Truth be told I’ve never been a Christian fiction fan, unlike my former roommate who is a skilled fiction writer herself, I tend toward non-fiction. But, these days I want something easy and something that doesn’t make my brain think too much. As the husband and I were watching Courageous, one of the trailers that were previewed was The Shunning. I wanted to watch it, after hearing the book was good, but decided I would read it first. Little did I know that I would finish the 3-part series in less than two weeks and love them. Here are some thoughts
1. Reading fiction makes me lazy. Unfortunately, a good fiction book sucks you in to its life and you want to do little else rather than finish the book. I’ve read nothing else, ‘cept my Bible on some days, while I read this series. I often wish that the Bible would draw me in like fiction I’ve never read – wanting to see how the story ends up and where the characters are by the end of it. Note: I’m supremely glad the Bible is not fiction, but all Truth!
2. Here are some themes:
a. Forgivness. Especially once you know the forgiveness of Jesus, it is easier to forgive others. If we have been forgiven by an all loving and perfect God, who are we to not forgive others.?
b. Intimacy with Christ over religion. The Amish (which these series is about the Amish) live and die by a set of writings set up by men. They don’t want to mention much of the Bible and few have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus, in the NT, says we will love him if we obey His commands, so I’m not saying we shouldn’t be obedient to what the Bible says. But, our works can never save us. We can never give enough to out give God.
c. Adoption. An Amish girl is given away at birth. Should an adoptive child know this early, have it always be hidden from her, ever meet her birth mom or dad? All these questions are hidden in the mystery and goodness of adoption.
So, if you need a good fiction series, Beverly Lewis’ The Heritage of Lancaster County is a good one to read.
Leah Finn
I loved reading that series several years ago! A well-written story can completely suck you in, can’t it? You should read CT’s article about our (Christian’s) obsessions with the Amish: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/april/loveamishromances.html