I started with a general outline. The story and some of the characters went in unexpected directions as I wrote.
Below is small sample of the novel. The character Eian is attempting to join an evangelical church (and pretend to be a Christian) in order to gain information on evangelicals as part of his job at a tech company.
“Normally, I ask those seeking membership in the church to share something of their faith.
May I ask, how did you come to know the Lord?” Davis inquired.
At first, Eian seemed to not understand the question, but quickly recovered, and offered this
response, “Reverend, I'm glad you asked that question. For me, really, the key was 9/11. It was on that
day sitting at a lunch counter watching the video of that terrible attack with other patrons that I reached a turning point. I felt a spiritual kinship with humanity and our common struggle for life and
wholeness.
Davis was unsure of how to respond. Outside of a marriage license, he was rarely called
Reverend. And he couldn't ever recall being called Reverend by a fellow Baptist. Eian's testimony,
such as it was, did not give him a warm and fuzzy about his faith. Davis began to wonder about
Eian. Is he for real? he thought. “When you sensed this lacking in you would you say that you
then saw Christ as the answer to your spiritual ills?” responded Davis.
“Absolutely Reverend, I saw Christ as a source of goodness and truth, beyond that of even
spiritual leaders such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King,” Eian answered.
In all his years of ministry at Middleville, Davis had never actually turned someone away
who was seeking church membership. Davis was a theological conservative, but he tried to be as
conservative, but he tried to be as generous as he could be in understanding the unique way in which each person came to know the Lord. He didn't hold anyone to a formula for conversion. Yet, Davis knew that turning Eian away was in fact the necessary thing to do. Searching for a graceful way to “No,” he stalled for time by asking another background question of Eian.
“What do you see as your life vocation?” asked Davis.
Eian appeared more than ready for the question, and as he answered, Davis largely forgot about
his plans to gracefully refuse him church membership. “I really see myself as called to be writer.
Although I am technical writer by profession (with an IT firm with a location in the area) I really have
aspirations beyond that. I would like to break into journalism, and perhaps, I know this sounds
ambitious, shape the way evangelical ministries, such as this one, are defined by the secular press,”
Eian responded.
Hearing this, Davis could only set aside any misgivings he had about Eian’s faith.
He would meet him with later to help help him understand the Gospel. But if he turned him
away, he would miss the opportunity to work with someone apparently of the same mindset as he with
regard to the attitude of the secular press toward evangelicals. “Well, I think I've heard all that I need to hear. As pastor of Middleville, I would like to warmly welcome you into our family of faith, Eian.”
