Upon Reading A Christian Supernatural Thriller

darkness
© James Pyles

I finished reading Frank E. Peretti’s 1986 novel This Present Darkness last night. It isn’t something I’d normally read, but someone mentioned the author on my other blog and I thought I’d try it out.

This isn’t a review. For that, you can visit my substack. However, in reading the book as well as some of the commentaries about it, I started wondering at the relative value of Christian supernatural fiction and thrillers.

The book continues to receive rave reviews and the author has been likened to as “a sanctified Stephen King” or alternately “the Stephen King of Christian fiction.”

The book is the first of a series of such novels and according to commentaries written by Jay R. Howard and Glenn W. Shuck, Peretti’s writing is considered to reflect what is considered the New Christian Right.

My understanding is that Peretti’s books are widely read by members of the Evangelical, Charismatic, and Pentecostal churches, enthusiastically consumed by both the clergy and laity alike.

The worrisome part is that some of these folks are taking fiction and using it as, at least potentially, guides on matters of prayer, spiritual warfare, and even exorcizing demons.

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It’s Hard To Be A Christian On Social Media

Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

I suppose that should be obvious. I mean, if you spend any amount of time on social media and you read the posts made by those who call themselves Christians, you might be surprised at how at least some of those comments compare unfavorably to Biblical principles.

I couldn’t sleep, so I got up early to do my daily (most days) Bible readings. This morning, that included Romans 12 and 13. Those chapters have a lot to say about how we are to behave as believers.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. –Romans 12:2 (NASB)

There is no more seductive or alluring platform that conforms us to this world than social media. Any number of atheists (or bots or paid influencers) go online to degrade and insult Christianity and God and it’s like an instant slap in the face. The temptation to fire back at them is enormous and many people do. The irony is that the instant you engage them, the algorithms working on the social media platform put more of the same kind of behavior onto your timeline, so it feels like being ganged up on.

Oh, what about this?

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The Death of Charlie Kirk

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Charlie Kirk formed Turning Point USA, a rightwing student organisation that grew to become a key pillar of support for Trump © Jeffrey Phelps/AP

I hate politicizing this blog. I know I have in the past. I know that I’ve given in to my emotions and let myself rant about all sorts of social and political issues. It’s not why I created Morning Medications so many years ago.

But the Death of Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, Trump ally, and conservative activist, poured gasoline on an already raging fire in news and social media.

Kirk was only 31 years old, younger than any of my adult children. He was a husband and father. He was a Christian. He was also a lightning rod.

What was shocking to me wasn’t necessarily Kirk’s death but rather the reaction to it.

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America’s Christian Politics

christian politics
Found at redeemingbabel.org

In light of the recent election the U.S. and especially the power surge of disapproval regarding the President-Elect, I wanted to reflect on how each candidate, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, has used Christianity as part of their political platform.

Although many believers have been skeptical, Harris has addressed her Christian faith, saying:

…growing up, she and her sister went to a neighborhood church, where they sang her favorite hymn, “Fill My Cup, Lord,” in the children’s choir. When she was sworn in as vice president, she put her hand on a Bible that belonged to the woman who took her to that church.

According to Pew Research, almost all Presidents have been Christians or at least declared themselves as such.

The same article states:

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The Downward Spiral

whirlpool
The Corryvreckan Whirlpool – Permission: Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike license 2.0

As I’ve been reminded, the tone of this blog has shifted considerably of late. It’s been a reflection of my mood and where my attention has been drawn, and that’s not a good thing.

I’d become stuck in the tawdry details of our world, politics, social trends, movies, television, everything there is to complain about. As the saying goes, it’s hard to soar with the eagles when you’re stuck in the dirt with the turkeys.

Last March, I got a big wake up call when my doctor discovered that my blood sugar was the thing that was soaring. These days, the epidemic of diabetes is almost always linked to lifestyle choices. My choices hadn’t been good.

I made the decision to cut out all the junk food, start consuming a lot more fruits and veggies, and to exercise. So far, exercise has consisted mainly of walking, which works pretty well. In the past four months, I’ve lost 22 pounds and my latest lab work says my blood chemistry is great. I’ve had to take on board a few medications, but once I get to a more reasonable weight (I’m hoping by December), I can try getting off of them.

I also started reading the Bible every morning again.

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Ken’s a Ten!

robbie and gerwig
Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig – Getty

The Barbie (2023) movie took last summer by storm and earned an astonishing $1.446 million worldwide at the box office, making it the highest-grossing film of 2023 and the 14th highest-grossing film of all time. I wouldn’t think director Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie who produced and starred in the movie would be unhappy about a thing.

But they are.

First of all, Ken’s (Ryan Gosling) song “I’m Just Ken” won Best Song at the Critics Choice Awards…but Eilish and Finneas’ song “What Was I Made For?” didn’t. It did win the the Best Original Song at the Golden Globes. I guess that wasn’t enough because the fans of the movie didn’t want Ken to win anything at all.

In fact, ‘I’m Just Ken’ Booed During Oscars Nomination Announcement. The latter probably had something to do with Greta Gerwig not receiving a nomination for a Best Director and Margot Robbie not receiving a nomination for Best Actress for “Barbie”.

“Barbie” did get nominated for Best Picture, and America Ferrera was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, but get this. Ryan Gosling was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the film (who would have been nominated for Best Actor for “Barbie”, but maybe because it’s “Barbie”, there is no “Best Actor,” only sloppy seconds).

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"When you awake in the morning, learn something to inspire you and mediate upon it, then plunge forward full of light with which to illuminate the darkness." -Rabbi Tzvi Freeman