The Oracles of Christian Men:

The 1cChristian Author 1d as a Unique and Necessary

Phenomenon of the Postmodern Church

By

R. Alan Woods

San Diego: Rhema Rising

Copyright 2007

Words are tools and as such, they give expression to our

reasoned thoughts. Words are either spoken or written.
A writer should and most often does take into account
their audience before they chose a topic and a thesis- the
perspective through which an opinion is made and an
approach to presenting a focused point-of-view.

A 1cChristian Author 1d, as I intend it 19s meaning to be,

is someone who writes on a variety of topics, either
Biblical or extra-Biblical, from a uniquely Christian
perspective that emanates from its subsequent 1cmind-
set 1d in presenting a highly focused and 1cspecialized 1d
point-of-view that is intended primarily for an audience
that is holy (sic) Christian in its worldview.

For Christians, understanding 1cThe Faith 1d requires

the reading of the Bible both 1cdevotionally 1d and
1cexpositorially 1d which seems to justify the
admonition of the apostle Paul who said 18...[You]
should study the Word of God to show yourself to be
approved of God 19.

For a Christian to become an author there are two

primary disciplines to master. The first is theology,
which emanates from the body of the canon of scripture.
The second is- if English is the predominate language of
their audience- English composition in the specialized
context of expository and creative writing.

The Christian author has fulfilled a need not fully met by

pastor/teachers. Pastor/teachers have limits because of
the constrictive nature of the expository techniques they
train in seminary to master that utilize the two main
interpretive analytical tools of hermeneutics and
exegesis. A more analogous and appropriate description
would be to describe them as pastor/interpreters. The
typical pastor/interpreter also has some additional
constraints as well- Time. He has but sixty minutes
allotted on any given Sunday to cover a Biblical topic
taken from scripture and can only traverse a limited
amount of territory and of that ground not much below
the topsoil. It would take a week of Sundays to exhaust a
topic on just one chapter in the Bible!

The Christian author is not limited to just the

interpretation of scripture per say, but is free to
synthesize from it practical applications by filtering
them through a uniquely Christian 1cworld-view 1d and
the subsequent mind-set which allows freedom to then
write on a variety of 1cextra-Biblical 1d topics. One can
then illustrate these focused topics to be applicable
where the rubber-meets-the-road in a Christians daily
life.

The publishing industry has more than responded to the

needs expressed by the Christian community and it 19s
uniquely focused post-modern world-view. This
phenomenon has created a 1ccottage industry 1d which
consists of a milieu of specialty Christian publishing
houses who only publish and market books that are
written by Christian authors. Publishers who have been
traditionally 1csecular 1d heretofore in the context of the
subject matter, world-view, and content contained
within the books they have published have also
responded to this felt need in the market place, and the
subsequent specialized market trend this need has
produced by developing 1cspin-off 1d companies that
cater to this very market.

It is exactly this manifested need that has been born out

of necessity that the 1cChristian community 1d of the
postmodern church has expressed. It has given rise to
the phenomena of the Christian author and has
effectively legitimized their function while concurrently
establishing it as a unique and needed ministry for all
Christians.

The Christian community is hungry for the knowledge,

understanding, and wisdom that a menu of such a rich
variety offers to them and from which they can make
selections that will satiate that hunger. The Christian
Author has become a five star gourmet chef on a global
scale to Christians and the corporate expressions of their
spiritual communities.

The old English adage first coined by Edward Bulwer-

Lytton in 1839 for his play Richelieu- 1cThe pen is
mightier than the sword 1d- expresses aptly the power
the written word has to inform the minds and change the
hearts of men. John F. Desmond in his book 1cWalker
Percy 19s Search for Community 1d says, 1cThe gift of
language has been linked to the gift of Logos and the
sacramental gift of life, the Eucharist 1d (p. 105). If this
is true, then do Christian Author 19s mediate as minister
19s the Words of Life through that which they write?

Percy Walker seems to think so when J. Robert Baker

says of his theosemiotic, 1cHuman community becomes
the sacrament of God 19s presence manifested in the
intersubjectivity created by the triadic use of language
1d (p. 117). Although I have attempted to make it clear
what I mean when I use the term Christian author, I said
in my critical review of Baker 19s article, 1cMr. Baker
does a much better job 1d, and Baker does this by
choosing to review the work of two writers who
epitomize the definition of that terminology. O 19Connor
and Walker as perfect examples of the Christian author
illustrate that their understanding of Theology and their
Christian life experiences informed their work (Woods,
p. 3, 3p). James McClendon 19s thesis in his book
1cBiography as Theology: how life stories can remake
today 19s theology 1d speaks directly to Christian life
experiences as a means of informing our understanding
of Theology or the Canon of Scripture as it relates to
practical applications of Spiritual Truths where the-
rubber-meets-the-road in our daily life as believers.

In their Book 1cThe Teaching Minister 1d Williamson

and Allen said, 1cFor in addition to instruction in
Christian doctrine per se, the congregation needs
instruction in the content of the Bible (and in how to
interpret the Bible), on the meaning of personal and
social experience in the light of the gospel, as well as
appropriate moral beliefs and behavior 1d (p. 83). Their
thesis is that pastors need to become more than just
expositors or interpreters of scripture. They need to
become 1cteachers 1d in the truer sense of the term as it
relates to the pragmatic application of scriptural truth.
Williamson and Allen contend that this is necessary in
the postmodern world where relevance is crucial in
communicating understanding that will lead to wisdom
for the believer.

In Wilson and Nolls 19 book 1cThe Best Christian

Writing 2006 1d and McCurry 19s scholarly article
1cBest Christian Writing 2006 1d, is ample evidence that
Christian author 19s are not limited to Biblical subjects
but have an infinite number of extra-Biblical topics from
which to chose.

In Daniel Radish 19s article 1cThe Good Book Business

1d, he has it made clear that the marketers and
publishers of Christian oriented books such as the Bible
and 1clife application 1d books are as informed as any
secular publishing house in publishing, promoting, and
distributing a Christian author 19s manuscript.

Kristen Holm and Don Prues in their book 1cWriters

Market, 1997 1d can tell you where and how to sell what
you write. Rick Frishman and Robyn Spitzman in their
book 1cAuthor 101 1d will direct you to the bestselling
book publishers. Ann Byle in her book 1cThe Making of a
Christian Bestseller 1d provides insider information on
how to secure the best Christian publisher for your book.

The earliest examples of Christian fiction are the

Psuedapigraphal writings of the second century and
most likely, some of the Intertestamental works
contained within the Old Testament Apocrypha. In the
mid twentieth century, emerge two Christian literary
giants- J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis who wrote both
works of fiction and non-fiction. In the mid 1970 19s, Hal
Lindsey 19s book 1cThe Late Great Planet Earth 1d had a
phenomenal success and was read by tens of millions of
Christians as well as non-believers. Pastor Rick Warren
19s book 1cThe Purpose Driven Life 1d has to date sold
more than eighty millions copies in sixteen different
languages worldwide.
The Christian Author is a unique and necessary
phenomenon of the postmodern Church.

Bibliography of Works Cited

Baker, Robert J. 1c 19That was a good article you wrote 19: Flannery
O 19Connor and Walker Percy 1d. The Journal of Christianity and
Literature . (54:1), August 2004. pp. 111-121.

Byle, Ann. The Making of a Christian Bestseller: An Insiders Guide

to Christian Publishers . Grand Haven: Faith Walk Publishing, 2006.

Desmond, John F. Walker Percy 19s Search for Community . Athens:

University of Georgia Press, 2004.

Frishman, Rick and Spitzman, Robyn Freedman. Author 101:

Bestselling Book Publishers . Avon: Adams Media, 2006.

Holm, Kristen C. and Prues, Don. Writers Market, 1997: where and
how to sell what you write .

Cincinnati: Writers Digest Books, 1996.

McClendon, James William. Biography as Theology: how life stories

can remake today 19s theology . Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1974.

McCurry, Jeffrey. 1cBest Christian Writing 2006 1d. First Things: A

Monthly Journal

of Religion and Public Life. (170), February 2007. pp. 52-53, 2p.

Radish, Daniel. 1cThe Good Book Business 1d. New Yorker (82:42),
2006. pp. 54-59.

Williamson, Clark M. and Allen, Ronald James. The Teaching

Minister . Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1991.

Wilson, John (Series Editor) and Noll, Mark A. (Introduction). The

Best Christian Writing 2006 . New York: Jossey-Bass; Rev Ed edition
(October 3, 2005).

Woods, Rodney A. The Sanctification of Humanity En-Godded by

Christ in The Christian Worldview 19s of Flannery O 19Connor and
Percy Walker as Incarnational Reality: A Critical Review of 18that
was a good story you wrote 19 by Robert J. Baker . San Diego:
Rhema Rising, 2007.