On the Side of the Angels

by John Smith, Malcolm Doney

John Smith is God's agent amongst outlaw biker gangs in Melbourne, Australia. In his first ever book he reveals what drove him - a preachers son - to hang out with bikers. You dont need to be a Christian to appreciate this mans mission.

Genres: Christian, Biography

251 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 1987

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Australian pastor

Reviews

[David McNair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just finished reading the late John Smith’s autobiography “John Smith On The Side of The Angels” for the first time. Written in 1987 this is great read which I believe has a message that is still relevant today more than ever. John Smith was one of many people that helped shape my own desire to get into Social Work and help people. I can’t believe it has taken me so long to read such a great autobiography.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I long for a better world. And, as best I can, I intend to be part of the answer rather than part of the problem"

You gotta admire the guys courage...

[Trevor Schaefer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book. It tells how John Smith, a minister's son, entered the 1960's as a clean-shaven, conservative, communist-hating Baptist minister. The Christians he ministered to caricatured the 'sinners' as leading lives full of smoking, drinking, gambling and general depravity, while the pagans dismissed the church people as a bunch of self-righteous, killjoy, teetotal hymn-singers (p.108). By the mid-1970's he had become a leather-wearing, bearded biker (riding a Honda 500 and later graduating to a Harley-Davidson), head of God's Squad in Melbourne, Australia. Bikers with names like Mongrel and Ferret became close friends and converted Christians; he founded a church that sought out people who were considered outcasts to polite society and the church thrived, drawing people off the streets and university campuses. To nurture this disparate group, he began teaching from the book of the Acts of the Apostles, the story of the early church community and found that it really spoke to the new Christians in his midst. Though this book is now nearly 40 years old, it is well worth reading.

[Pam Ela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story of the founder of the Victorian Chapter of the God's Squad and his upbringing and the churches he founded.