Back in early January 2022, I put up a post here, mentioning a ‘New Years Resolution’ Christian authors might consider, especially authors of fiction, about using the writing talent God gave them to help ‘make disciples of all nations,’ a task Christ Himself assigned to His disciples upon their witnessing that He had risen from the dead (Matthew 28:19). The ‘guide’ is pretty much completed and will likely be uploaded to this site later this year as a FREE PDF for download. Hopefully, it will inspire Christian authors to follow that task! Below is a snippet of the first couple of pages, though I left out a few paragraphs relating to peoples who likely have not ‘heard the Word’ yet, but will at some point, as prophesy claims that before ‘the end’ comes, all peoples will be given the opportunity to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. Below is the snippet:
Why Am I Writing This ‘Guide’?
This ‘guide’ or book is being written for two reasons:
One, because God’s evangelical or missionary mission for believers on Christ is, as Christ Himself said in the Gospel of Matthew, (28:19, as well as Luke 24:47) to make disciples of all nations. How can Christian authors ‘make disciples of all nations’ when so many Christian fiction novels are about Christians and/or written for Christians? Many of these novels contain gossipy ‘he said-she said’ stuff between two or more Christians about what pastor so-and-so told some deacon regarding sleeping with the neighbor’s wife or rumors that some elder is actually homosexual or some youth minister allegedly raped a six-year-old…. You know the drill, and I’ve read some Christian fiction in the past. Nearly all of these I’ve read include the plots or themes I just mentioned. One novel I can’t even remember the name of was about a preacher having to repent of having sex with the wife of some church member and not telling his own wife, having to finally admit it when the wife catches him in the act.
Look. I know all Christians, as with all people, are and were sinners and these kinds of scenarios are real. But what if some non-Christian trying to find out what Christian authors write about what Christian acts, or whatever, reads the book, finds it complete and utter Christian hypocrisy, then believes ‘no way in Hell am I going to convert’ to belief on Christ?
And I am guilty of that as well to some extent. My first self-published novel, Battle of the Band, 1996, about a rock band—I did not know if God gave me that inspiration for the purpose of said band converting to belief on Christ at that time—did in fact have debauched scenes within, cussing, and even occultist-type rituals. After all, haven’t all rock stars ‘sold their souls to the devil’? But here is the thing: while some Christian readers were somewhat offended, my first…and second (The Prophesied Band, 1998) and third (The Prodigal Band, 2018) were NOT written for Christian audiences. The Prodigal Band is where the band accepts Christ because they want to and feel they must repent of their debaucheries of which there were many, including an unwitting worship of a fictional Satan-figure.
In fact, the trilogy became a trilogy meant for NON-Christians to try to at least have them consider accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. Acceptance of Christ as Redeemer MUST be a choice the person makes and should NEVER be forced on anyone!
Now, if the Christian author wants to write about Christians sinning and then repenting, fine. If the Christian author strictly wants to write for Christians, fine.
But God gave you “a talent” (see the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25, verses 14 through 30) and as Christ said, a “mission” to ‘make disciples of all nations.’ Or at least have them consider the possibility without forcing it on them. It would be as if instead of going up to someone and talking about Christ and redemption, you are writing about Christ and His redemption to a reader instead.
And remember also Christ’s words to the disciples that the disciples would do greater works than even Christ did (a passage my own pastor is constantly using in his sermons!)? Writing a work of fiction about acceptance of Christ by a person or group that one would normally not expect to convert to belief on Christ could be pretty ‘great’ especially in this day and age of world wide web, e-books, PDF books, videos, podcasts….and when a book in English can be translated to almost any language using software.
(I then bring up some examples of supposed groups one would not think would ever consider belief on Christ)
Two, because the Spirit that resides in me wants me to write this!
It’s the same Holy Spirit that inspired me to write my trilogy in the first place beginning in the early 90s when ‘a voice’ (not in my own voice) put these notions into my head as I looked up into the night sky. And that night, I began writing the first book in The Prodigal Band Trilogy.
Why The Prodigal Band Trilogy? Because the ‘Parable of the Prodigal’ (or Lost) Son’ has the same destination as what this Spirit intended for me to write. And who is more ‘lost’ that a rock and roll band that ‘sold their souls to the devil’?
Note: the above snippet is copyright © 2022 Deborah Lagarde
My next post will continue the ‘Snippets-to-Spinoff’ series.
Use the menu above to download the FREE PDF The Prodigal Band, all links to all snippet posts, and more. Blessings!
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