The Beauty of the Body of Christ*
by Sharon Hinck
When you begin to find the
writing choices that fit your unique approach, you become freed from the
pressure to “do it all.” Mother Theresa and Billy Graham had two different
approaches for sharing their faith – and so do writers. One novelist might
explore the depth of God’s mercy through the symbol of a character’s
sacrificial service. Another might share the truth of salvation through a scene
of overt and specific dialogue where one character tells another what she
believes.
My personal view is that we need
it all. We need variety. God is so awesome and multifaceted that we need a
variety of ways to communicate about Him. We need authors in many genres. We
need authors who focus vibrantly on spiritual themes, and those for whom the
spiritual threads are subtle. We need authors who write characters who are
sturdy Christians who live out their faith in identifiable ways, and characters
who are seeking and questioning, and characters who (perhaps like some of our
readers) rarely think about God.
I look at Psalms 145-150 and the
way they list a zillion ways to praise God, and I rejoice that we have
Christians who write in a variety of genres and styles, and focus on various
audiences and different ways of sharing faith through fiction.
~~~~
*This article is an excerpt from Sharon Hinck’s ACFW course
on Sharing Faith in Fiction. Used with permission. Next week, Part III.
~~~~
The Restorer-Expanded Edition
Susan
Mitchell thought she was an ordinary homemaker. She was wrong. When she’s
pulled through a portal into another world, she finds a nation grappling for
its soul and waiting for a promised Restorer to save their people.
She has always longed to do something important for God, but can she fill this role?
While she struggles to adapt to a foreign culture, she tackles an enemy that is poisoning the minds of the people, uncovers a corrupt ruling Council, and learns that God can use even her floundering attempts at service in surprising ways.
This new expanded edition of The Restorer includes an in-depth devotion guide for readers who want to dig into the spiritual themes of the book, bonus scenes providing glimpses of the story through a variety of characters, and fun extras including links to songs and recipes.
She has always longed to do something important for God, but can she fill this role?
While she struggles to adapt to a foreign culture, she tackles an enemy that is poisoning the minds of the people, uncovers a corrupt ruling Council, and learns that God can use even her floundering attempts at service in surprising ways.
This new expanded edition of The Restorer includes an in-depth devotion guide for readers who want to dig into the spiritual themes of the book, bonus scenes providing glimpses of the story through a variety of characters, and fun extras including links to songs and recipes.
~~~~
Sharon writes “stories for the hero in all of us,” about
ordinary people experiencing God’s grace in unexpected ways. Known for their
authenticity, emotional range, and spiritual depth, her novels include
contemporary fiction such as The Secret
Life of Becky Miller or Stepping
into Sunlight and the groundbreaking Sword of Lyric fantasy series
which includes The
Restorer–Expanded Edition. She’s been a Christy finalist
and won three Carol awards.
Sharon’s undergrad degree is in education, and she earned an
M.A. in Communication. When she isn’t wrestling with words, Sharon enjoys
speaking to conferences, retreats, and church groups. She loves interacting
with visitors at her website and blog: sharonhinck.com
