Chuck Holton and the Bulletproof Man

I first became acquainted with the work of Chuck Holton while watching events unfold when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Holton was working as a freelance war correspondent for Newsmax, and I was impressed by his expert and professional frontline reporting. Here was a reporter who knew what he was talking about when he reported on combat strategy and tactics. My interest in him was enhanced when I learned that he had become personally involved in the conflict by carrying a feeble, elderly Ukrainian refugee across the ruins of a bombed-out bridge while fleeing the carnage of the Russian advance.

When next I encountered Holton, he was reporting for CBN and Newsmax on the war that Israel is now waging against Hamas and Hezbollah. As a result of following his reporting, I learned that he had been an Army Ranger, a sergeant. He jumped into combat in Panama during Operation Just Cause. He also was engaged in the Persian Gulf War. So his perspective of warfare is intimately personal.

I also learned that he had been a cameraman accompanying Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North on his travels. He also collaborated with North on two books and had been an instructor for the U.S. Military Academy at Camp Buckner.

Then I found his eight books online and then his daily podcasts on Hotzone (see youtube.com/c/thehotzonewithchuckholton). (You can also visit his web site at chuckholton.locals.com.)

"This guy is different," I remarked to my wife. "There's more to him than meets the eye. He quotes Scripture and even prays at the end of each podcast! What other reporter have you ever seen do that?"

I bought his book Bulletproof: The Making of an Invincible Mind. So impressed was I by the wisdom Holton expressed in that work and the realization of the difference its truths could make in one's personal and family life that I immediately ordered a copy for each of my four sons-in-law. After all, they are the "commanders" of their respective families and need to understand the power of the book's message. (The books I bought are backordered, however, further testimony to the demand for the book.)

I also messaged Holton to thank him for writing the book and told him of my ordering copies of it for my sons-in-law. He replied shortly thereafter and thanked me, even mentioning (much to my delight) that he had read my book Combat! Lessons on Spiritual Warfare from Military History. Both of our books deal with spiritual warfare but from dramatically different perspectives. Mine is from the perspective of a mere civilian historian; his is from the perspective of a seasoned combat veteran. Yet, both of our books convey a Christian message.

Although Bulletproof is not about Holton's combat experiences, he uses some of those experiences to illustrate important spiritual truths in vivid detail. The central truth is that although the world around us, including many professing Christians, live in constant fear, that is not the way God intends for His children to live.

Fear--especially in combat, where one's life is in almost constant danger--is the body's natural reaction to danger. But even soldiers must learn to control that fear and not let it control them. Too many of us, however, live in a constant state of fear of something: fear of terrorism, fear of crime, fear of disease, fear of--you fill in the blank with the object(s) of your own fears. Holton says that the world is "eaten alive by anxiety" (p. 43).

He points out, however, that the Bible in at least 366 places tells us NOT to fear. "That's one command for every day of the year--including leap years! The only thing we are commanded to fear is God Himself" (p. 43).

To fear God means to trust Him always to do what's best for you. "It means that if you fear God, your whole concept of fear and risk changes. . . . 'To risk all on Christ is to end all risk'" (p. 44).

"When we come to understand God's nature through the study of His Word," Holton explains, "it will help us to fear Him in the right way. Armed with this fear, we have absolutely nothing else to be afraid of" (p. 57).

Holton then spends the rest of the 203-page book explaining and illustrating what such trust looks like in one's day-to-day life. It involves how we view risk, how we react to crises, and how we rear God-fearing kids. He shows how we are prepared for spiritual conflict by being controlled, not by the spirit of fear, but by the spirit of power and love and self-discipline.

With this mindset, we "have only one thing to fear--life apart from God's will and purpose" (p. 96).

Combined, all those forms of preparation will produce elite spiritual soldiers who obey their heavenly Commander's orders and complete their divinely assigned mission in life. "Until the Lord says it's time to join Him at that great marriage feast in heaven, until He checks off the last day of the last month of the calendar of our lives . . . we are bulletproof" (p. 164).

God's purpose for us inevitably directs us to serve others. Holton writes, "When I become preoccupied with my own safety, my own well-being, I become a victim. When I work to save others, I become a rescuer" (p. 171).

Bulletproof is potentially life-changing. I was blessed and encouraged by it. I pray that my sons-in-law and their families will find it helpful when they receive their copies. I think you will be encouraged by it, too. Why not check it out?