Rebel For A Cause

About the Book

REBEL FOR A CAUSE is based on the true story of a young idealistic minister, Rev. Charles Brown, who became a legend in his time.

THE WINDS OF HOPE, the first book of the series, begins the story of western North Dakota farmers and ranchers who were struck by adversity in the 1920s: high taxes, drought, grasshoppers and low prices for their produce. The early 1930s piled hardship on adversity.

REBEL FOR A CAUSE continues the saga of people who lived through the hardships of the 1930s. Beginning in 1929 Rev. Brown brought religious services to the farmers, ranchers and Indians scattered over the entire southwestern quarter of the state. He, his wife, Florence, and three children lived in the town of Dickinson.

“Charlie”, as he came to be known, was considered a rebel by some of the religious hierarchy, because he cared little for theological concepts or vocabulary that seemed to stifle the Christian message. He lived a simple creed: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. He believed that helping people in practical ways was as vital as serving their spiritual needs. Charlie’s risky ventures to help people became legendary and worried his wife, Florence. But she knew that her fearless husband expected God to take care of him.

Rev. Brown traveled his large circuit in a Model A Ford and worked away from home for weeks at a time. While he was creating the “legend”, Florence struggled with the full responsibility of raising their three kids.

In western North Dakota, State and National highways were not paved; they had gravel surfaces. Most side roads were just dirt trails or two wheel tracks meandering over the high plains and through the Badlands. Charlie defied bad roads, flash floods, blizzards and dust storms to reach the people he served. They responded to his spiritual and hopeful message. Poverty, hard work and tragedy molded their characters and refined their faith. Most of the people who lost their farms or ranches built new lives with hope, courage, and a faith refined by their experiences.

This book tells a gripping story of the triumph of love, courage and faith over poverty, hardship and tragedy.