by Jason Joyner | Mar 22, 2011 | Blog, CSFF, mesos called jar-jar binks, Mike Duran, reading, speculative fiction
Heya! The Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy tour is witnessing The Resurrection. Well, we’re discussing the debut novel by Mike Duran with that title, at least.
The book is generating some good buzz with a lot of the other tourmates. Becky Miller keeps a running tally of the posts for the tour
right here. Check them out for varied responses and thoughts.
Mike has been kind enough to answer some questions for me in an email interview. I’m running the ones dealing with
The Resurrection today. Tomorrow I will post the rest dealing with writing in general, along with some final thoughts on the tour and the book by yours truly.
1. The Resurrection is a deep book with a lot of ideas. Where did you get the idea for some of the Mesos (pagan gods) and what type of research did you do? (There is an anthropology professor who studies pagan religions, and these Mesos play a key role in the book – Jason)
MIKE: Jason, the concept of the Pantheons, which the Mesos are a part of, is one of my favorite parts of the book. I have a pastor friend who has started several churches in the Peruvian Amazon. He always returns with wild tales of superstition, witchcraft, curses, and Indiana Jones style adventure. That vast area is home to some of the world’s only unreached people groups. In those parts, religion is not monolithic, but tends to be an amalgam of beliefs, from animism to Catholicism. And there are many, many gods. It presents a real challenge to Christian missionaries.
Pagan worldviews often construct a “pecking order” of powers, invisible entities vying for allegiance and demanding obeisance. It is somewhat paralleled by the biblical concept of “principalities and powers.” Scripture describes a world where false gods and hierarchies of malevolent beings wrestle for Man’s fate. In this sense, the Mesos are the pagan corollary to a biblical reality. They are “…the powers of this dark world…the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12).
Of course, we Americans are too sophisticated for such nonsense ;-). Or are we? My thought, when conceiving the book was to speculate what an intrinsically pagan system would look like if it had taken root in a specific American locale. What effects would it have on dull, materialistic Americans? And how would such a “system” reveal itself?
2. What themes did you see when you first started writing The Resurrection? What theme or idea surprised you as you wrote?
MIKE: The initial theme was that of miracle versus materialism. I had long pondered the idea of story that pivots around a bodily resurrection and the various effects it would have on different groups (as miracles often had in Scripture). However, you’re right. As I wrote the story, certain ideas “surprised” me.
One of those ideas was simply “faith.” Ruby became this icon of simple faith to me, someone who does not have all the answers but who still limps forward, refusing to abandon hope. In chapter 3, Ian Clark watches Ruby and ponders, “She’d been through a lot—more than he could imagine—and still she clung tenaciously to her faith. Some would probably call it naiveté, even obstinacy. In a world where science pushed the boundaries of human knowledge, where progressive philosophers ran circles around religious conservatives, how could one continue to believe in a two-thousand year old creed? Ruby Case was evidence enough that those people existed.” Like Clark, I puzzle over, even envy, people with simple faith.
What some people may miss in the story is the role that faith played for evil. In fact, my initial title for the story was “What Faith Awakes.” In a sense, Benjamin Keen had as much faith as Ruby Case. Ruby’s faith literally “awoke” someone who was dead. But Keen’s faith – faith in his system, faith in logic, faith in the gods – also awoke something. Something hellish (which is one reason we should not look lightly upon the varieties of occult belief). So, clearly, one of the themes that surprised and inspired me through the story was this sense of how powerful even the smallest acts of faith can be, and how huge of an impact they can make.
3. In the book Reverend Ian Clark struggles with his faith even as he leads a church. As a former pastor, how much of Clark’s battle comes from your own walk?
MIKE: There’s no doubt that my experience as a minister has seeped into Ian Clark’s struggles. Unlike Clark, however, I have never considered agnosticism. However, I have been shaped by several tragedies (like Clark) and am tremendously sensitive to the plight of pastors and their unique struggles. I just learned this week about an old pastoral acquaintance who is no longer a Christian. He and his wife were on staff at a local mega-church. They have since divorced and he now denounces what he once believed. How does this happen?
I believe the average church member would be surprised at how many of our pastors harbor secret struggles, whether theological or emotional. Of course, they must appear to be strong. Like Ian Clark, they must stand and deliver every Sunday morning, only to return to their office and flog themselves. And sometimes our churches are more guilty of wanting a good sermon than wanting an honest, healthy minister. Which is why in The Resurrection, Canyon Springs Community Church is really as complicit as Ian Clark.
4. Spiritual warfare becomes an issue for Ruby and Rev. Clark. What experience have you had with this?
MIKE: From my perspective, the term “spiritual warfare,” is kind of loaded. Yes, there are accounts in Scripture of demonic possession and the clash of supernatural powers (think Moses and the Pharaoh’s magicians or Elijah and the prophets of Baal). And we are warned repeatedly about the devil’s devices and deceptive strategies. However, most spiritual warfare is hardly as dramatic as we like to conceive. At least on our end of things.
In my novel, both Ruby and Reverend Clark spearhead some dramatic spiritual events. Nevertheless, it was their simple steps of faith that triggered those events. Ruby traveled to Aida Elston’s, climbed the hill to the cemetery, and refused to let Oscar take his own life. And Clark pursued Ruby and then confronted Keen. In both cases, it was their obedience or determination that set things in motion. The same is true for us – small steps of faith have tremendous power.
Several people have compared my book to Frank Peretti’s “This Present Darkness.” While I’m flattered by the comparison, I took great care to NOT show the spiritual realm in the way Peretti did. Though I reference angels and demons, they remain behind the scenes. Rather, the actions of the characters are front and center. This is intentional.
When people ask me about spiritual warfare, they seem to be wanting stories about exorcisms, deliverance, and miracles. I have some stories like that. However, I believe the most important instances of spiritual warfare are the ones that are unannounced and unseen. Loving my wife and sharing God’s grace with my co-workers may have more prolonged effect upon the cosmos than anything I ever do. The biggest victories are probably the ones no one will ever see. I really hope that that concept comes out in The Resurrection.
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by Jason Joyner | Mar 21, 2011 | Blog, CSFF, let's provoke some grey matter, Mike Duran, suspense, writing craft
Now THIS should be interesting!
The CSFF Tour for March is featuring my blogging buddy Mike Duran (of Decompose fame) and his first book, The Resurrection.
I have to say, some of the most interesting tours and best books that we’ve reviewed in the CSFF Tour have one thing in common. No, it’s not that they’re speculative fiction – that category is too wide (sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural suspense, etc).
It is the fact that they are controversial.
Last year we featured Lost Mission by Athol Dickson. It was a complex book both in its writing structure and its themes. Some loved it (like me), and others responses ranged from didn’t like to not being able to recommend due to theological issues.
Mike has been a prolific blogger who asks hard questions about the world of Christian fiction and whether its boundaries are too narrow. It is no surprise that his own fiction pushes said boundaries. I don’t think in any way he is trying to do it out of a rebellious spirit – the flow of the story naturally takes him places, and he doesn’t dodge the hard stuff.
I’ve already reviewed the book here, so I invite you to check it out. Tuesday and Wednesday I will be running an interview with Mike, and he has some thought-provoking answers. I’m also interested in what the other tourmates have to say. I’ll leave today with my own synopsis of The Resurrection, and you can check out the other good folks on the tour below it.
Reverend Ian Clark is ready to resign his post at Canyon Springs Community Church, being haunted in multiple ways by failures in his past and by his rising doubt. Ruby Case is a young mother with a lifelong limp, a steadfast faith, yet a weariness that there is not more life in their church.
Little does Ruby know how she will help bring life back to Canyon Springs.
When she visits the funeral of a friend’s young son, she isn’t expecting a miracle. But when the boy sits up after she touches him, a firestorm is lit in this quiet California town. Some people come to Ruby for their own miracle. Some denounce her and the resurrection as a fraud.
Rev. Clark must wrestle with his questions, while both he and Ruby find that other forces do not take kindly to invasion of their dark territory. As the back copy of the book states: When the dead come back to life, someone must pay the price…
One more thing – many of the participants got a free review copy. I paid cold hard cash for this. So my opinion is my own. Thank you. (So is their opinion, they’re great people here)
Noah Arsenault
Brandon Barr
Red Bissell
Book Reviews By Molly
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Melissa Carswell
Jeff Chapman
Christian Fiction Book Reviews
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Wanda Costinak
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Janey DeMeo
Cynthia Dyer
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Katie Hart
Joleen Howell
Bruce Hennigan
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Carol Keen
Emily LaVigne
Shannon McNear
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
John W. Otte
Gavin Patchett
Sarah Sawyer
Andrea Schultz
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Dave Wilson
—
by Jason Joyner | Mar 21, 2011 | Blog, CSFF, let's provoke some grey matter, Mike Duran, suspense, writing craft
Now THIS should be interesting!
The CSFF Tour for March is featuring my blogging buddy Mike Duran (of Decompose fame) and his first book, The Resurrection.
I have to say, some of the most interesting tours and best books that we’ve reviewed in the CSFF Tour have one thing in common. No, it’s not that they’re speculative fiction – that category is too wide (sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural suspense, etc).
It is the fact that they are controversial.
Last year we featured Lost Mission by Athol Dickson. It was a complex book both in its writing structure and its themes. Some loved it (like me), and others responses ranged from didn’t like to not being able to recommend due to theological issues.
Mike has been a prolific blogger who asks hard questions about the world of Christian fiction and whether its boundaries are too narrow. It is no surprise that his own fiction pushes said boundaries. I don’t think in any way he is trying to do it out of a rebellious spirit – the flow of the story naturally takes him places, and he doesn’t dodge the hard stuff.
I’ve already reviewed the book here, so I invite you to check it out. Tuesday and Wednesday I will be running an interview with Mike, and he has some thought-provoking answers. I’m also interested in what the other tourmates have to say. I’ll leave today with my own synopsis of The Resurrection, and you can check out the other good folks on the tour below it.
Reverend Ian Clark is ready to resign his post at Canyon Springs Community Church, being haunted in multiple ways by failures in his past and by his rising doubt. Ruby Case is a young mother with a lifelong limp, a steadfast faith, yet a weariness that there is not more life in their church.
Little does Ruby know how she will help bring life back to Canyon Springs.
When she visits the funeral of a friend’s young son, she isn’t expecting a miracle. But when the boy sits up after she touches him, a firestorm is lit in this quiet California town. Some people come to Ruby for their own miracle. Some denounce her and the resurrection as a fraud.
Rev. Clark must wrestle with his questions, while both he and Ruby find that other forces do not take kindly to invasion of their dark territory. As the back copy of the book states: When the dead come back to life, someone must pay the price…
One more thing – many of the participants got a free review copy. I paid cold hard cash for this. So my opinion is my own. Thank you. (So is their opinion, they’re great people here)
Noah Arsenault
Brandon Barr
Red Bissell
Book Reviews By Molly
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Melissa Carswell
Jeff Chapman
Christian Fiction Book Reviews
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Wanda Costinak
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Janey DeMeo
Cynthia Dyer
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Katie Hart
Joleen Howell
Bruce Hennigan
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Carol Keen
Emily LaVigne
Shannon McNear
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
John W. Otte
Gavin Patchett
Sarah Sawyer
Andrea Schultz
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Dave Wilson
—
by Jason Joyner | Mar 1, 2011 | Blog, christian fiction, Mike Duran, one coffin slightly used, speculative fiction
What happens to a pastor who may be losing his faith when a resurrection happens in his town?
Last week we had another interesting Christian Sci-fi/Fantasy Tour with the book The God Hater. This book was based around a specific message, with the story enveloping it. It was overall popular with the tour, with me in the minority view that the story didn’t carry the potent message.
I did a little compare/contrast with the book I read just following The God Hater, Mike Duran’s debut novel The Resurrection. Mike’s blog is one that I frequent, and have often linked from here for his thought-provoking articles on Christian fiction. I promised a review of Mike’s book afterwards, so here we go.
Reverend Ian Clark is ready to resign his post at Canyon Springs Community Church, being haunted in multiple ways by failures in his past and by his rising doubt. Ruby Case is a young mother with a lifelong limp, a steadfast faith, yet a weariness that there is not more life in their church.
Little does Ruby know how she will help bring life back to Canyon Springs.
When she visits the funeral of a friend’s young son, she isn’t expecting a miracle. But when the boy sits up after she touches him, a firestorm is lit in this quiet California town. Some people come to Ruby for their own miracle. Some denounce her and the resurrection as a fraud.
Rev. Clark must wrestle with his questions, while both he and Ruby find that other forces do not take kindly to invasion of their dark territory. As the back copy of the book states: When the dead come back to life, someone must pay the price…
Mike Duran is a pastor who has hit the place of burnout in ministry, something I’m realizing comes all too often for a profession that doesn’t get allowance for struggle or failure. Moved to minister through the power of fiction, he has written a dynamic and haunting first novel that is an excellent exploration of faith, doubt, and the collision between the two.
The story carries an ominous tone throughout, keeping the suspense high as the reader always wonders when something bad might happen. We know books are supposed to have happy endings, but Mike manages to keep the outcome in question up until the climax, which isn’t an easy feat. The characters have real struggles. Ruby didn’t want to become a miracle worker, and she is challenged when others’ expectations are that she can turn the power on at will. She wants to help people, but doesn’t have “the formula” handy. Meanwhile young Rev. Clark wrestles with powers both worldly and spiritual as he’s forced to confront his doubt instead of nursing it to a full denial of his beliefs.
Ruby is a well-rounded person. I felt a lot of connect with her. Rev. Clark was a little distant, without quite as much depth of character as I would have liked. There’s not much on his life outside of being a smart but conflicted minister. Still, he is honest in his queries, and he probably represents a lot of pastors with his concerns. Other characters in the book are vivid and unique, keeping the fictional Canyon Springs grounded as a real place.
There are a lot of ideas in this book. Mike does a good job of bringing them into the story organically. Little seems forced, although there are times when the explanation of the religious theories undergirding the plot get a little too thick. Otherwise, he has a gift for description, and I felt like I was in California with the pictures of local flora and the atmosphere of the town were evocative. There’s a few glitches in the craft, like any new author would face, that are minor and shouldn’t distract from this enjoyable fiction escape.
I’ve followed Mike’s blog for a long time, and I was excited to see him get a contract. My curiosity could finally be satisfied whether his fiction talents matched his thoughtful blogging style. I’m happy to say that The Resurrection sucked me in, made me think, and has stayed with me after two weeks of finishing. The book is a suspenseful exploration of deep questions of faith, while giving hope in the power of Jesus to touch lives today, even in the darkest night.
—
by Jason Joyner | Mar 1, 2011 | Blog, christian fiction, Mike Duran, one coffin slightly used, speculative fiction
What happens to a pastor who may be losing his faith when a resurrection happens in his town?
Last week we had another interesting Christian Sci-fi/Fantasy Tour with the book The God Hater. This book was based around a specific message, with the story enveloping it. It was overall popular with the tour, with me in the minority view that the story didn’t carry the potent message.
I did a little compare/contrast with the book I read just following The God Hater, Mike Duran’s debut novel The Resurrection. Mike’s blog is one that I frequent, and have often linked from here for his thought-provoking articles on Christian fiction. I promised a review of Mike’s book afterwards, so here we go.
Reverend Ian Clark is ready to resign his post at Canyon Springs Community Church, being haunted in multiple ways by failures in his past and by his rising doubt. Ruby Case is a young mother with a lifelong limp, a steadfast faith, yet a weariness that there is not more life in their church.
Little does Ruby know how she will help bring life back to Canyon Springs.
When she visits the funeral of a friend’s young son, she isn’t expecting a miracle. But when the boy sits up after she touches him, a firestorm is lit in this quiet California town. Some people come to Ruby for their own miracle. Some denounce her and the resurrection as a fraud.
Rev. Clark must wrestle with his questions, while both he and Ruby find that other forces do not take kindly to invasion of their dark territory. As the back copy of the book states: When the dead come back to life, someone must pay the price…
Mike Duran is a pastor who has hit the place of burnout in ministry, something I’m realizing comes all too often for a profession that doesn’t get allowance for struggle or failure. Moved to minister through the power of fiction, he has written a dynamic and haunting first novel that is an excellent exploration of faith, doubt, and the collision between the two.
The story carries an ominous tone throughout, keeping the suspense high as the reader always wonders when something bad might happen. We know books are supposed to have happy endings, but Mike manages to keep the outcome in question up until the climax, which isn’t an easy feat. The characters have real struggles. Ruby didn’t want to become a miracle worker, and she is challenged when others’ expectations are that she can turn the power on at will. She wants to help people, but doesn’t have “the formula” handy. Meanwhile young Rev. Clark wrestles with powers both worldly and spiritual as he’s forced to confront his doubt instead of nursing it to a full denial of his beliefs.
Ruby is a well-rounded person. I felt a lot of connect with her. Rev. Clark was a little distant, without quite as much depth of character as I would have liked. There’s not much on his life outside of being a smart but conflicted minister. Still, he is honest in his queries, and he probably represents a lot of pastors with his concerns. Other characters in the book are vivid and unique, keeping the fictional Canyon Springs grounded as a real place.
There are a lot of ideas in this book. Mike does a good job of bringing them into the story organically. Little seems forced, although there are times when the explanation of the religious theories undergirding the plot get a little too thick. Otherwise, he has a gift for description, and I felt like I was in California with the pictures of local flora and the atmosphere of the town were evocative. There’s a few glitches in the craft, like any new author would face, that are minor and shouldn’t distract from this enjoyable fiction escape.
I’ve followed Mike’s blog for a long time, and I was excited to see him get a contract. My curiosity could finally be satisfied whether his fiction talents matched his thoughtful blogging style. I’m happy to say that The Resurrection sucked me in, made me think, and has stayed with me after two weeks of finishing. The book is a suspenseful exploration of deep questions of faith, while giving hope in the power of Jesus to touch lives today, even in the darkest night.
—
by Jason Joyner | Feb 23, 2011 | Blog, CSFF, fiction, Mike Duran, writing craft
Okay, so I’m in the minority in this one.
Yesterday I gave my review for The God Haters by Bill Myers, in which I didn’t have a great opinion of the book. It seems that a majority of the CSFF Tour is enjoying the book. There are a few that REALLY love it, a wider majority that likes it a lot, and there are a couple of stragglers with me saying “Meh.” (I love to say “meh” even when I don’t have a reason for it. Meh.)
That’s alright. Everyone’s going to have an opinion, and I admire what he tried to do, and he’s published way more books than me, so take this for what it is.
I followed The God Hater by reading The Resurrection, the debut novel from internet buddy Mike Duran, and the subject of next month’s CSFF tour. The back-to-back reading was an interesting contrast to me.
Bill Myers said in a Q&A in the back of his book that he likes to have a significant quiet time each morning with God to seek ideas about his writing. He seems to write books directed at opening Biblical truth in new ways via fiction. This is my take at least, and I consider it an admirable goal.
Mike Duran has been blogging for quite a while at Decompose, and he is a strong proponent of the “art first/message second” school of thought.
I mentioned yesterday that there seems to be two philosophical schools in CBA fiction (and in Christian entertainment in general, i.e. film, music, etc.). One way has a message or theme that they craft a story around, and the other comes at a story open-ended, and in the creative process the theme works out from that. Of course these are simplifications and these type of things never fit neatly into a specific box.
I would say that there was a different tactic taken by the two authors I’m contrasting. My perception is that Myers was inspired to write a story that presented God’s logic as a creator through an imperfect vessel, an atheist professor, and had to weave around that framework. I would guess Duran asked a question: What would happen if a resurrection happened today, and wrote his story exploring that a little more open-ended.
I’m not trying to say one way or the other is right. I would say that there are potential pitfalls with both approaches. Myers’ book is a loose allegory, and to try and work a Biblical tale into modern fiction is a difficult task. An author really has to nail it to make it work. I think Francine Rivers has done that very well with her book Redeeming Love, which is mentioned often as a great book that is a Western take on the story of Hosea. I’ve also seen books written closer to Duran’s work that don’t make a strong statement one way or the other on its premise, which is a let down to a reader.
I remember a heated debate in the mid 90’s (yes, way back then) when the editor of CCM Magazine slammed the latest album by Carman, considering it to be inferior art and only a vehicle for preaching a message with a beat associated with it. The two sat down in an interview and cleared the air, but it was an interesting event nonetheless. I do side more with the editor, because I think Christian art (whether fiction, music, or film) gets a bad rap when we produce weak product but sell it because it is “ministry.” Brandilyn Collins is a prolific suspense author that has been praised by Publishers Weekly. She has said many times her job is to entertain first, but as a Christian author she gets to put in truth to varying degrees based off what fits the story, which only adds depth to what she is doing. I like this statement, and I would say it sums up my philosophy well.
I can’t really state where either author comes from. I can only give my opinion and relate it to the idea of how do we write. The two different novels served as a jumping off point is all. Obviously The God Haters didn’t work for me, but I also don’t like those that get sanctimonious about a work of art being inferior. Give your opinion, but don’t take it personal. I’ve seen other Christians get on their high horse over such issues. I wish Bill Myers much success in his writing career. But I won’t be passing it on to other readers either.
If you’re curious about The Resurrection, I’ll have a review of it for my next post. If you want to see what the other tourmates are saying about The God Maker, check out Becky Miller’s blog, as she keeps track of all the posts for the tour. The CSFF tour is always enjoyable in seeing the varying opinions, so check them out!
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