The topic of horoscopes, with reference to Jesus Christ, sparks debate. Some religious people regard astrological inquiry as impious or at least trivial. Others reason, to the contrary, that astrology may lay claim to truth from one vantage point. Jesus himself advised that “the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Every branch of knowledge … Read more
How shall we understand visionary experience? What is its function in the life of the biblical prophet? In this article, I will take a look at the prophet Ezekiel, whose florid mysticism verges, at times, on madness. I will suggest that the difference between mysticism and madness, in the context of biblical prophecy, has to … Read more
For I have seen God face to face and yet my life is preserved Gen 32:30 A friend named Irene lost her well-paid job in Silicon Valley, struggled for a couple of years to get another position, lamented as her bank balance rapidly declined, and ended up declaring bankruptcy. The low point in her life … Read more
Our devotional lives depend on the imagination. Through the imagination, God (or Spirit) appears to us in forms that arouse our yearnings and our curiosity. Why then is the contemporary imagination, pertaining to Jesus Christ, sometimes rather fixated on the maleness of Jesus? It was otherwise for early Christians. This article discusses a report, from … Read more
Part 1: The Spectrum of Readers for a Christian Fiction Writer – Novelist Before his ascension, Jesus Christ told his disciples: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15) and “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). To any serious follower of Christ, these are clear calls … Read more
Any Christian who sets out to write a book will automatically find him or herself struggling to balance three primary concerns, all of which happen to start with the letter “C”: Christ, commerce and content. In an ideal world, Christ will be at the top, for what higher motive could a Christian writer have than … Read more
Don’t Let the Tail Wag the Dog When Writing Your Novel So you’re a Christian and you feel like the Spirit is speaking to your heart about writing a novel. If that’s you, then I hope you’ll take up the gauntlet and go with the Spirit’s leading, because your story has the potential to speak … Read more
Stories, stories, stories … Whether it’s a historical tale of English pirates in the 1700s … or a sci-fi thriller about aliens invading Earth … or a military adventure featuring US Special Forces in the Middle East … or a murder mystery with a down-on-his-luck PI … my days are filled with stories. As much … Read more
So you’re a Christian who follows God with all your heart, and you keep getting this inner nudge that you’re supposed to write a novel. Maybe you even have a great idea for a story simmering in your imagination…
Handling Profanity as a Christian Novelist. I’m a Christian who typically doesn’t use profanity, but that doesn’t stop me from allowing my fictional characters to cuss if they want to. If you’re a novelist whose first love is Jesus, then the preceding quotation may have your eyes popping wide open…