What does it prove if Tim Tebow’s NOT a virgin? That he’s a liar? A hypocrite? A… human? From The Washington Post’s The Temptation of Tim Tebow: I’m throwing a penalty flag. The infraction? Roughing the passer. As well as millions of people worldwide, some people of faith, all people of conviction, who live by [...]
It’s an overused saying, but I always seem to come back to it: “To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” Apparently, obscurity has its benefits. It’s only when you step into the spotlight that you risk being voted off by the judges. Don’t want to risk humiliation? Then don’t enter the competition. It’s [...]
I’m a sucker for esoterica. And religious trends fascinate me. So Mitch Horowitz’s latest book Occult America seemed like the perfect confluence. It didn’t disappoint. There’s more tidbits of arcana here than Hogwart’s Library. Okay, not quite that much. The author traces numerous modern-day beliefs and movements to their inception in early America. Along the [...]
I got worked over pretty good a while back for suggesting that a Judeo-Christian worldview is essential to good storytelling. So it was with great joy that I read a fascinating article about What The Hunger Games Miss by Katie van Schaijik. She begins by quoting political pundit Mark Steyn’s summary of the film: It seems [...]
As I’m preparing for my workshop at the upcoming Orange County Christian Writers Fellowship Conference on “The Christian Speculative Fiction Writer,” I’ve been pondering what the Christian fiction market possibly reveals about our theology. If your beliefs are reflected in what you read, what does your library say about your worldview? Francis Schaeffer in “True [...]
If it’s true that “You are what you eat,” then that probably applies to your literary diet as well. So what does it say about contemporary Christian fiction readers that Historicals and Historical Romance remain so popular? This hasn’t always been the case. While Historical fiction has always been popular in mainstream publishing, in Christian [...]
With all the recent discussions about hell — from Rob Bell’s implied universalism in Love Wins to Francis Chan’s response in Erasing Hell — I’ve found myself thinking a lot about the subject. Like most normal people, the concept of eternal suffering is awful to contemplate, both from a physical and moral standpoint. I mean, [...]
I’m beyond questioning if social media is necessary for an author. The question I’m now facing is, “When it comes to social media, where should I be spending most of my time?” My current social media hierarchy looks something like this: Blogging Facebook Twitter Goodreads Pinterest Blogging is my undisputed #1, and that doesn’t look [...]
I greatly enjoyed Katherine Coble’s recent post, The Duty of Beauty, wherein she expounds the oft, ill-stated, idea that wives contribute to their husband’s infidelity by “letting themselves go.” Katherine writes: There are those who teach that a woman who lets herself go is responsible for her husband’s eventual infidelities. After all, why shouldn’t he [...]
