Translating a World on the Edge

The tongue is a small part of the human body, and yet, if not tamed, it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters,
for you realize that we will be judged more strictly,
for we all fall short in many respects.
If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man,
able to bridle the whole body also.
If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us,
we also guide their whole bodies.
It is the same with ships:
even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds,
they are steered by a very small rudder
wherever the pilot’s inclination wishes.
In the same way the tongue is a small member
and yet has great pretensions.

Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze.
The tongue is also a fire.
It exists among our members as a world of malice,
defiling the whole body
and setting the entire course of our lives on fire,
itself set on fire by Gehenna.
For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature,
can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species,
but no man can tame the tongue.
It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
With it we bless the Lord and Father,
and with it we curse men
who are made in the likeness of God.
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
My brothers and sisters, this need not be so.

—James 3:1 -10 

Are you certain what you say is the Truth? If you are not certain, then Do Not Speak. That’s more than just common sense, it’s a human being’s responsibility toward others.

A human characteristic is the ability to speak, to converse, to give instruction, to make our opinions known. We talk. We use our tongues–sometimes without thinking, and sometimes very intentionally.

Our speech is directed to another, a listener. The listener may be a child, a friend, a family member, or a stranger in the grocery store. Regardless of who or where, what we say to each other matters. Speech is a gift to be used with care. I would suggest loving care, though I’m often guilty of overlooking that.

 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” — Matthew 12:36

Wow! That’s a lot of personal responsibility.

Words and actions by those in prominent places can make or break this country.

Will the words and actions they use as weapons against others be ignored, or inevitably condemned by those they are supposed to serve?

Beware. The devil is on the doorstep now. What are we going to do about it? Take control. Speak only the truth, and hold others, especially our leaders, accountable for the same.

An Ongoing Drama Between God and Each of Us

COMING SOON FROM CHRISM PRESS

Our life is an ongoing drama between God and each of us. Whether we accept it or not, no matter who we are or what we do, each of us has an inborn, spiritual relationship with the God who created us, the God who loves us infinitely. We can deny it or shout our disagreement. We can act out in reprehensible ways to destroy God’s sovereignty over us. Our God-given free will allows that behavior. But truth cannot be altered. We were made to be good. We live in a world that God made to be good. And yet moral, physical, and metaphysical evil exists in spite of the goodness — and therefore, suffering exists.

I considered writing this novel, “Shooting at Heaven’s Gate,” several years ago after being shocked that in a small town near mine, a disillusioned and angry young man took up his shotgun and killed many of his family and co-workers. Why had he done it? Jealousy, greed, revenge, or some mental disfunction? Why had he destroyed the people he most cared for?

Most of us can retell the story of Cain and Abel, a story of one brother murdering the other. Genesis 4. When the Father (God) favored Abel’s gift over Cain’s, a few narcissistic traits began to itch in Cain, and then finally took him over — jealousy, anger, and revenge, leading to Cain’s murder of Abel. The sin of Cain separated him from God, just as sin separates us from God. Cain was punished, but even then, God showed him mercy. I have no idea what caused the shootings in this nearby small town, but I suspect some of those narcissistic traits were involved.

In the novel, “Shooting at Heaven’s Gate, goodness is left behind for a time, and evil runs rampart in Bethel, Alabama. Dr. Malcolm J. Hawkins, III, arrogant head of psychology at Bethel University feels his position and his credibility threatened by the impressive, up-and-coming English professor, Ginnie Gillan.

“Good and evil do not exist when human nature wants the best way to scratch an itch. The only question is, Can I get away with it? “says Dr. Malcolm J. Hawkins, PH. D.

So, Mal scratches that ‘itch.’ Jealousy, anger and revenge take over him, and Mal decides to use Ginnie’s husband Edmund’s fear and weakness against her. Feeding Edmund a steady diet of drugs and manipulation, Mal lights the fuse of the greatest tragedy Bethel has ever known.

Compassionate, loving teenager, Alma Broussard, lives with her quirky mother Moline, who works in a dental office, and her feisty Aunt Pauline, who runs the chicken farm on which they live. Their lives seem wholly separate from the feuds of academia—but dark secrets lurk in Moline’s past that will bring the people she loves straight into the path of a murderous madman.

In the wake of death and destruction, Bethel, the town that used to be called Heaven’s Gate, will find no easy answers, but there may still be hope for redemption. 

Shooting at Heaven’s Gate is a “Theology of the Cross” novel in which genuine goodness, bona fide evil, and suffering truly live side by side. My intention is that it not only be enjoyed, but that it be used for the discussion of some very human questions.

Discussion Points:

1. We all hold secrets. Every main character in the novel –except for Alma– has secrets to be exposed. Choose one character at a time (Mal, Edmund, Moline, Pauline, Jose) and reveal her/his secret. How do their individual secrets affect the lives of the other characters? Which do you think is the worst secret?

• Discuss theatre symbolism in the novel. Edmund acts in two plays; the gravedigger in Our Town and as the lead in Macbeth. How is he like each of them in real life?

• Discuss Alma’s goodness. How can she choose to remember only a murderer’s innocence as a child after he has killed so many people? Which do you most identify with—Pauline, Alma, or someone else in the novel?

• Why are the scenes at Heaven’s Gate Graveyard important? Discuss the symbolism, as it applies to the novel, of the Civil War, the lost children buried there, and the chinaberry trees.

•  Discuss Pauline’s statement in light of God’s gift to us of free will. “That’s the lesson in all wars, especially the ones that go on in our own heads, where good and evil get all mixed up just because they can.”

• Despite the tough issues in this novel, does it leave you with hope and a chance to heal? Why or why not?