A Life of Transformation - World Evangelical Alliance

A Festschrift for Colonel Doner
Surveying the Crash Site
In April 1985, Colonel prepared to preach at a major church
in the D.C. area. Emotionally and physically exhausted, spiritually
spent, on his knees before God, he realized that he had nothing
of real value to share with his listeners. His message was enthusiastically
received, but as he left the pulpit, he vowed not to preach
again until he had God’s message – not his own – to share.
He walked away from the organization he had formed and the
movement that had consumed the last ten years of his life. In 60s
parlance, Colonel “dropped out.” For two years he sought the Lord,
studied the Scriptures, prayed and waited for the Lord’s message,
the Lord’s direction. He sought the counsel of Christian leaders
across the country, asking again and again, “Where did we go wrong?
Where do we go from here? What would Christ have His people
do? How do we keep from repeating the mistakes of the past?”
Psalm 126:5
In March 1987, he and his new bride, Miriam, spent a week in
the Northern California wilderness overlooking the stormy winter
seas of the Pacific. Colonel desperately sought the Lord. Finally,
the answer came. Colonel recalls the victory: “And then in a quiet
but phenomenal way, God began leading me to Scriptures, dozens,
then hundreds, all on service. I didn’t understand why at the time,
but I spent five solid hours taking notes on what I had read. Those
notes later became the basis for a new vision birthed in my heart .…
Finally I had the ‘weapon’ I so desired, the sword of truth to cut
through the ‘Church’s’ apathy and willful neglect of its duty .…” 7
From Scripture and the example of Christ, Colonel learned
that the true Kingdom man was the warrior/servant/steward who
became eyes to the blind, feet to the lame, and a father to the poor
(Job 29:15-16). In fact, this revelation would later serve as the
basis for a book (now half-completed): Rediscovering the Purpose,
Passion, and Power of Godly Masculinity. He found in this Biblical
concept the example that he and all people should aspire to.
Without Vision, the Christian Right Perished
However, the most immediate fruit of Colonel’s sequestering
himself was his profound analysis of the failure of the Christian
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