Sailing Acts: Following An Ancient Voyage

by Linford Stutzman

          For those who love sailing and you-are-there travel literature. Also for those who enjoy studying the life and times of the Apostle Paul. But definitely for those who love adventure, or at least reading about it! Seafaring isn't for the faint of heart. It wasn't for the Apostle Paul in the first century A.D.—shipwrecked, imprisoned, and often a stranger in foreign lands. And it turned out to be a heart-stopping task some two thousand years later, when a religion professor and his wife undertook a 14-month journey by sailboat! They stopped in eight countries, visiting every site where Paul stopped on his tumultuous missionary journeys.           "Sailing Acts" traces this 21st-century voyage from Volos, Greece, to Rome, Italy, by car, by foot, by motorized scooter, but mostly on a 33-foot boat, logging more than 3600 nautical miles over two sailing seasons. "Explorers are easy to admire or despise, but very difficult to understand without going on the trip," writes Stutzman. "To really appreciate the experiences, the drama, and development of Paul the explorer, you need to sail with him."           So begins Sailing Acts, inviting readers to come on board. Stutzman draws thoughtful comparisons from his own travel mishaps and adventures to the ones Paul experienced on his journeys. This book is in the tradition of Bruce Feiler's Walking the Bible. Stutzman's knowledge of the socio-political setting in the first-century Roman empire provides an informative backdrop to understanding Paul and reading his epistles in a new light. The book includes dozens of photos, maps showing the couple's travel routes, a list of all the repairs and replacements Stutzman made to the aging boat which he bought sight-unseen, and an itinerary of places they visited.

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Genres: Christian

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2006

Reviews

[Daniel Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to travel the Mediterranean as Paul and Linford did!

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

2023 bk 250. When a man loves to sail, is fascinated by the Apostle Paul's travels, and has a sabbatical year coming - well, it makes sense for he and his wife to buy a sailboat and recreate most of the sailing voyages of the Apostle. This book is part travel guide, part historical comparison, and part warning of the joy of sailing. I'm not into sailing, Paul is not my favorite Apostle, but I love history and the comparisons Stutzman made between then and now. The overall point to take is that several thousand years have passed - but hospitality and generosity are the same and the weather still provides the concerns that it did once upon a time. I did learn from this book (#1 that I don't want to be in a small sailboat on an ocean when any part of it breaks.) and am glad I took the time to read it.

[Bill Forgeard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad bargain bin pickup! Hardly timeless literature, but kind of fun & informative. Some good insights into the life of the Apsotle Paul.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I know nothing about sailing. This book was recommended to me by friends. I was expecting a more scholarly investigation of Paul's missionary journeys but what I got was, in my opinion, better. I so enjoyed the chronicling of sailboat problems and the interactions with local populations; the wide varieties of laws and "not laws" held in different countries; and the lovely people the Stutzman's met on this amazing journey. I think I may have been even more awed by what they endured if I understood sailboats and mechanics, but I was thoroughly entertained and more in awe of what centuries of sailors, including the apostle Paul, have endured. In the last 50 pages or so there is much to consider about Paul and life in Biblical times. I very much appreciated all that is contained in this book. Would be happy to read it again.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really introduced me to a new side of Paul, really felt the pleasures and hardships of his sailing and missionary life. I liked Paul a lot better after reading this book! Can't wait to visit many of the cool places you can still go to that Paul walked and preached. Only downside of the book was too much detail about the journey, and not enough about Paul and the background of each location. But if you can skim and stick with it, you'll really enjoy journeying along with Professor Stutzman on SailingActs.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! Slow start but interesting as the author and wife traveled through the Mediterranean area seeing the glory of Rome, meeting the people, experiencing sea life and the hardness of hiking that Paul would have experienced.

[Daniel Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to travel the Mediterranean now as Paul and Linford did.

[Harvey DeFries · Rating 4 out of 5]

modern day sailing of Pauls bible journeys. very interesting about people and sailing.

[David Gwartney · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, when I began reading Sailing Acts, it wasn't fully what I expected. I was looking forward to the many cultural insights the author, Linford Stutzman, might have extracted from visiting sites like Corinth, Ephesus, Miletus, Malta, and Crete. A couple of chapters into the book Stutzman was still trying to purchase his boat and bring together all the details of his trip. But what the book lacked in detailed scriptural commentary, it made up for in drawing the reader into he and his wife's year and a half adventure on the Mediterranean.

For my full review, click http://wp.me/p149jw-6m

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was wonderful to follow Dr. Stutzman and his wife on their sabbatical, as they followed Paul's missionary journeys by way of sailing the Mediterranean Sea. You can feel both Paul and Stutzman's trails and dilemmas as Linford describes the many mishaps they experienced while at sea. The journey was filled with challenges and you can almost experience the stress of trying to figure out how to manage the solutions necessary in order to keep moving forward. If you would like to join Dr. Stutzman on such a journey, he is offering guided learning tours. Check out sailingacts.com

The kindle version does not contain the 60 pictures that the hard copy does.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book - it was a little slow to get going, and I wasn't particularly thrilled with reading all the bits about buying the boat and starting off, but once the voyage got going it was fantastic. The descriptions of the ruins visited were fascinating, and as a classics graduate I enjoyed the comparisons with the Odyssey that came up on the voyage to Rome. I imagine I'll come back to this book to cross-reference with future readings of Acts, just for extra background context.

[Edie Asbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed following the excapades of this Eastern Mennonite University professor who took a sabbatical, bought a sailboat in Greece, and sailed to the ports where the Apostle Paul traveled. His reflections on the experiences of Paul in that setting and the views of Paul by the townsfolk and villagers today were thought provoking. This is a case where reading allowed me to live the journey vicariously through others who are more adventurous and follow their dreams.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy good read of the adventures of a professor and his wife who sail the same waters as Apostle Paul. They connect readings of Paul with what he would have seen and the culture he encountered. Helps to understand the context of the letters.

[George Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amazingly detailed book that details the author's journey step by step, in a way I found stress inducing. BUT the insight into where Paul went and what he went through and the message of his ministry is priceless and illuminating in a way I've never encountered before

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting follow up for my just having read John Pollock's The Apostle: the Life of Paul. Even though I enjoyed reading about Stutzman's experiences, it helps to have an appreciation for Paul's own story in order to follow the book's relevance.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting journey. Sailing is outside my experience. This account makes Paul's journeys rather remarkable.