Best Books
Samford University’s Orlean Beeson School of Education will present “The Life and Legacy of Elisabeth Elliot” during its 14th Annual Tom and Marla Corts Distinguished Author Series on March 4, 2025. Lucy S. R. Austen, author of Elisabeth Elliot: A Life, will offer the lecture exploring the remarkable life of one of the 20th century’s most influential Christian women.
Elliot’s life was marked by extraordinary challenges and profound faith. After the tragic death of her husband, Jim, during their mission to the Huaorani people of Ecuador, she chose to remain and minister to the same community. Her resilience and commitment to spreading God’s love turned her personal tragedy into a story of hope and redemption. Austen was inspired to write Elisabeth Elliot: A Life when she discovered no one had written a full-length biography on Elliot. “I started looking for a biography of Elliot to read and was startled to find that there were no full-length biographies of her in existence. Toni Morrison famously said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it,” and this project was very much along those lines,” Austen explains.
Elisabeth Elliot: A Life delves into Elliot’s story of faith, resilience, and service, from her work in Ecuador to her influence as a speaker and author. Through vivid storytelling, this biography captures Elliot’s humanity, heroism, courage, and faith, resonating deeply with Samford’s mission to prepare leaders of character who impact their communities. Diving into the life of Elliot encouraged Austen in her own faith journey. “Through all the ups and downs of her life, Elliot’s bedrock conviction was that, regardless of circumstances, God loves people and God’s promises of rescue and restoration are reliable,” Austen shares, adding that during her writing journey, she found that Elliot had a great sense of humor. “I would not have expected it because so much of her writing deals with serious and even somber subjects, but she had a wicked sense of humor and did a great stand-up comedy routine.”
In honor of Tom and Marla Corts, the Corts Distinguished Author Series enriches the intellectual and spiritual lives of Samford students and the broader community by featuring authors of inspirational works. Austen’s lecture will continue the tradition of connecting audiences with stories that encourage reflection and growth and will provide a platform for meaningful dialogue and intellectual and spiritual formation. “I’ll be talking about the discipline of biography and the process of telling Elliot’s story, and how reading and thinking about Elliot’s life and work can inform the way we live our own lives, both as individuals and as citizens,” Austen says.
Tickets for the event are now available, with seating limited at Brock Recital Hall. Learn more and register at www.samford.edu/education/tom-and-marla-corts. †
