In a short post entitled, Specialization and Books, Becky Miller ponders the trend toward “niche-ing” (or is it niching?) in contemporary fiction. At some point, a writer is asked to identify their niche, what genre they write, and where their stories fit in the market. Nowadays, this is Writing 101. But Becky reflects upon the [...]
What does the perfect man look like? I guess it depends upon who you ask. Some would say he’s a combo of brains and brawn. Of course, it’s easy to forgive stupidity in a male if he looks like Fabio. But most women, I think, require sensitivity in a stud. Thankfully, my wife is less [...]
At this rate, I think the skeptics of Christianity are doing more good than harm. James Cameron’s recent documentary, The Lost Tomb of Jesus, inadvertently provides further proof of the validity of Christianity. Of course, the critics would disagree — but the critics are usually the ones fueling, funding and then hailing these perennial religious [...]
If art imitates life, then so does fashion. Here in SoCal, a lot of kids go Gothic. For some, it’s more than a trend, it’s a way of life. The dark, morbid, sometimes eroticized, sometimes campy style of Gothic dress often reflects deeper views of life, self and society. Wikipedia describes the ideology behind Gothic [...]
The second issue of Relief Journal is officially out of the chute. My short story, When Bill Left the Porch, is included in the mag. Forgive me if this sounds brash or self-serving, but it’s my biggest publication credit to date. Despite my recent rants about “Christian art” and the deficiencies of the CBA, there’s [...]
It’s been stuffy around here lately. Time for a pop culture quiz. Who said this? I’m a true believer in God and Satan. I may be one of the only people in the world that believes that Bible stories are literal. I literally believe that there is a character named the Devil who is definitely [...]
The Engel Scale represents a continuum or “model of the spiritual decision-making process.” Developed by Dr James Engel, director of the Billy Graham graduate program in communications at the Wheaton College Graduate School, the chart depicts the stages one goes through in moving from a general awareness of a Supreme Being (-8), to grasping the [...]
When it comes to the difficulties of defining Christian art, The Lord of the Rings is a case in point. As much as Tolkien’s epic trilogy is embraced by Christians, LotR is usually not considered Christian fiction. Wikipedia, in defining Christian literature, illustrates the sticking point: Christian fiction is sometimes harder to define than Christian [...]
Christianity Today added a twist to the year-end “Best of” lists with The 10 Most Redeeming Films of 2006 selections. I’ve only seen two out of the ten, but what intrigued me more than the list itself, was how it was framed: What do we mean by “redeeming” films? They’re all stories of redemption— sometimes [...]
Learning the ropes of writing is as much about “rules of the road” as it is the peculiarities of the vehicle one drives. Lane changing, hand signals and road signs are one thing. Getting into that Ferrari of yours for a Sunday drive along PCH is another. The “call to write” intersects us at many [...]
