A prisoner on a galley once said, "Give me Scotland or I die!"

Jesus taught that we should beware when all men speak well of us. Few have ever spoken well of John Knox, either in his own lifetime or in the centuries since. Was he excessively harsh and fanatical as his critics have painted him? Or was he appropriately hard and firm as his time and calling required? In John Knox: Stalwart Courage, Douglas Wilson staunchly defends this staunch Reformer, not only lauding his stalwart courage but also upholding his much-neglected gentler virtues-love, mercy, tenderness, and humility.

At Knox's funeral, one of his friends said, "Here lies one who neither flattered nor feared any flesh." John Knox sought the approval of neither commoner nor queen, but only his God. John Knox was a Reformer of Church and culture worthy of honor and emulation, and his story should be one we know well.