The Secrets of Barneveld Calvary

by James Calvin Schaap

The Narrator, a town pastor, brings to life the secret joys and concern of his parishioners at Barneveld Calvary in a colorful mosaic of grief and tragedy, mercy and reconciliation.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801057558
• ISBN13: 9780801057557
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group (MI)
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 17 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Profound Insight into Man's Nature and God's Grace

Barneveld, Iowa, contiguous with the South East corner of South Dakota is the setting of this true to life fictional account of the private dramas and hidden secrets of church elders, community leaders, and war heroes. Award winning author, James Calvin Schaap has captured the stubbornness and pride of small townspeople, in contemporary rural America, that reminds the reader of Victorian stories of the nineteenth century and the theology of the Puritans. This compilation of short stories is a composite of brilliantly developed characters. Schaap shows insight into human nature as he explores the consequences, cost and subtle irony of harboring, self pity, piety, and the misunderstanding of perceived motives on longstanding relationships, within the family, church, and community. Shaap's writing is poignant, filled with pathos. His characters experience pain and heart ache. The stories range from feelings of guilt, hatred, anger, resentment and perceived vice, to heartwarming stories of repentance and loving forgiveness. Each story brings home a lesson in the truth of God's redemptive plan for man, man's sinful nature, and the resultant joy that comes with the realization of the peace and freedom that comes with recognizing that forgiveness has taken place. This is a significant book, inspirational, worthy of introspection, application, and action. I am eager to read more of the works of James Calvin Schaap.