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What a strange week this has been for the world of publishing.
I’m talking of course of the revelation of a major character from the best selling children’s books of all times having a certain gender preference. I must admit at first, it didn’t bother me at all. After all, Dumbledore is just a fictional character with a tortured past, an unhappy present and a painful death. But, what bothered me most was J. K. Rowling’s statement that such a revelation would give Christian’s “more of a reason to hate me.”
Now, that is an interesting statement. Christians and hate are mentioned in the same sentence. Shouldn’t surprise anyone, right? After all, Christians have killed more innocent people in the name of the church than any other belief system, right? Christians killed so many people in the process of “saving their souls” in the Inquisition, right? And, as Rosie O’Donell said, there is no difference between Chrisianity and the other fundamentalist religions that kill all “infidels”.
So, do Christians deserve such a designation? Do we automatically hate homosexuals and infidels and anyone not confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior? Do we truly hate the sin and hate the sinner?
The answer to this question in unfortunately complex. I’m reading a new book called “unChristian”. It is a summary of survey data of people in their late teens extending into the early thirties. These people are very skeptical of anything. They only accept something that is authentic. At the same time, they buy into the knee jerk conclusions that are so typically asserted in the above paragraphs. The point is, as Christians, those of us who are believers must do something to dispel this attitude. But what?
First, the top three murderers of all time lived in the twentieth century. They were Lenin, Stalin, and Mao TseTung. All three of these leaders espoused a philosophy based on atheism. So, the charge that Christians have killed the most people in history is flat out wrong and nothing more than dogma.
Second, as Ravi Zacharias said, “Religion begins with man. Theology begins with God.” Horrible things done in the name of religion do not reflect on the nature of God. They reflect on the nature of man. After all, we don’t stop believing in physics because Albert Einstein wrote a letter to Roosevelt encouraging the development of the atomic bomb which changed the world forever, some would argue much to humanity’s detriment. So, stop blaming Christ for man’s failings. We are a broken, self centered people who would do anything in anyone’s name to push our agenda. That is substantiated by the data from the book I mentioned.
Third, Jesus gave us two commandments. First, He said to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, body, and mind. And then, He gave us a new commandment which encompassed all others: love one another as I have loved you. There’s that word again: Love!
I don’t care what Dumbledore is or what he claimed to be or what agenda J. K. Rowling is following. She got one thing right in her series. Love conquers all evil. And, Jesus is the ultimate embodiment of love. Just read the Gospel of John!
Why do I say all of this? I got my final book cover today. Front, back, and spine look great. But, as I was studying the title: “The 12th Demon: Vampyre Majick” I began to wonder how many Christians will condemn my book because is mentions vampires. After all, don’t I have a hidden agenda to push these skeptical and confused young adults into a life of sucking blood? Will I have to come “out” of the closet and confess to being a spiritual vampire?
I guess I must prepare myself for the inevitable wave of hate by giving “Christians one more thing to hate me for.” But, as with Harry Potter, I think you’ll be surprised if you actually read the books. They are about love and forgiveness. And that love and forgiveness comes from only one source: God, not man. That love is found in Theology, the Knowledge of God. That love and forgiveness comes from a God who became flesh and tasted death and overcame it for us. Forget the Crusades and the Inquisition and the latest hate mongering by confused Christians. Jesus called us to love unconditionally. He said that everyone would know we are His followers by one thing: our love.
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This past week has been very busy for the second book in the Jonathan Steel Chronicles. I have finalized the look of the cover which features blacks, grays, and red. There is a prominent symbol on the cover. This symbol is very important in the book and represents the heart and soul of the man who is possessed by the twelfth demon.
I have also finalized the back cover material of the book and have placed the order for the first 2500 copies of the book. This won’t happen tomorrow but it is one of the final steps in getting the book into the marketplace and the book stores.
Look for the tag line “There is Power in the Blood!” in the near future. I’ll explain it in more depth in an upcoming blog entry. I find it very interesting there is a sudden resurgence in interest in vampires. We have a new television show about a vampire cop. We have a new movie coming out about vampires. And then, there is the whole development of three new shows with paranormal phenomena in development by J. J. Abrams (The man who created LOST). I have often wondered how authors timed their books so that they would be relevant. Mostly its a roll of the dice. I wrote the original manuscript for “The 12th Demon” way back in 2000. At that time, vampire lore was still hot thanks to Buffy and Angel and Anne Rice. By 2005, vampires had fallen off the map with the exception of a couple of movies. Now, it seems vampires are coming back with a vengeance. It also helps that Vlad, the Impaler’s castle is for sale. This is the castle that inspired Bram Stoker to place his novel “Dracula” in Transylvania. This is another nice tie in and I hope it will help with sales of the book.
Just to let those readers know who have faithfully read “The 13th Demon” and waited patiently for this book, I promise it will deliver more thrills and chills than the first book. At the same time, there is a story of redemption and forgiveness at the heart of this book that I hope the reader will find gut wrenching and moving. Also, this book sets the stage for the unfolding of Jonathan Steel’s past.
Which brings me to the other books. I’ve finalized the last few books and I’d like to share with you their titles:
“The 11th Demon: Children of the Bloodstone” (Formerly Children of a Higher Dimension)
“The 10th Demon: The Oblong Matrix”
“The 9th Demon: Night of the Skinwalkers”
“The 8th Demon: Death by Darwin”
“The 7th Demon: The Tablet of Destiny”
“The 6th Demon: The Dark Council” (This book encompasses the 6th, 5th, and 4th demons)
“The 3rd Demon: Yesterday’s Evil”
“The 2nd Demon: The Devil in the Mirror”
“The 1st Demon: The Curse of the Lionstick”
So there you have it. Most people won’t read this blog so those of you who do now know things I’ve told no one before now. But, now you know I have a plan for the books and they will play out over 11 books.
Another hint about the third book in the series is that it will introduce some situations and characters that will be spun off into another series called “The Node of God”. I’ll tell you more about this series in the future but let’s just say its definitely science fiction!
OK, so that is enough of an update for this week. As the actual appearance of “The 12th Demon” in public gets closer, I’ll keep you up to date.
Keep the lights on!
