Reckless Abandon, by David Sitton, is a memoir of a frontier missionary. In it, Sitton takes the reader with him as he blazes a trail to people who have never even heard the message of the Gospel, many who have never even seen a white man. This book is an engrossing read and I would not be surprised that if you sat down to read it that you did not arise until three or four hours later after completing it.

The most endearing part of this book is what I perceive to be the most endearing part of David Sitton, his ever-present focus on the Gospel of the crucified and resurrected Messiah, the Gospel of our King Jesus. All throughout the book, as Sitton tells of dangerous encounters with hostile tribes, predators stalking his home, hardships limiting his work in an area, theological convictions causing intramural persecution, or the tribulation of speaking in front of thousands of pastors, Sitton is consistent in his Gospel focus and persistent in his efforts to proclaim the Gospel message.


This is a book that God will use in the life of anyone who reads it, primarily because of how saturated it is with the Word of God. In it you will encounter the Holy Spirit working mightily in the lives of many people, and you will see the opposition that is faced when the Gospel message goes forth. It will encourage the believer to know that, while our mission may not be cannibalistic tribal chiefs who throw coconuts at us and threaten our life, the opposition found within them is the same opposition we find in our agnostic co-worker or our “I'm a good person” neighbor or our religious, “Christian” relative.

This is a book that brings the reality of what it means to be a Christian to the forefront of our thinking. Our culture has indoctrinated us with health and wealth prosperity teaching (or the evangelical form of it, the “God's ultimate desire is for you to be happy” gospel). For so many, throughout history and throughout the world today, to follow Jesus is what Bonhoeffer equated to a “call to come and die.” For most of us in the West, this call is simply a spiritual one. Very real, but not bleeding into our physical safety and comfort to a great degree. But for many still, this “call to come and die” is a literal, physical call that will cost them their property, their safety, and ultimately their physical life.

Throughout this book, I found myself getting angry. I found myself weeping in misery and weeping in joy. I was sad, mad, but ultimately greatly encouraged (that the Gospel will go forth to the ends of the earth) and challenged (because God has blessed me and every believer with the burden/opportunity to be the one to take it). It is not just the frontier missionary who has been called to live a life of reckless abandon, but everyone who claims the blood of Jesus as his righteousness and bears the name Christian ( )