Tag Archives: Church History

A Wretched Man novel: the first review is in.

Writing can be a solitary endeavor, but when we share our words with the world, it can be as scary as dropping one’s pants in the midst of a crowd (thanks to fellow Loft writer Jim Lundin for the simile). My novel is now at the point where others are reading it, and that is daunting.

My publisher has been busy sending out “galley copies” (which they refer to as ‘”advance reader” copies) to potential reviewers. With a novel release set for next February, we are hoping to generate buzz and to obtain some favorable comments to use in marketing. Yesterday, the first comment arrived. Here it is:

A Wretched Man is a powerful recreation of the world of Paul, James and Peter that pulls no punches! In this highly readable novel, based on contemporary scholarship, Paul comes alive as a complex individual. What accounts for his visceral attack on Torah? What was behind his careful avoidance of James and Jesus’ first followers in Jerusalem? What drove him on to the ends of the earth, setting up the infrastructure of a new religion? It’s all here as Holmen explores Paul’s inner turmoil and the likely motivation behind Paul’s beliefs and actions. Agree or disagree, this book opens up the reality of the world of Paul and his contemporaries in a way no other work does. Real individuals, with passions and agendas, step on to the world stage.”

Barrie Wilson, Professor, Religious Studies, York University, Toronto. Author How Jesus Became Christian.

Whew. That wasn’t so bad.

A Wretched Man: novel to be released soon

The edits are finally done, and the manuscript has been formatted for printing. Front and back cover designs are in place for the galley copies that have been ordered. A limited, preliminary print run will produce galley copies (also known as advance reader copies) that will be provided to reviewers. The publication process slowly chugs along, and now I must wait nervously and hope for a favorable review or two …

BEYOND BELIEF The Secret Gospel of Thomas by Elaine Pagels

I just finished reading Beyond Belief by Elaine Pagels for the second time. I read it a few years ago, but I reread it in preparation for teaching an adult forum at Bethel Lutheran in Northfield about the historical process of canonization of the books of the New Testament.

A Wretched Man: Front cover design picked

My publisher has been working on front cover designs for a few weeks. The novel is still a few months away from the bookstores, but this is what the cover will look like:

New Title: A Wretched Man, a novel of Paul the apostle

Based upon discussions with my publisher, I have decided to drop The Jewish Gentile as my novel’s title. The new title is A Wretched Man, a novel of Paul the apostle. This is based on the famous line in Paul’s letter to the Romans, “Wretched Man that I am! Who will save me from this body of death?”

The publisher is performing the final edit, and we are discussing cover designs.

Writing my novel: Part 4 (the daily process)

Sometime around 6 am most days, I bounced off the walls on my way to the kitchen, spilled coffee grounds, splashed water, and finally flipped the switch on the drip brew coffee maker. Then I impatiently stole a mug of black coffee long before the whole pot had dripped through the grounds.

Writing my novel: Part 3 (learning craft)

Dad, you write like a theologian. Or, a historian. Or worse yet, like a lawyer.

So said my eldest daughter, herself a poet and free lance writer, upon reading the first pages of my first draft.

Book Review: The First Paul by Borg and Crossan (Part 3)

In part 1, I introduced co-authors Borg and Crossan, and in part 2, I discussed their majority view treatment of authentic Pauline letters vs pseudo-Pauline writings that came later as “correctives” to the radical Paul, in the authors’ view. Today, in part 3, I will discuss their less orthodox view that the Roman Emperor and the Empire were Paul’s veiled enemies in his writings, and this discussion will include links to a number of discussions of this issue.

Borg and Crossan are first and foremost Jesus scholars who offer a low christology that is less divine and more human, less other-worldly than here and now, more about a social reformer than an end-times avenger. Whether one agrees or disagrees is not relevant to this book, but what is important to note is their attempt to have Paul fit the same mold. This is where they part company with their scholarly peers.

Book Review: The First Paul by Borg and Crossan (Part 2)

Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to talk back, not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity … Titus 2:9-10a NRSV

How can these words of Paul that were used to justify slavery a century and a half ago be excused as part of “Reclaiming the Radical Visionary”?

Book Review: The First Paul by Borg & Crossan (Part 1)

Original members and leaders of the Jesus Seminar, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan have settled in as very popular authors, reaching beyond the academic community into the pews.