While the conflict in the Middle East continues to fester, many Christians advance a theology that perceives these events to be the hand of God. Has God truly brought the Jewish people back to the land in fulfillment of biblical prophecies? Must we truly bless Israel in order to be blessed by God? Lost in the midst of the turmoil over the Holy Land reside Christian communities. Has the church--in an effort to see prophecy fulfilled--failed to care for the least of "these brothers of mine"? This book steps into this controversial topic with several aims. First, Dalrymple answers two key questions: Are the Jews still God's chosen people? And does the Holy Land belong to them? Dalrymple contends that just as Jesus is the fulfillment of God's purpose for the Temple, so also Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises to Abraham that he would receive the Holy Land and an uncountable number of descendants. Dalrymple also responds to some of the common assertions set forth by Christian Zionists: "Many might still ask: 'Why should I care about what happens in Israel and Palestine?' The fact is that we must care. And we must alert the Church that we must care. Too much is at stake. We have Christian brothers and sisters throughout the Middle East in general and in the Holy Land in particular who have been directly impacted by our theological opinions. As a result, the Church cannot be silent. It must not be silent."

In 1861, as President Lincoln called for volunteers to defend the Union, Thomas Christie wrote to his father, voicing desires shared by many an enlistee: "I do want to 'see the world, ' to get out of the narrow circle in which I have always lived, to 'make a man of myself, ' and to have it to say in days to come that I, too, had a part in this great struggle." As it turned out, Thomas had an excellent partner in his quest: his brother William. Both signed on with the First Minnesota Light Artillery, working as "cannoneers," responsible for loading and aiming big guns at the enemy. The First Minnesota saw action in major battles at Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg, and Atlanta. But the adventurers also endured the monotony of camp life, the hunger of poor supply lines, and, in William's case, the challenges of enemy capture. The ups and downs, the doubts and thrills are recounted from their differing perspectives in this collection of letters to worried parents, a winsome sister, and a younger brother eager to join in the fight. Their vivid epistles are enhanced by the familial connection of brothers in arms who eventually did see the world--and returned home changed.