My pre-sleep reading for the last week has been an older book about a man whose small slice of fame has receded into the obscure shadows of regional history. I’m 120 pages into the R.C. Sproul biography, STRONGER THAN STEEL: THE WAYNE ALDERSON STORY. Have you ever heard of Wayne Alderson? Chances are extremely high that you haven’t, unless you were living in Pittsburgh during the Carter and Reagan years.
Here’s an Amazon review from 2020 about the book that is now 40 years old and still an inspiring and instructive read.
“This book was ahead of its time! Written almost 40 years ago, it is the remarkable story of Wayne Alderson and how the blue-collar world can be transformed simply by valuing the average essential worker that makes our world run.
This book was one of the very first to illustrate a powerful Theology of Work that is so desperately needed today.” [Amazon Review, David H.]
WARNING: Book is very hard to find and expensive in the used book market. Best bet? Try interlibrary loan or borrow my copy.
Personal Story
In or around 1985, R.C. came to the little seminary I worked and studied at. He taught a class, he preached in chapel (on the holiness of God, of course), and he took questions from us at a brown-bag luncheon. He had written two books in the previous couple of years that we don’t normally see theologians of his stature and ability write.
…….
One was a biography I am currently rereading, Stronger than Steel: The Wayne Alderson Story,
which recounted “the life and work of a coal miner’s son who became a corporate executive and an advocate of positive labor-management relations by developing Christian trust and responsiveness among workers and executives” (amazon description) and Johnny, Come Home. (a novel).
…………..
During the Q and A time, I waited my turn and then asked Dr. Sproul,
“Dr. Sproul, thank you for being here today. I wanted to make an observation and ask a question. In the last few years we have seen you publish two books that are not the normal fare for theologians. A biography of a steel worker and a novel. Could you tell us why you choose these two genres and can we expect more like these in the future.”
His eyes lit up and his smile got even bigger than normal.
“They are going to think I planted you in the audience. I would love to write more like those two. . . . ”
Unfortunately, I don’t remember what he said after that, I was just so happy to have made him smile and given him opportunity to talk to us about the power of story. R. C. was a theologian but he loved to tell a story. And he knew the power of story and delighted to tell The Story, the gospel story.
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He would never remember me. But that didn’t change my thrill in being there that day. Over the years I have benefitted from at least 15 of his 60+ books. If I were smarter, I would have read more. He will be missed but it is a delight to know that all of us who have loved Jesus, will see him again. And it is a delight to recommend Stronger Than Steel. As I have read the book again, and think about our current political and business environment, I am more convinced that the principles outlined in the Wayne Alderson approach to labor negotiations would be a great solution to the problems plaguing our culture.
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P.S. Biographies are great Sunday Afternoon reading material.
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