Fighting Parson Of The Old West

John Woodring drew himself up almost haughtily. “I’m the new minister,” he said. The stranger eyed him for an instant, then threw back his head and laughed. “The last parson didn’t only stay till the next train came through. You’ll be comfortable right here in the station till then.”

“I recon you don’t understand. I aim to stay.”

“Oh, you do, do you?” the station agent turned to face him. “You’d better just get right back on this next train while you got your duds packed. Might save both us and you a sight of trouble.”

Book: Fighting Parson of the Old West by Bernard Palmer, Back To The Bible, 1942

Genre: Historical Fiction

Target Audience: Boys 12+

Subjects: The Gospel, Showing Love, Missions, Alcohol, Prostitution, Trust in God

Summary: John is determined to preach the Gospel. And the town of Willow Bend is determined that he not. To begin with, he can hardly even convince someone to give him a room! The only place to stay is in a boarding house run by two prostitutes. Even as some of the townspeople begin to accept him and some souls are won for Christ, it still proves nearly impossible to find any peace in the town. John finds himself caught up in the middle of a battle between the ranchers and homesteaders – a battle that they are willing to fight to the death over – their death or anyone else involved.

Notes: Fighting Parson Of The Old West was originally published as Parson John. It’s based on a true story. It’s part of a genre that is sometimes labeled “Missionary Stories”. In this book, a preacher goes out west to a very wild, untamed town that has already scared away multiple preachers. The story recounts the exciting adventures Parson John had as he reached out to the community.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Romans 15:20 – It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.