This is a difficult book to read, at least in some respects. But it tells a story of great importance and considerable relevance to us today. The Armstrong Girl is not difficult because it is hard to read or badly written, but rather because the story is harrowing.

Victorian England was Christian. Yet is any country Christian? Certainly some of the things that went on behind the scenes in nineteenth century Britain were horrific and deeply disturbing. One of the worst was child prostitution, and the Armstrong girl could well have become a child prostitute. Instead she became a pawn in a campaign to raise the age of consent and attack the exploitation of the children of the poor.

In 1885 Bramwell Booth, second-in-charge of The Salvation Army, and W. T. Stead, editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, became aware of children being sold into sexual slavery and, in some cases, being sent to brothels overseas. With the aid of others, who were mainly Christian, they hatched a clever plan to combat this. They “bought” thirteen-year old Eliza Armstrong from her mother and sent her to a brothel in London, where Stead greeted her. They later transported her to Paris, into the care of Salvationists, to show that it could be done. Various safety factors were put in place, to make sure that the girl would not be harmed and that they could not be accused of criminal behavior.

Then Stead launched forth with his “Maiden Tribute to Modern Babylon” campaign in the Gazette. It was vivid. It was dramatic. It was an early example of tabloid journalism at its most graphic. And it caused a great stir. Initially there was considerable criticism and some shops refused to sell the paper after the first edition. But as the week of articles progressed the tide turned, and with the support of many, including numerous church groups, the cry burst forth to end this terrible business.

The main result was to raise the age of consent in Britain from 13 to 16, which it still is today. Earlier proposals to raise the age of consent had failed in the House of Commons, so this was a major success.

But then things began to go wrong. They had technically committed a crime. They had broken the law, so in spite of their safeguards two court cases resulted, and Stead, Bramwell Booth and others were put on trial. Bramwell was found not guilty, Stead received six months in jail. Others were also imprisoned or lost their jobs because of their part in this campaign. Wickedly, those who made a living out of this evil trade escaped prosecution.

The name J. Lee Grady should be familiar to those who have been part of the Pentecostal or charismatic Movements for any length of time. For a number of years now he has served as editor of Charisma, which is perhaps the most well-known magazine given to the subject of Spirit-filled life and ministry. Grady is also the author of a number of books. His most recent offering, The Holy Spirit is Not For Sale, should be of particular interest to those who are part of churches that emphasize the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. In this volume the author calls for radical change; he calls for the church to deal with the sins in her midst. He demonstrates that there have been some serious moves away from scriptural standards among those who believe in the present-day gifts of the Holy Spirit, areas of particular concern are morality, finances, and ministry practice. This book is a clear call for reformation, a return to biblical foundations.

Grady is a firm believer in the anointing and gifts of the Holy Spirit and thus he urges the church not to settle for “strange fire,” for cheap imitations of the real anointing of the Holy Spirit, or for ministers who are seriously errant in life, ministry practice, or teaching. In short, the author calls for the church to “stop the funny business.” He urges the church to have real fire: the fire of supernatural anointing, the fire of boldness, the fire of purity, the fire of integrity, the fire of humility, the fire of truth, the fire of justice, the fire of spiritual liberty, the fire of prayer, and the fire of genuine love. In the course of his writing Grady draws from the Bible, church history, and the experience of the church overseas.

What may be disturbing to some readers is that in certain cases Grady names names as he addresses various types of abuse. While this may make some people uneasy what is truly disturbing are some of the things that are actually taking place in the church. For example, in chapter 6 he refers to a minister who had a list of requirements in order to be booked for a conference. The list included: a five-figure honorarium, a $10,000 gas deposit for a private plane, a hairstylist for the speaker, a suite in a five star hotel, a luxury car to drive him from the airport to the hotel (make and model of the car were specified), and room temperature Perrier water (pages 115-116). Another example concerns a large charismatic church in Georgia in which pastors participated in sexual immorality and were encouraged by the senior pastor to participate in wife-swapping (pages 83-84). While cases like these are not typical of the majority of charismatic churches or ministers they involve prominent people. Their prominence can cause some people, who lack discernment, to believe that because these ministers “have the anointing” that what they do must be okay. The examples that Grady cites are known cases: is the abuse and corruption more prevalent than we want to admit? As the author writes about various forms of failure and abuse he takes no pleasure in them, it is clear that he is pained by them.