When I began to research my novel, The Lost Epistle, I had to make confront many decisions. I had to decide whether the book was going to be a plot driven book, a character driven book, or some combination. I had to decide how to present a mystery/thriller/adventure story that had the kind of tension that would keep readers turning pages and how to engage readers with interesting (ie., non-plastic) characters who were identifiable with “real life” people. I had to find a way to offer readers a satisfying way to feel both involved in the adventure of finding a “lost” epistle written (or possibly written) by the Apostle Paul, as well as be challenged on some level to examine the theological tension that this “lost” (and potentially dangerous) manuscript might engender in their own minds and hearts. I felt very strongly that any attempt to convince the reader of the truth or falsity of the Christian faith would be a mistake and would dilute the core tension of the book that such issues are better left in tension within each person. For that reason, my characters run the gamut of belief. Some are clearly not people who adhere to orthodox Christian faith; some are hyper-conservative believers; some want to use the lost manuscript to justify a long-held church position and thereby control those who have more faith in the Church than they do in Christ, and some are people of faith who view the potential of an explosive “new” Pauline manuscript as an opportunity to better understand what they believe and why (and what they might do with an original Pauline letter that explodes two thousand years of orthodoxy. The reality is that we are all on some sort of “faith journey” – even if we don’t profess a faith at all. The reality is that whether we “believe” in the accepted tenets of Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant (with all its myriad varieties), Jehovah Witness, LDS, or some other variant of Christian, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, agnosticism, atheism, etc., etc., we all – at some point or another confront the kinds of issues that faith offers solutions for. Is there an afterlife and how do we attain it (ideally, in a positive iteration!)? On what basis do we interact with others? How do we determine right from wrong, good from evil, etc.? On what basis do we make moral and ethical decision? And how do we process the notion that each person has a potentially very different set of answers to all of these questions?
So, as I worked through all of these issues in the context of a (hopefully) engaging, and to the greatest extent possible historically accurate and theologically fair mystery thriller, my goal was to create a tension that each reader had to confront in pouring over the pages, not just a fun plot but also in a somewhat faith-challenging way. Because for each of us, the notion of faith can be dangerous. It can lead us into peace and hope and community or it can lead us toward anger, despair or isolation.
One of the early readers of the novel told me, “I really loved your book. I couldn’t put it down. But I have to say, about a third of the way through it, I strongly considered taking you up on charges of heresy before the Elders of the church.” Actually, that made my day. I want the book to be a little dangerous. I want you to have fun and jump on the train for an adventure with the characters, but I also want you to at least contemplate the question: What do I believe and why? What might threaten my faith (if you have one) and what would I do if, indeed, there came to light a lost Pauline Epistle that collapses everything he wrote in his canonical letters?
That’s what this book is about. I hope you will consider reading it and if you do, I’d love to hear from you – good or bad. I’ll say this: I’m proud of it, but under no illusion that it’s the end all be all of literature. It’s a great rollicking novel that takes you on a ride and at the same time, asks some questions. Enjoy.
