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THINKING

Called to Be Friends, Called to Serve: The Book and the Film

  • ahirou
  • Mar 14
  • 3 min read

Updated: 9 minutes ago

Enjoy the book that Shane Claiborne, Wayne "Coach" Gordon, and Karen Waddles are calling a "gift to the church," a "must-read in our fractured, divided world," and a "highly recommended book" that delivers an "exciting read"!


"In our age of tribalism we differentiate ourselves by class, race, education, and communication style," writes Christianity Today's Marvin Olasky.


So how does John Perkins (a poor African American Christian with a third grade education plus eloquence) become for 40 years a good friend of Howard Ahmanson, a rich white Christian with a postgraduate linguistics degree plus a Tourette’s syndrome stutter?


Olasky concludes: Paul Marshall’s Called to Be Friends, Called to Serve "displays the shared syllable in their backgrounds: Christ." 


Indeed, this is not an "idealized story," writes Rick Warren in the Foreword. Instead, this is a story that celebrates a "holy, courageous, enduring, full-Gospel friendship," writes Shane Claiborne:


I’ve known Howard and John for decades. I’ve learned from both of them, and I’ve humbly disagreed with each of them at times. But beyond opinions and issues, they have taught me about friendship and sacrificial love.


Access the Special Film Today!


Enjoy free access to a short documentary about John and Howard’s friendship, produced and directed by Jody Hassett Sanchez.


Once you sign-up, a link to the film will be e-mailed to you!
Once you sign-up, a link to the film will be e-mailed to you!

A story of Friendship, Faith, and Justice


Called to Be Friends, Called to Serve is the story of a friendship that’s endured for more three decades, between the son of a Mississippi sharecropper and the son of a businessman once called "the richest man in California."


Karen Waddles, co-author of One Blood (with John Perkins), writes that "Paul Marshall has masterfully woven the stories of two distinctly different lives into a beautiful tapestry."


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The story crosses lines of race and class while challenging the notion that we live in a divisive culture where such friendships aren’t possible.


Readers will discover a tale filled with surprises, blessings, joys, struggles, pain, and sorrow, as these improbable friends, united in their faith, join hands in working for justice.


Seymour Institute's Jacqueline C. Rivers writes that Perkins and Ahmanson's relationship "stimulate(s) hope in the power of faith to promote friendship and reconciliation.”


"I have had the pleasure of knowing both of these wonderful men for 40 years and observed their friendship up close. I highly recommend this book. It is exciting to read!" writes Wayne “Coach” Gordon, President Emeritus of the Christian Community Development Association.


50% publisher's discount!


When purchasing from Wipf & Stock, use discount code FRIENDS50 at check-out for 50% off until December 31, 2025!



Order now to get the book that Arrabon's David M. Bailey calls "inspiration and wisdom for how we can bring a little more heaven on earth."


Enjoy Reviews and News about the Book







  • Howard Ahmanson, Jr.'s writings related to themes in the book.


REVIEW the Book at . . .





Thank you for supporting a story that inspires, challenges, and shows how faith-shaped friendships continue to make a difference in our world.


About the Author

 

Paul Marshall is Wilson Professor of Religious Freedom at Baylor University, and senior fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute and Hudson Institute. He has authored over twenty books, including Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes Choke Freedom Worldwide (Oxford University Press, 2011), Blind Spot: When Journalists Don’t Get Religion (Oxford University Press, 2009), Religious Freedom in the World (Rowman and Littlefield, 2008). His work has been translated into twenty languages.

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