Brock Thoene Answers The Faithful Fifteen
November 2003
FR: What kind of testimony to your faith are you demonstrating in this book? If you are writing fiction, do you write fiction that is based upon your faith or that has a message for the reader? Is you goal to demonstrate your faith in your writing?
Brock Thoene: Haven't you ever wished to sit in a room with Jesus? To pour out your heart, your questions, your concerns to Him and be able to see and hear His response? So have I! That's the premise behind FIRST LIGHT and the rest of the A.D. CHRONICLES to follow.
The people of Galilee and Judea, no matter how briefly mentioned in scripture, were real folks. They had families. They had problems and concerns. They had hopes and fears and dreams. They had lives both before and after their momentary meetings with the Lord.
Because FIRST LIGHT is set in the time of Jesus and involves characters who have personal encounters with Him, it is the most important book we've ever written. After forty some historical novels, we have finally lived long enough, been through enough, and experienced enough answered prayer to be ready to write these stories.
FR: Tell us about your church experiences, how you grew up (or maybe didn't grow up) in the church, where you attend now, your involvement in your local assembly, etc.
Brock Thoene: I was blessed to be raised in a family that loved the Lord, with parents whose lives were centered around a Bible-believing church. I came to faith in Jesus very early in my life but sadly, then went through many years in legalistic arrogance. I knew all the answers but not the REASONS. I credit Campus Crusade for Christ with opening my eyes and heart to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. And I credit my wife for demonstrating God's unconditional love, acceptance and forgiveness. What an exciting journey it's been! I have come to realize that where the Lord and His Word are concerned, every day is an opportunity for new learning about His love and grace; every study opens new vistas of eternal meaning if I take the time to look.
FR: Tell us about your current church family/fellowship. How does it influence your work?
Brock Thoene: We do not speak about denominational affiliation. As someone wisely once said, "Drawing any circle to include yourself IN, automatically keeps others OUT." We know and love believers from all walks of faith and all faith traditions. We love sacred liturgy. We have been humbled by attending missionary gatherings to hear reports of suffering for the faith that put us to shame. We have been caught up in the Holy Spirit excitement of praise and worship that goes on and on and on; we have been to healing services and felt the power of the Spirit's touch. We have experienced the continuity of thousands of years of believers in seeing how celebrating the Eucharist connects us all the way back to Temple worship. We have marveled at the depth of knowledge imparted by pastors who teach on overhead projectors during Sunday service. We pray and study with a couple's group that has recently completed applying THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE. We get daily e-mail prayer requests from brothers and sisters around the world. How big God is! How matchless and wonderful!
FR: Discuss your calling/mission --- as a writer and as a Christian. What are your Scripture reading habits? What books have most influenced your work?
Brock Thoene: Our calling? Do you have several days to hear what God has put on my heart? Seriously, here are just a few of the things that leap to mind:
One of the premises of the A.D. CHRONICLES is that everything means something. No single word in scripture was selected just because it worked as well as another. Just as we believe that there are no accidents and no coincidences, so we believe that scripture has layer upon layer of profound meaning.
The believers of the First Century understood the Gospel references without resorting to commentaries and concordances and Bible dictionaries. But 2,000 years of cultural and historical debris obscures those references. It's not that anything essential to salvation has been lost; no secret, private revelation here! It's more like this --- if you say you believe in, love and trust the Lord Jesus Christ, don't you want to know everything about Him? If He is your best friend, don't you want to fill yourself up with how He lived, what it was like when He was physically present on earth? So do I!
And by digging into ancient sources and studying Hebrew and Greek texts of scripture, you can get deeper and deeper insight. (And this digging is what we get to do every single morning in our study and prayer time.)
Take just one example: most believers, when told that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, instantly understand the connection explained in the gospels. Jesus was a descendant of King David, the heir to David's throne. Naturally He would be born in the City of David.
But is that all? Not by a long shot! You see, Bethlehem was the exact place where the lambs for Temple sacrifice were raised! Where else could the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world be born? Do you see it? The shepherds --- watching their flocks by night --- weren't just thinking about how much per pound they could get in the meat market. They were servants of the Most High, dedicated to bringing perfect, spotless, unblemished lambs to the Temple. No wonder they heard it first! No wonder they spread the news of what the angels announced to them!
Can you tell how excited I get about what we're learning? And it's all still there, just needing a little time and effort to get to.
A recommendation: if you don't know it already, get a copy of THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS THE MESSIAH, by Alfred Edersheim. You say Jesus is the lover of your soul? Then learn all you can about His life here on earth.
Second --- our calling is to break down walls, prejudice and suspicion. There are only really two groups on this planet: the saved and the lost. Any other division is artificial and inspired by the father of lies to divert us from our calling to preach the good news. Loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength is not possible if we violate the second commandment: to love our neighbor as ourselves. There's no wiggle room in that instruction. We don't get to pick and choose which neighbors we'll love because they're the right church affiliation, or color, or creed, or nationality.
Third (and last for now, only because this answer has gone on long enough) --- our calling is to say to everyone who reads: No matter what you've done, who you've been, how far from God you think you are --- there is hope for you. There is forgiveness for you. There is acceptance for you.
God showed His love toward us by having Christ die for us while we were still His enemies. Still His enemies! That means there's hope for everyone and, more importantly, for any ONE and you.
No one has dug a hole so deep or built a wall so high that Jesus cannot reach down or over and say, "Come here, friend. Let me show you what forgiveness and love really feel like."
That's it for now.
Love and prayers,
Brock
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