||boek: Taming the tiger: from depths of hell to heights of glory|The remarkable true story of a Kung Fu World Champion|Authentic

||door: Tony Anthony Athanasiou

||taal: en
||jaar: 2007
||druk: reprint
||pag.: 245p
||opm.: paperback|like new

||isbn: 1-86024-481-5
||code: 1:001259

--- Over het boek (foto 1): Taming the tiger: from depths of hell to heights of glory ---

This fast-paced, compelling and chilling account, is the deeply moving story of a three-times Kung Fu World Champion. With fascinating insight into the traditions of China's martial arts, it documents the abusive upbringing that turned a four-year-old child into a hardened, professional killer. From China to Europe and across the Meditarranean, we follow Tony as he becomes an elite bodyguard, protecting some of the world's most powerful people. Following personal tragedy, Tony's extreme discipline and the philosophy of his art is quickly turned. He begins to use his skills for illegal means and highly destructive, bloodthirsty pleasure. Eventually incarcerated in jail in Cyprus, Tony hits rock bottom. Through the visits of a stranger, he is introduced to the reality and life-changing power of Jesus Christ. Though the prison walls hold him, he finds himself a free man. This is just the beginning of a complex and fascinating testimony.

[source: https--www.bol.com]

Tony Anthony knew no fear. Three-times World Kung Fu Champion, he was self-assured, powerful and at the pinnacle of his art. An extraordinary career awaited him. Working in the higher echelons of close protection security, he travelled the globe, guarding some of the world's wealthiest, most powerful and influential people.

This fast-paced, compelling and, at times, chilling account is Tony's deeply moving true story. More extraordinary than fantasy, more remarkable than fiction, this blockbusting read almost defied belief. With fascinating insight into China's martial arts and the knife-edge adrenaline highs of the bodyguard lifestyle, it documents the personal tragedy that turned a 'disciple of enlightenment' into a bloodthirsty violent man.

From the depths of hell in Cyprus's notorious Nicosia Central Prison, all might have been lost, but for the visits of a stranger...

[source: https--www.greatcommissionsociety.org/tony-anthony]

[2018-01-09]

This book used to be one of my favourite Christian biographies as it is such a dramatic story or a life turned around by God. The author claims to have been a Kung-Fu Champion that ended up in prison due to various serious crimes. Later he marries and becomes a Christian only to end up in prison again having accidentally knocked over an old lady whilst he was was driving at night (the lady died.) He believes that this turn of events was somehow God's punishment for mistakenly moving his family to a different ministry in a more well-to-do area. I don't think God works like this. However, he uses the time back in prison to evangelise.

I was disappointed to learn that it is believed that most of the authors story was FABRICATED. He has been interviewed regarding this and the answers given in my view were unsatisfactory. There was also a long and drawn out court case after the accident involving the lady and both the author and his wife were investigated for concealing evidence of the accident...this when they were both professing Christians and in ministry!

This type of scandal has done more damage to the Christian church than any good that may have come from his original testimony. His best course of action now would be to admit that he made it up, repent and donate all the money that he has made from his story to Christian work (this book sold millions of copies.) I don't see how realistically he can continue in Christian ministry or certainly not in a leadership role.

Not recommended as it's not true!!

Natalie Vellacott [source: https--www.goodreads.com]

[2022-04-03]

I'm writing this review for how I felt immediately after the read. Not how I feel right now.

I was blown away at the sheer punch of the story. From a scared and unfortunate young boy to a demigod. Then from an unimaginable pinnacle to the depths of hell.

Choices.

What obviously got me was his sheer will, determination and faith to rise above everything and turn his life into a selfless success. Twice. A remarkable achievement, even in fiction.

Choices.

This book gave me gooseflesh and brought about immense respect and admiration for Tony Anthony.

Fast forward, read a little gossip, delve a bit further and notice a few articles. And the disappointment hit me that what I read was a possible farce. I felt sick at the thought and I never wanted to read too much into what was staring at me. Probably because I was hoping that it was fake news and that every word I read in Taming the Tiger was true.

I'd rather hang onto that thought, Tony Anthony. I'll keep it in my memory bank as non-fiction.

Neale Simpson [source: https--www.goodreads.com]

[2012-02-04]

Shortly after beginning this book I went on Amazon to see what people were saying about it. I expected 1-star and 5-star reviews to dominate, but I didn't expect the 1-star reviews to be well-argued, including by some persons claiming to be Christians. I expected the 1-stars to come from teenage boy atheists who had no intention of ever opening the book, let alone reading it from cover to cover.

I read it cover to cover, which is good going for me as I rarely get into books enough to get as far as 50 pages. I don't remember all of the criticism for this book, but one bit stands out. The bit where he actually tames a real tiger as part of his Kung Fu training. Did he have to fabricate this story in case anybody bought the book thinking it was about tiger-taming? The problem with it is that the tiger is white, and white tigers have been pretty much extinct in the wild for several decades, and certainly not known to exist in China. I don't know. To me it seems like a minor thing. I expect that most of the important details in the book are true. Why would Tony jeopardise his credibility by writing easily refutable lies, that just aren't important? So maybe it was true. Maybe there were white tigers in the part of China where he lived, but conservationists don't want their existence to be public knowledge in order to keep poachers away. I know of a peregrine falcon nest in Northumberland, but the RSPB would not want me to publicise such details. Or maybe the tiger he met was an albino, or just really pale, and he thought it was a white tiger because that's what his grandfather told him it was.

I enjoyed this book. The first half covers his Kung Fu training in China and later career as a bodyguard. The second half is all about his time in prison and his subsequent conversion to Christianity. Is he a three-time Kung Fu world champion? Possible. Can he wander through the Saudi Arabian desert with only a little water? Yeah, maybe. Did he tame a white tiger? I don't know. Should he have been more remorseful about the motorcyclist he killed. I don't think so, I think he was a bit over the top about that bit, probably in order to deflect some flack from stone-age types who go around preaching "an eye for a eye". Should he have lied to the police about it. No. Could he have gotten away with it by saying his headlamp was broken when he hit a deer one night, as he initially believed. I reckon. However, it turns out, going to prison (both times) was very good for him.

I'd like to meet Tony Anthony one day. I don't know what I would say to him, but I think I will have to try hard not to invent some sort of Kung Fu move for him to deal with. I expect he gets it all the time.

Tomid Tomid [source: https--www.goodreads.com]

[2014-10-10]

Truth is definitely stranger than fiction. Tony tells his true life story, from being horrifically abused as a child, growing up to become three times world Kung Fu champion, and moving into worldwide bodyguard work. Racy, passionate, with many a disturbing scene, the facts are legendary and all true. Tony now is an evangelist and motivator in London, UK. Without doubt, one of the best books I have ever read.

Vaughan [source: https--www.goodreads.com]

[2011-02-19]

Awesome story, great description, especially of the martial arts stuff at the beginning. Almost too awesome to be believable.

Aaron [source: https--www.goodreads.com]

Evangelist author Tony Anthony's Taming the Tiger 'not true', says inquiry [2014-03-06]

Following discussions between the Evangelical Alliance and Avanti Ministries, Avanti agreed to set up an independent panel to investigate allegations against Mr

An inquiry into evangelist and founding Director of Avanti Ministries Tony Anthony has concluded that parts of his book Taming the Tiger, which claims to tell his story, are not true.

Following discussions between the Evangelical Alliance and Avanti Ministries, Avanti agreed to set up an independent panel to investigate allegations against Mr Anthony. The Avanti report concluded, based on the evidence submitted to it, that large sections of the book and associated materials are fake.

A joint Evangelical Alliance and Avanti Ministries statement said:

"In October 2012, the Evangelical Alliance received a detailed complaint about the validity of the testimony of an Avanti Ministries' evangelist, Tony Anthony, and his book Taming the Tiger.

"Following discussions between Evangelical Alliance and Avanti Ministries, Avanti agreed to set up an independent panel nominated by the Alliance to investigate in a confidential manner the allegations against Tony Anthony.

"The independent inquiry panel was made up of three respected members of the UK council of the Evangelical Alliance: John Langlois (chair of panel), Keith Civval and Robert Amess.

"The panel produced its report on 26 June 2013 and concluded, based on the evidence submitted to it, that large sections of the book Taming the Tiger, and associated materials, which claim to tell the true story of Tony Anthony's life, do not do so.

"Both the Evangelical Alliance and Avanti Ministries take serious note of the findings of the report and as a result Avanti has concluded that it is not appropriate to continue to support Taming the Tiger.

"The board of Avanti Ministries are now considering the ramifications for Avanti Ministries' future. "The Alliance and Avanti Ministries would like to thank the independent inquiry panel for their diligence in producing its report.

"The Alliance and Avanti Ministries are deeply saddened by the findings of the panel.

"However, they recognise the good work that Avanti and Tony Anthony have done over the years around the world and the impact this will have on the charity, and specifically Tony and his family."

Gavin Drake is a journalist who specialises in religion. He also carried out an investigation into Mr Anthony and tells Premier's Victoria Laurence during the News Hour what prompted him to do so:

Taming the Tiger is distributed in the UK through Christian publisher Authentic Media and has sold more than 1.5 million copies in 25 countries.

Mr Anthony travels the world preaching the gospel in prisons, schools and churches as far away as Asia, South Africa and South America. Speaking to Premier's Victoria Laurence during the News Hour Mr Anthony says he has done nothing wrong and will set the record straight:

Questions were asked about the authenticity of Taming the Tiger ever since it was first published in 2004.

A small group of concerned church leaders set about investigating Mr Anthony's background and their findings were presented to the trustees of Avanti, the Evangelical Alliance and Mr Anthony's publisher, Authentic Media.

A statement explains why they made their findings public:

"From the outset, the group's members sought to establish direct contact with Tony Anthony and Avanti directors with a view to addressing these serious issues.

"It is only because of the failure of all such efforts to achieve the kind of open, constructive dialogue that could be expected of a Christian evangelist and organisation that the research group has decided, regretfully, to follow Jesus' recommendation in such cases to "tell it to the church", in order to warn others and draw attention to the need for integrity in the Church at large.

"Now that the official inquiry is over, the group's hope is that its findings and their implications can be addressed with compassion, concern and gentleness."

[source: https--premierchristian.news/en/news/article/evangelist-author-tony-anthony-s-taming-the-tiger-not-true-says-inquiry]

--- Over (foto 2): Tony Anthony Athanasiou ---

Tony Anthony (born Andonis Andreou Athanasiou; 30 July 1971, name changed by deed poll in 1975 to Andonis Andrew Anthony, but known since childhood as Tony) is a British Christian evangelist. He became prominent following the 2004 publication of his autobiography, Taming The Tiger, in which he claimed to have been a violent criminal before converting to Christianity. The book was well received by the Christian community, and Anthony began an international ministry as an evangelist. However, an independent investigation in 2013 concluded that large sections of the book are false.

Tony Anthony was born in London. According to his books, his father is Italian and his mother is Chinese, and he spent part of his childhood with relatives in Canton, China. He claimed to have been trained in kung fu by his grandfather, and that he won three Kung Fu world championships after returning to London, before working as a bodyguard and turning to violence and crime, including murder, after his fiancée died in a car accident.

He recounted that in 1989 he was arrested for burglary in Cyprus and was sentenced to three years imprisonment in the Central Jail of Nicosia, where his Buddhist upbringing did not give him much strength to endure the harsh conditions. Over six months, he was visited every week by an Irish missionary, Michael Wright, and converted to Christianity. They developed a friendship which continued after Anthony's release.

He was sentenced again in 2001 to 15 months in prison in the United Kingdom for perverting the course of justice and other charges. By his own version of events, his car had hit a female motorcyclist at night, killing her, but he had not stayed at the scene and later denied it to police. The person killed was Elizabeth Bracewell, sister of footballer Paul Bracewell. Anthony's wife, Sara, received a sentence of 120 hours of community service for her role in the cover-up. When Anthony was jailed (as when he married) he used a false date of birth.

Anthony set up Avanti Ministries in 2003 to support his evangelistic work (avanti is the Italian for 'go'). The organisation received charitable status on 3 June 2004.

In 2004, Authentic Media (then part of Christian publishers Send the Light and currently owned by the Australian company Koorong) published Anthony's autobiography, Taming The Tiger. The book won the 2005 Christian Booksellers Convention award, was translated into 25 languages, and 1.5 million copies were distributed. Taming The Tiger brought Anthony to the attention of Christians worldwide, who were enthralled by the conversion of such a violent criminal. He travelled internationally to tell his story; video interviews were broadcast in Canada on 100 Huntley Street in 2005 and 2011, and in the Netherlands by Evangelische Omroep. Anthony was also the keynote speaker at the Global Day of Prayer event in London in 2010. He was a member of Leigh Road Baptist Church.

Concerns began to be expressed about Anthony's claims to have been a Kung Fu champion and violent enforcer. Christian journalist Gavin Drake writes:

"Questions were asked about the authenticity of Taming the Tiger ever since it was first published in 2004. Critics were quick to point out that it reads like a work of fiction..."

Users of a martial arts website also began to doubt Anthony's story, starting in 2007.

Mike Hancock is credited with initiating the events that finally exposed Anthony. Hancock was appointed as a director of Avanti Ministries in December 2010, but received evasive answers when he asked for proof of Anthony's claims. Having failed to convince the other directors of the need to verify Anthony's story, he resigned in January 2012. Hancock then joined with another former director of Avanti Ministries, Geoff Elliott, who had similar concerns, Anglican church leader Carl Chambers, and prison chaplain David Buick, and together they sought to uncover the truth about Anthony. Chambers created a website documenting his research into Anthony's claims. Additional members of the group were Tony Pancaldi, Aaron Peterson and Jon Mason. Collectively, they became known as the Research Group.

In October 2012, the Research Group presented a detailed complaint to the Evangelical Alliance, an umbrella organisation of which Avanti Ministries was a member. Following discussions with the Alliance, Avanti Ministries agreed to set up an independent investigation conducted by a panel comprising three senior members of the Evangelical Alliance council. A joint press release issued by Avanti Ministries and the Evangelical Alliance on 12 July 2013 advised:

"The panel produced its report on 26 June 2013 and concluded, based on the evidence submitted to it, that large sections of the book Taming the Tiger, and associated materials, which claim to tell the true story of Tony Anthony's life, do not do so."

Avanti Ministries have refused to release the panel's report, citing confidentiality, but Gavin Drake has indicated that the Research Group challenged virtually all of Anthony's claims regarding his life prior to becoming a Christian. A comment by Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, confirmed that the information available online comprises most of the issues raised in the original complaint.

Specific aspects of Anthony's story that have been disputed include his birth in the early 1960s to an Italian father, his childhood in China, his training in Kung Fu and winning three world championships, and his role as a bodyguard and enforcer for international gangsters and diplomats. Drake indicated that Anthony confirmed that his real name is Andonis Andreou Athanasiou and he was born on 30 July 1971, which would make him too young to have participated in the events described in his book.

On 16 July 2013, the Avanti Ministries board made public their decision to close down the organisation. Authentic Media, Anthony's publisher, also announced that they were withdrawing his materials from sale.

In a statement published on his personal website, Anthony accepted that there were some errors in Taming the Tiger relating to his childhood, and claimed he was unaware of these details when the book was written. Anthony maintained that the substance of the book is true, but did not respond to the more significant allegations. The statement was reported by the Christian Today website.

On 30 August 2013, John Langlois OBE, the chair of the inquiry panel, released a strongly-worded letter expressing his concerns at the lack of transparency shown by Avanti Ministries. He said that a statement from Avanti Ministries was "a deliberate deception" and explicitly accused Anthony of making false claims:

...I concluded that:

• "Tony Anthony never went to China as a child as claimed,"
• "He was never involved in Kung Fu as claimed, and"
• "He was never involved in Close Protection as claimed."

The inquiry's conclusion was reported in both secular and Christian media, with British national newspaper The Observer describing Anthony as a "serial fantasist". Christianity printed a lengthy article about the investigation and its conclusions. Other press coverage included Anthony's local newspaper the Southend Standard, Reform magazine, and French magazine Marianne.

Following Avanti Ministries' refusal to release the report, and Anthony's trivialisation of the allegations, the Evangelical Alliance removed Avanti Ministries from membership on 19 September 2013. A few days later, Anthony's former church, Leigh Road Baptist Church, released a statement indicating that they accept the findings of the inquiry and can no longer support his ministry. They confirmed that Anthony was no longer a member of this church.

On 21 October 2013, the New Zealand Herald reported that Anthony was making a six-week visit to New Zealand, and that the NZ Christian Network, a similar organisation to the Evangelical Alliance, had issued a warning because Anthony's biography had been found to be '99 per cent false'. The national leader of the Elim Pentecostal Church in New Zealand was reported as saying that they are suspending support for Anthony pending their own investigations.

On 25 March 2014, British Christian website The Way published an article in support of Anthony. The article referred to a subsequent investigation by Ian Bruce which concluded that the allegations made against Anthony were unjust, and called on the Evangelical Alliance and Christianity magazine to apologise for them. However, Gavin Drake (the journalist who wrote the 2013 report) concluded that Bruce's website did not cast doubts on his investigation or the Evangelical Alliance/Avanti panel. Luke Hughes-Bunger, director of The Hub Christian Resource Centre which had published evidence related to the 2013 investigation, issued a further point-by-point response, concluding that Bruce's investigation had done further harm to Anthony's credibility.

On 9 July 2015, RoperPenberthy Publishing announced that they have published a revised edition of Anthony's autobiography, Taming The Tiger, and media interest in Anthony was reawakened.

The first report was on the Christian Today website, dated 17 July 2015. It covered the earlier controversy, the republication of Taming The Tiger, and also pointed out discrepancies in a report on Anthony's website about a 2014 meeting at Royal Holloway University. The author concluded,

"For the majority, the holes in his [Anthony's] story are simply too big for him to retain his credibility as an evangelical Christian witness."

Premier Media (the parent company of Premier Christian Radio) followed, with an internet article dated 22 July 2015, again covering the events of 2013 and the republication of Taming The Tiger. A day later, the Evangelical Alliance reiterated their previous statement that Anthony's claims had been found to be untrue.

Bibliography

• Taming The Tiger, Tony Anthony with Angela Little, Authentic Lifestyle, 2004-08-01, ISBN 978-1860244810
• Passion, Tony Anthony with Angela Little, Authentic Publishing, 2010-05-07, ISBN 978-1860248047
• Cry of the Tiger, Angela Little, Authentic Media, 2008-04-01, ISBN 978-1860247088

[source: wikipedia]

Tony Anthony - Evangelist, Mission Leader, Author, CEO & Co-Founder of GCS

Tony Anthony is a British born Christian evangelist, bestselling author, international speaker and mission leader who seeks to boldly challenge countless numbers of people all over the world to respond to God's boundless love.

He has a burning concern for the proclamation and spread of the Gospel, coupled with a contagious passion to equip others to do the same.

Tony gave his life to Christ in Nicosia Central Prison, Cyprus in 1991 through the faithful ministry of a Northern Irish missionary, Michael Wright.

Today, Tony addresses many thousands of people every year, speaking wherever he is given the opportunity - including in prisons, schools, universities, concerts, indoor and outdoor rallies, radio and television broadcasts.

He has gone on to write other books, as well as develop an extensive teaching curriculum designed to equip people to reach out to the lost, helpless, hurting and oppressed. Tony and his wife Sara live in South East England and they have two sons, Ethan and Jacob.

[source: https--www.greatcommissionsociety.org/tony-anthony]

Million-selling reformed killer Tony Anthony exposed as serial fantasist - Star evangelist exposed after online campaign by critics raises alarm

Tony Anthony became a sought after speaker in schools and churches after the success of his book, Taming the Tiger. Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/Rex [2013-07-28]

It was the autobiography that gave hope to hundreds of thousands and warmed the hearts of Christians.

Chronicling how a convicted criminal and martial arts fighter found redemption through God, Taming the Tiger had more than 1.5m copies distributed around the world while its author, Tony Anthony, become a sought-after speaker in schools and churches.

In the book, which carries the strapline "From the Depths of Hell to the Heights of Glory", Anthony explains how he was taken to China by his grandfather, a kung fu grand master, and trained to become a martial arts champion. He then moved to Cyprus, where he became a bodyguard to businessmen, gangsters and diplomats. "In the line of duty as a bodyguard, I killed people," Anthony would tell church audiences. "I have broken more arms and legs than I care to remember." Later he recounted how he found God while in prison in Nicosia after being convicted of theft.

The book was a phenomenon. It was translated into 25 languages and won the Christian Booksellers' Convention Award in 2005.

But now, following a sustained internet campaign by a group of Christians who doubted Anthony's claims almost from the start, it appears that little of the book is true.

Anthony, who founded his own organisation, Avanti Ministries, was the star speaker during the Evangelical Alliance-backed Global Day of Prayer in 2010, attended by the mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

After an independent investigation, a panel appointed by the alliance has concluded that Anthony had, at best, a sketchy relationship with the truth. In a statement on its website the alliance acknowledges that "large sections of the book Taming the Tiger, and associated materials, which claim to tell the true story of Tony Anthony's life, do not do so".

It continues: "Both the Evangelical Alliance and Avanti Ministries take serious note of the findings of the report and, as a result, Avanti has concluded that it is not appropriate to continue to support Taming the Tiger." The alliance launched its investigation after a director of Avanti, Mike Hancock, resigned. An online blog, Crosswire, explained how Hancock had become sceptical after demanding proof of Anthony's claims.

"I understood that I had a moral and ethical responsibility to ensure that his story could be thoroughly verified," Hancock told the blog. "I was unable to persuade my fellow directors of the need to do this. I therefore resigned from Avanti and pursued the search for truth with other like-minded Christians," he said.

Anthony claimed to be a three times world kung fu champion and tried to deflect suspicions that he had embellished his past by claiming that the competitions were so specialised they were not known to outsiders. But it emerged that some of the material was copied from a martial arts website. One passage was lifted from a book about Bruce Lee.

The Evangelical Alliance acknowledges: "The complaint focused on the truthfulness of the story told in Tony's bestselling book Taming the Tiger. It was alleged that Tony had never lived in China as a child, had never been involved in kung fu as a world champion and had never worked in close protection. Having considered the extensive evidence presented to us, much of which is now in the public domain, we were convinced that this information could not be ignored."

Critics of Anthony, who raised suspicions that many of his claims were untrue as far back as 2005, are now asking why it took the alliance until last year to launch an investigation.

In his book Anthony explains how in 2000 he thought he had hit a "small deer or fox" after his car hit Elizabeth Bracewell, 39, the sister of the former England footballer, Paul Bracewell. She died as a result of her injuries.

During his trial after the death, Anthony, from Southend-on-Sea, was described by the judge as a "devious and manipulative man" who had "deliberately embroidered his story" to throw police off the scent. He was given a 15-month sentence after admitting perverting the course of justice.

The Evangelical Alliance has been keen to show forgiveness towards Anthony. It explains: "The alliance and Avanti Ministries are deeply saddened by the findings of the panel. However, they recognise the good work that Avanti and Tony Anthony have done over the years around the world and the impact this will have on the charity and specifically Tony and his family."

Attempts to reach Anthony through Avanti's email address were unsuccessful. Avanti's website states: "After much prayer, Avanti have decided the time has come to close its ministries."

In a statement, Anthony's publisher, Authentic Media, said that it was withdrawing Taming the Tiger, a follow-up book, Cry of the Tiger, and a related DVD.

It said: "Tony strongly defends his story - though he acknowledges that the recent information that he has received about his early life requires him to update and clarify his story."

This article was amended on 2 August 2013. The original suggested that Tony Anthony was "championed" by the Evangelical Alliance. The Alliance has issued this statement: "Tony Anthony has never been employed by the Evangelical Alliance, represented us, or spoken on our behalf. Revelations that have come to light about the authenticity of Tony Anthony's book have been reported by us because of the many concerns raised by evangelical Christians, not because we represent Tony Anthony. We recommended an independent investigation which was subsequently carried out."

Jamie Doward and Genevieve Kitchen [source: https--www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/28/tony-anthony-kung-fu-sham]

Tony Anthony is an international evangelist who has been ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the last 20 years. Before his international ministry began, a fatal traffic accident and subsequent spiritual fall brought Tony to the personal discovery that GOD is a God of second chances. It was this 'revelation' that ultimately propelled Tony into his significantly fruitful evangelistic ministry.

Tony has a burning concern for the proclamation and spread of the Gospel around the globe which is coupled with a huge passion to equip others to do the same. Over the last 15 years he has travelled all over the world testifying to the miraculous transformation Jesus Christ has brought about in his life, whilst clearly proclaiming the Gospel message. He addresses many thousands of people every year, speaking wherever he is given the opportunity to share, which includes prisons, schools, universities, churches, concerts, small groups and city wide events. His testimony and communication of the Gospel are regularly reported as being captivating.

He has founded a number of Christian Ministries which focus on evangelism and discipleship training, mentoring and supporting others to do evangelistic work.

Autobiographical Book

With Angela Little as his co-writer, Tony Anthony is the author of Taming the Tiger, which is his real life "page turning and gripping story", which won numerous Book of the Year awards in the biography category in 2005 and 2006.

With fascinating insight into the traditions of China's martial arts, this fast paced, compelling and chilling read documents the abusive upbringing that ultimately turned a four-year-old child into a hardened, professional killer.

From China to Europe to North America, across the Mediterranean and on to the Middle East, we journey with Tony as he becomes an elite bodyguard, protecting some of the world's most powerful people. Following personal tragedy, Tony's extreme discipline and Martial Art philosophy quickly turn. He begins to use his skills for illegal means and highly destructive, bloodthirsty pleasure.

Eventually incarcerated in jail in Cyprus, Tony hits rock bottom and it is there through the visits of a stranger, he is introduced to the reality and life-changing power of Jesus Christ.

Though the prison walls hold him, he finds himself a free man. This is just the beginning of a complex and fascinating testimony.

The revised edition of Taming the Tiger can be purchased at the following online shop: GCS ONLINE SHOP

Note to reader:

Since publishing his book, nearly 10 years ago, Tony has had the opportunity to discover some information about his family history, which he was unaware when first working on 'Taming The Tiger'.

For example, as a very young boy he was raised to believe that the man in whose house he lived and who trained him in Kung Fu was his grandfather. It has since come to light that this individual was not his biological grandfather but a step relation. As a result Tony will soon be bringing out a new update of his story in 2014.

Due to the sinister and sensitive nature of Tony's background he has had to exercise some caution in publishing his story. There are details given in the book which are presented with considered alteration to appropriately protect confidentiality. Revised editions include a clear disclaimer as follows:

"This book tells the true story of Tony Anthony. Some scenes have been dramatized with authentic though not necessarily actual dialogue, and-to protect the author and his family, and the rights of those whose paths he has crossed-some of the names, places, and details of the events have been altered."

[source: https--www.tonyanthony.co.uk/biography]