done for me over our many years of friendship. He's introduced me to:
John Zmirak - a brilliant writer at www.stream.org who haunts Eric's podcast regularly, and who frankly needs his own post.
Os Guinness - another brilliant writer whose book, A Free People's Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future, inspired a book from Eric, If You Can Keep It (It's in the stack, I'll get to it). His speeches and/or interviews at Socrates in the City are worth listening to more than once. (https://socratesinthecity.com/guests/os-guinness/)
N.T. Wright - Anglican bishop and New Testament scholar who HAS been quoted in general conference! (https://socratesinthecity.com/guests/n-t-wright/)
Gabrielle Kuby - author of The Global Sexual Revolution (https://socratesinthecity.com/guests/gabriele-kuby/)
Walter Hooper - editor of many of C.S. Lewis' posthumous books. When a dear friend of mine was a little boy, he wrote a letter to C.S. Lewis after his first adventure in Narnia. As this letter was written many years after Mr. Lewis' death, Mr. Hooper actually took the time to reply to my friend's letter. <3
The list is far too long; through Eric I've met so many wonderful people: Naomi Wolf, Andrew Klavan, John Lennox, Armand Nicholi, Beckett Cook, Ryan Bomberger, Baroness Cox, Rosaria Butterfield... it might be too late to add, TO NAME A FEW.
But there it is - the great influence of someone I consider a friend - even though we haven't met.
Yet.
I'll never forget hearing Eric's witness of Jesus Christ in this short YouTube video - from a series of similar witnesses recorded in 2013. It reminded me of Oliver Cowdery being told, through the third person of Joseph Smith, of a personal experience with the Savior - which was only known by Cowdery and the Savior Himself (D&C 6:22-24).
So many reasons I consider Eric Metaxas a dear friend. Discipleship absolutely shortens the divide in the timeline of friendship, don't you think?
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