Facets of Faith for Jan. 10, 2009
Religious fiction styles abound
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Baton Rouge pastor and Bible teacher Duane C. Stradley has published a novel, “The Merchant of Damascus.”
Set in the first century, merchant Johanon sets out to find a lost scroll. In his search, Johanon must sort through stories about Jesus: Is he just a carpenter or is he really the Messiah?
Stradley’s book, and other Christian-based fiction, is available online through general and specialty bookstores. The East Baton Rouge library has copies.
What’s out there?
A visit to http://www.christianbook.com/ finds a large section devoted to fiction with categories including Amish, contemporary, romance, novellas, historical, Southern, suspense and intrigue, biblical, men’s, multicultural and fantasy/science fiction.
Many books draw on trends. A featured suspense and intrigue book is part of an NCIS military series, using a setting similar to the popular TV show.
On the flip side, classic Christian fiction is influencing movies. Recent movies have included the fantasy works of J.R.R. Tolkein (“The Lord of the Rings”) and C.S. Lewis (“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”).
The biblical category offers many styles of stories. Often writers retell Bible stories in different times. “Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers sets the story of Hosea and Gomer in the California gold rush. The play “J.B.” by Archibald MacLeish won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1959 and several Tony Awards. It sets Job in a circus. Fantasy writer Robert A. Heinlein also used Job for the 1980’s “Job: A Comedy of Justice.”
Other writers create details to flesh out the stories of Bible characters. “Journey to the Well,” by Diana Wallis Taylor, retells Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. Taylor imagines the life of the woman from the time she is a teenager.
Some create a person to take us through the story. For instance, Henry Van Dyke uses a magi who was left behind by the three wisemen and spends his life seeking the King of the Jews in “The Other Wise Man.”
Contemporary fiction traces lives as they work through more modern problems. One example is “Talk of the Town” by Lisa Wingate. Wingate uses the small Texas hometown of an “American Idol”-style contestant as the setting for what many in the book see as the potential downfall of the young singer being introduced to a big, bad world.
Sources:
http://duanestradleybooks.com/;
http:www.amazon.com/;
http://www.ibdb.com/;
http://www.christianbook.com/
Send ideas to lenglish@theadvocate.com.
Set in the first century, merchant Johanon sets out to find a lost scroll. In his search, Johanon must sort through stories about Jesus: Is he just a carpenter or is he really the Messiah?
Stradley’s book, and other Christian-based fiction, is available online through general and specialty bookstores. The East Baton Rouge library has copies.
What’s out there?
A visit to http://www.christianbook.com/ finds a large section devoted to fiction with categories including Amish, contemporary, romance, novellas, historical, Southern, suspense and intrigue, biblical, men’s, multicultural and fantasy/science fiction.
Many books draw on trends. A featured suspense and intrigue book is part of an NCIS military series, using a setting similar to the popular TV show.
On the flip side, classic Christian fiction is influencing movies. Recent movies have included the fantasy works of J.R.R. Tolkein (“The Lord of the Rings”) and C.S. Lewis (“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”).
The biblical category offers many styles of stories. Often writers retell Bible stories in different times. “Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers sets the story of Hosea and Gomer in the California gold rush. The play “J.B.” by Archibald MacLeish won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1959 and several Tony Awards. It sets Job in a circus. Fantasy writer Robert A. Heinlein also used Job for the 1980’s “Job: A Comedy of Justice.”
Other writers create details to flesh out the stories of Bible characters. “Journey to the Well,” by Diana Wallis Taylor, retells Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. Taylor imagines the life of the woman from the time she is a teenager.
Some create a person to take us through the story. For instance, Henry Van Dyke uses a magi who was left behind by the three wisemen and spends his life seeking the King of the Jews in “The Other Wise Man.”
Contemporary fiction traces lives as they work through more modern problems. One example is “Talk of the Town” by Lisa Wingate. Wingate uses the small Texas hometown of an “American Idol”-style contestant as the setting for what many in the book see as the potential downfall of the young singer being introduced to a big, bad world.
Sources:
http://duanestradleybooks.com/;
http:www.amazon.com/;
http://www.ibdb.com/;
http://www.christianbook.com/
Send ideas to lenglish@theadvocate.com.
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