Novel Review: Those Who Dwell Upon the Earth by James D. Sanderson

I reviewed this novel on 07/10/19 in another blog, now defunct.

Those Who Dwell Upon the Earth. 

What will we do when the nations of the world finally resort to the ultimate violence - nuclear weapons? When the world economy collapses. When the world goes to war? Will we choose even more violence and chaos to solve our problems, or will we find some other way?

Will we Christians choose to follow Christ, building loving communities, caring for others, finding forgiveness and living the way of nonviolence? And if we do choose this way, what will that look like?

'Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth' is a novel about a small Christian discipleship group that decides the time has come to choose this new way. Over time their tiny community grows into a full-blown movement. At that point, they are seen as a threat to the authoritarian government that has taken away our civil liberties. Who will prevail?

Before the end times come the bad times - the Troubles. How will we as Christians respond?

Perspective by Peter:

I was asked by the author to review this novel. I was intrigued by the description that asked so many pertinent, challenging and confronting questions for Christians:

• What will we do when the nations of the world finally resort to the ultimate violence – nuclear weapons? When the world economy collapses. When the world goes to war? Will we choose even more violence and chaos to solve our problems, or will we find some other way?

• Will we Christians choose to follow Christ, building loving communities, caring for others, finding forgiveness and living the way of nonviolence? And if we do choose this way, what will that look like?

• Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth’ is a novel about a small Christian discipleship group that decides the time has come to choose this new way. Over time their tiny community grows into a full-blown movement. At that point, they are seen as a threat to the authoritarian government that has taken away our civil liberties. Who will prevail?

• Before the end times come the bad times – the Troubles. How will we as Christians respond?

Sanderson sets out in this novel to answer those questions and show how it could be done and the price to pay in doing it. It is a very biblically based novel. Sanderson weighs heavily on this and it pays off. He has obviously done his research both Biblically but also politically, economically and socially.

This would be the only novel that I have come across that explores in great depth what it means to live for Christ and live out His teachings in the worst possible scenario. It is confronting to read and imagine as we currently live in the opposite culture and economy. But we all know that as Christians our future before Christ returns is going to be problematic and instead of being materialistic and self-reliant as we are now it will be the opposite of this in that futuristic world ".....where nations of the world finally resort to the ultimate violence – nuclear weapons? When the world economy collapses. When the world goes to war? When the human race chooses even more violence and chaos." We will have nothing to rely on as it will be all stripped away. This novel shows that. But what is interesting and contributes to our difficulty in being prepared for this is in today's world is that we do live more of a life that is self-reliant and materialistic, even amongst Christians. Not all, but maybe the vast majority. And as soon as we become Christians, we should be living reliant of God and living out the Bible's instruction for living and those of Christ's that the Bible mentions here in whatever period of time we find ourselves in.

Sanderson successfully shows what it is like once those conditions in the future have occurred. It is bleak, most of the population are destitute unless they are wealthy by being in the corrupt and greedy elite that exists. The division between the rich and poor is the greatest of all time in this novel. It is very obvious. It is black and white. You are either in the poor group or the greedy, corrupt elite group or you are not. This latter group exists from the levels of authority up, the police force, manufacturing, the levels of local and federal government.

Against this setting, Sanderson has created his novel. He shows us another way, a way that is of Jesus and outlined in the Bible. Here his research into past revolutions pays off. He uses the main character of Jesus (same name as Jesus Son of God), but not the one and same. This character is called Jesus as his mother had a feeling he would be destined for doing some good so she named him after her Saviour.

Jesus shows pretty much that he is human only, he even has his doubts, as we all do. The death of his wife from the greediness and corruptness of the hospital and government system fueled his motivation to seek a better way of living and providing for everyone's needs on every level. Fighting this greedy and corrupt way of life following the Troubles (the period of time before the current setting of this novel, where the Great Collapse occurred, followed by the Great Bombardment, then the Great War, that lead to the Great Dark Age that is now the setting and time of this novel).

Jesus of this novel becomes convinced that the non-violent way of protest and revolution is the way to behave and live in this Great Dark Age. Sanderson pulls together so many biblical tenets, sayings of Jesus, Biblical references that is is very convincing. One has to only look at this life on earth tho see that he lived and preached a non-violent way. However, the violence he showed in the Temple was righteous anger towards those who had denigrated the Temple and used it for a purpose it was not meant to have. This is very different from the motive of violent revolution and protest by mankind since then.

I can only think of one term to describe how the Jesus of the novel, encouraged, modelled and lived in this oppressive, corrupt Dark Age. That is Kingdom Living. It is not only based on non-violence but on building a self-sustaining community where everyone places the other above themselves and lives to provide for each and every one of them. Hence, we have Jesus setting up in this community, a clinic for the sick, barter system and a type of monetary system, food provision, sanitary and hygiene, nurture of the land for best produce without depleting the soil of nutrients (very much a throwback to what we now know about leaving the land fallow). Interesting that in this community there is no need for any "Police" or justice system as everyone was mentored to live fair and justly and to be treated the same. Sounds idealistic but that is only because we have never experienced that in any of the government systems in the past or even the present. But the main difference here is also that in the community that the Jesus of the novel creates, the Spirit encourages them to become followers of Christ (therefore Christian) either upon their entrance into the community or later as they experience life where all their needs are met and they see the benefits of non-violence toward each other but especially towards their oppressors, those of the greedy and corrupt elite and of the local and federal government. Reminds me of the lyrics to one of the songs I grew up with,

"We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord, We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord And we pray that our unity will one day be restored, And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love, 

We will work with each other, we will work side by side, We will work with each other, we will work side by side And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride, And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love Yeah, they'll know we are Christians by our love.".

 Every instance where Sanderson has the Jesus of the novel, espouse more of the Biblical tenets of living like this and of non-violence is one refreshing and uplifting account. Sanderson uses this novel to not only do this to the Christian reader and challenge the non-Christian reader as well but to show how this message is just as important in the past but more so now. We are heading for this more and more each day. Persecution of Christians in third world countries or those countries who are intolerant of any other religion or belief that poses a threat to them (and Christianity appears the only belief system that poses this) is not nowadays just confined to those countries with this track record. Western countries are following suit. Slowly, everything that shows you follow the God of the Bible or live the way encouraged therein or says anything against society's way of life is considered hate speech and treated as terrorism. The penalties do not sway from either a monetary fine, imprisonment or death.

I can see why Sanderson calls this novel a novel of social protest. In the guest post concerning the background of this novel, he states, in response to the increasing division between the rich and poor,

‘Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth’ is a novel of social protest much like John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’.  One of the primary criticisms of ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ was that it presented a philosophy of communism. It is that same criticism that is likely to be levelled against ‘Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth’.  When, in the extreme case of corruption, violence, and oppression in a government, the common people are forced to rise up and take control of the mechanisms of power, some form of communism may be the result.

There are several differences between a communist state and a church community.  First and foremost is belief in God and the Bible, and a commitment to following the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  There is a huge difference between a totalitarian police state and a loving and benevolent Father God.

The second difference is found in the voluntary nature of giving and sharing in the Christian community as found in Acts 2:42-48, and other places, and the mandatory ‘sharing’ that is found in a communist system.  Being forced to contribute does not lead to loving care for one another. It leads to deceit and fear and anger.

The third difference between a communist state and a Christian community is the general sense of wanting to comply with God’s will, as opposed to being forced to comply with a central committee or power, or a single dictator.  There are many other differences as well.

‘Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth’ anticipates what it would look like for a small Christian disciple group to act and lead in a world that has suffered the great agony of financial collapse, nuclear bombardment, and another world war.  How would their way be different from the way of the world?

What we see in this novel is not a turn toward communism, but a way for people to move forward in the loving embrace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  This is truly a different kind of Christian fiction. It is literary, intelligent, action-packed – being thrust forward by a sense of community movement – and very important for today’s Christian trying to ‘make it’ in the real world.

Even when I read that before this novel, I knew I was going to be challenged and may be convicted of some of the attitudes and behaviours I have allowed to exist and influence me. But this is the beauty and success of fiction. It not only entertains but educates, instructs, uplifts and edifies, the latter three I see more and more in Christian fiction when the author is obedient to the Spirit and is writing for Him. I applaud Sanderson for writing this novel. As Christians, we are to encourage each other, we are to be a conduit of the Spirit, we are to show each other how to live according to what the Bible and Jesus teaches. Sanderson has found an effective way to do this.

To contrast the way of non-violence to achieve a revolution against the corrupt, greedy and unjust government system, Sanderson shows how the ends do not justify the means. To illustrate this, he has two opposing factions, the Fist of Christ and the Bright Star who use violent means and other tactics to overthrow this government and its greedy and corrupt system, but who end up becoming corrupt themselves and not unified, not at peace with themselves or achieved their aims. Sanderson even has these two factions meet with the Jesus of the novel to discuss tactics and each of these factions does not understand his non-violent means and they leave empty-handed. In the end, it is this community and those like them that are non-violent based and live according to the tenets of the Bible and the direction of the Spirit that are the ones that are successful and a force to be reckoned with in this revolution against the corrupt ruling system.

I would say this is not a character-driven novel, but one that is mainly plot-driven. Due to the message that Sanderson wants to portray as discussed above, it needs to be this way to show how the dynamics of this message play out. However, I agree that as far as showing Christians/humans showing care and concern for each other and the love of Christ and being Christ-like toward each other and everyone else, you would expect that the author would show at least enough characterisation to make them credible and relatable for the reader and for same to see how this is possible in real life and not just as part of the plot of a novel.

I found Jesus of the novel to be very much like Jesus of the Bible without considering him to almost be God-like in this depiction. This former Jesus shows if we are in tune with the Spirit by humility, obedience and constant communication through prayer, and living out His tenets, those in the Bible and being a conduit for the Spirit, we can be transformed by Him. This character seems to be the only Spirit-filled character in the novel. But he does stand out as a Pastor to follow not just because we follow Pastors but in this case, because he does live as a man of God and one where God is with him.

Through the Jesus of the novel, Sanderson shows how we need to be very conversant with the Bible and its tenets, equally with those of Jesus and what He instructed us to do contained in this book as well. And not just to be conversant with this but to have the understanding of what it means in order to live it out as our modus operandi. It is more of a way of life, it becomes part of your faith and motivated by the Spirit that lives inside you and the transformation that only He provides and achieves in you.

This is one very different novel that what most Christians will read. I can see it being criticised for being preachy, but for such an important message Sanderson has been instructed to deliver, to place too much emphasis on the action and plot arcs would water down this message and make it invalid. If I was this author, I would ignore all criticisms of such and any others. This is a spirit-filled novel, it is rich in the Word, rich in its tenets, examples, bible verses and stories. It is one with an important and timely message for those Christians with discernment for all and anything relating to the Spirit and what He wants his followers and those seeking Him to hear, in this case with increasing persecution of Christians and the eradication of all things Christianity and God wise before the "Troubles" to come leading up to the return of Christ. Those who feel it is too preachy or saturated with the message of the Spirit can always cease reading, close the book and their hearts to this message and move on.

Sanderson has thought, due to the nature of the message of this novel, that a Reader's Guide is warranted. I highly recommend this. It gives a summary of events in each chapter and some snippets of the themes running throughout them. However, this does not replace reading the novel as you get the full appreciation of it when you do so. It also contains more of his reasons for writing it and about the themes and message of the novel, together with the structure and style of the novel. Finally, at the end, there are Discussion Questions for Group Study. For those readers who would not be in a group study, I found these questions good to answer myself. 

Highly recommended.   

The three ratings below are based on my discernment:

World Building 5/5 

Characters 4/5 

Story 5/5

The two classifications below are based on the booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland:

Spiritual Level 4/5

Enemy Spiritual Level 3/5

Overall Rating: 4.2/5
______________________________________________

Spiritually, based on my review and on the aforementioned reference booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland (Radiqx Press) and that Those Who Dwell Upon the Earth contains elements of the criteria of what constitutes Christian Redemptive Fiction outlined in this booklet, together with David Bergsland, we bestow to James Sanderson, the

Reality Calling Redemptive Fiction Award

Congratulations, James!

To Buy, Share or Preview this novel or the Reader's Guide, click on the images below,

Readers and reviews are an author’s best asset, so I encourage any reader, to consider reading Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth and the Reader's Guide and submit a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (or any other social media you subscribe to).

Reviews help promote an author’s novel to potential readers and encourage the author to keep writing. Reviews also help get the author’s message (and God’s message) to the reader, whether Christian or not, who may need encouragement and support in their lives while being entertained by the story.

Guest Post: James D. Sanderson, His New Novel, Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth. A Novel of Social Protest.

 I featured this author on 28/09/19 in another blog, now defunct.

Today, I am featuring author, James D. Sanderson as my guest. He has just released a new novel, Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth. This is his first literary novel, set in the future, speculative in nature that asks the following questions,

• What will we do when the nations of the world finally resort to the ultimate violence - nuclear weapons? When the world economy collapses. When the world goes to war? Will we choose even more violence and chaos to solve our problems, or will we find some other way?
• Will we Christians choose to follow Christ, building loving communities, caring for others, finding forgiveness and living the way of nonviolence? And if we do choose this way, what will that look like?
• Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth' is a novel about a small Christian discipleship group that decides the time has come to choose this new way. Over time their tiny community grows into a full-blown movement. At that point they are seen as a threat to the authoritarian government that has taken away our civil liberties. Who will prevail?
• Before the end times comes the bad times - the Troubles. How will we as Christians respond?

I encouraged James to explore the background to his novel and discuss some of its themes and the challenges it presents to us. So below is his impressions on this that form the basis of his novel.

This is one very encouraging and challenging post. James has a heart for Christ and how to live for Him. It is with pleasure to feature him on this blog to encourage and inspire us. I can see his novel doing this too. I will be reading this novel, this week. 

But first, a book trailer to set the stage for this:

'THOSE WHO DWELL UPON THE EARTH' IS A NOVEL OF SOCIAL PROTEST

There is really no understanding the poor, the homeless, the disenfranchised of American life. On the one hand, there would seem to be enough for everyone – enough opportunity for all – we would only need to divvy it up properly. Because of this, there is a great distance between the wealthy, who believe everyone should work hard and pull themselves up by their bootstraps, and those who ‘are’ working hard, often two or three jobs between a husband and wife, and yet who are unable to ever pull themselves up. Medical bills wipe out their meager savings. The car breaks down. They get stopped without insurance because they cannot afford insurance this month. They have to choose between light, heat, rent, food and a hundred other things that are getting more expensive all the time.

The distance – the lack of understanding - exists on the other side too.  On the side of the working poor. They can’t see how they will ever get ahead.  They know the game is rigged against them but they can’t figure out how. When the rent is due they are just as likely to buy a pack of cigarettes, a bottle of wine, or a big old birthday cake for their precious six-year-old daughter.  Their frustration with ‘the system’ grows until it erupts in anger – often directed at each other – or ends in defeat and despair.

No one should have to live this way – too rich or too poor, because either extreme is bad for the soul.  Yet a point seems to have been reached that leads to greater control of markets by corporations, by wealthy investors, by government cronies.  By the capital class. While the working class is squeezed more and more and is in jeopardy of being crushed out of existence. When the developers and speculators can reap obscene profits, while the butcher at the local grocery store cannot pay his bills, something has gone terribly wrong.

No one seems to know what to do.

‘Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth’ is a novel of social protest much like John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’.  One of the primary criticisms of ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ was that it presented a philosophy of communism. It is that same criticism that is likely to be levelled against ‘Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth’.  When, in the extreme case of corruption, violence, and oppression in a government, the common people are forced to rise up and take control of the mechanisms of power, some form of communism may be the result.

There are several differences between a communist state and a church community.  First and foremost is belief in God and the Bible, and a commitment to following the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  There is a huge difference between a totalitarian police state and a loving and benevolent Father God.

The second difference is found in the voluntary nature of giving and sharing in the Christian community as found in Acts 2:42-48, and other places, and the mandatory ‘sharing’ that is found in a communist system.  Being forced to contribute does not lead to loving care for one another. It leads to deceit and fear and anger.

The third difference between a communist state and a Christian community is the general sense of wanting to comply with God’s will, as opposed to being forced to comply with a central committee or power, or a single dictator.  There are many other differences as well.

‘Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth’ anticipates what it would look like for a small Christian disciple group to act and lead in a world that has suffered the great agony of financial collapse, nuclear bombardment, and another world war.  How would their way be different from the way of the world?

What we see in this novel is not a turn toward communism, but a way for people to move forward in the loving embrace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  This is truly a different kind of Christian fiction. It is literary, intelligent, action-packed – being thrust forward by a sense of community movement – and very important for today’s Christian trying to ‘make it’ in the real world.

I have an excerpt below. I chose this excerpt because it best illustrates the power of Christian love in action.  Power in the hands of the corrupt – worldly power – can seem invincible. But we know from all the stories of Jesus, and the illustration He lived in His life, that true power lies in the hands of God.  We need only turn to God and rely on His power to see miracles in this world.

From Chapter 8:

Immediately Jesus established the Church of Animas.  He used the time-honored wisdom of the Apostle Paul, who directed Titus to appoint elders in each city.  He looked for the Biblical qualities of vigilance, blamelessness, the husband of one wife, soberness, of good behavior, given to hospitality, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy, but patient, not covetous, of good reputation, and all the rest.

“Eldership is not a position of honor, as we have seen in other churches.  An elder is a certain man who is wise; who has consistently lived a solid life; who prays; who studies his Bible; who teaches sound doctrine; and who can oversee the Body of Christ.”

He did not spend a lot of time citing what he believed was wrong with the official Certain Way of Truth Church.  The fact that it was hierarchical, run like a business enterprise with a Chief Executive Officer; that it was ‘the’ only church-sanctioned exclusively by the government; that it had become comfortable and inward-focused; or that it held its money in reserve against a rainy day rather than using it to help the poor or reach the lost was something, he said, they would answer for.

No, he had his hands full without all that.  He was not out to reform the official church, but to replace it with a truly new Body of Christ, inspired by the New Testament model, filled with the Spirit of God – filled with love and concern one for another – outwardly focused, following the commands to ‘go and preach’ and ‘go and make disciples’, paralleling the mission of Christ Himself as He said He had come to seek and save that which is lost.

At that time, before much had begun to happen in the way of opposition, Jesus taught his disciples (a group that now numbered seventy because of his dynamic and persuasive preaching), about the nature of power:

“Power is not found in a single large block, as most people seem to think.  No, there is as much power as there are people. What seems to be a mighty block of power is in reality made up of infinite unseen atoms – each one of you.  If those atoms refuse to cooperate with the whole block, or if they organize in another way separate from the block; what seems mighty and invincible – the block itself – flies apart.

“Power is not held in the hands of the few unless that power has been granted to them by the many.  That is why violence is unnecessary and even counter-productive. There is no need for violence when people simply withdraw or withhold their consent.  ‘We are making a different choice,’ they are saying by refusing to cooperate with their own oppression. The use of violence may give the authorities reason to retaliate in like manner, or even more violently, and they may actually find justification in cracking down on the resisters – even killing innocents as they do so – as part of their quest to ‘keep order’.

“Do you understand?  There is no need for it.  Let us take as an example, the establishment of this church – the Church of Animas.  We need no one’s permission to do this. What we are doing here is not breaking any law.  We are simply calling together the three elders (there may be more but we have not identified them yet) and have begun to preach the message of hope to those who, for whatever reason, have found themselves outside the walls of the official church.  By creating this Church, we have established an alternative – a choice – for the people of our community. There is no need to become combative or belligerent. There is no call for violence. We are quietly and peacefully placing our ‘membership’ in a new place.”

Of course, this discourse made perfect sense to the disciples, and yet they found his teaching radically different from any way they had perceived things before.  “Here is a man who teaches with great authority,” they marveled.

“It is the same with our community,” he continued dialectically.  “Since decent services have not been provided and are not being provided to the common folks currently, we are at liberty to simply provide those services for ourselves, whatever anyone else may do.  There is no need for a fuss. We may choose.

“Only if others come to oppose us – our activities – or attempt to outlaw them, will conflict arise.  Even then the choices remain with us. We can ignore them. We can disobey unjust laws. We can resist those who attempt to wield power for their own purposes.”

The Novel's Structure and Style

To understand the structure and style of ‘Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth’ we must turn to the gospel of Mark.  Many scholars over the years have attempted to discover a structural plan and scheme for this gospel, some with interesting results.  It seems elusive in its very simplicity. One may rightly conclude that the gospel was written with a very literary intention. That the author of Mark lived and wrote in a particular moment in history and that he had full control of the material at hand – the story of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

One of the most intriguing of those studies is ‘Binding the Strong Man – A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus’ by Ched Myers, a work that I admire very much.  His is an in-depth and complex examination of the figure-eight structure of Mark’s underlying organization.

Myers presents the first half of Mark as a ‘prologue and call to discipleship’; ‘the first direct-action campaign’; the first sermon on revolutionary patience’; Jesus’ construction of a new social order’; and the execution of John and the first epilogue’.  There is then a very distinct breaking point at the midpoint of the story which leads into the second half of the figure-eight, ‘the second prologue and call to discipleship’; ‘Jesus’ construction of a new social order ii’; ‘the second direct action campaign’; ‘the second sermon on revolutionary patience’; ‘Jesus’ arrest and trial by the powers’; ‘the execution of Jesus and the second epilogue’.

A much simpler plan was used to structure the novel.  The author found an introductory section in the first Chapter of Mark.  In the gospel, Chapter one verses 1-15 we find John the Baptist calling for the people to ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”  He preached, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the straps of whose sandals I am unworthy to stoop down and untie.” Jesus himself is baptized by John.

It is at this point – with the baptism – that the novel begins.  The character of Jesus has baptized himself in the lake and spent forty days fasting and praying in the wilderness.  In the gospel, verse 12, “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness,” where Jesus is tempted by Satan.  After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the Good News of God. “The time is at hand,” Jesus proclaims.  “And the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel.”

The next section in both the gospel and the novel tell the story of local ministry – in Galilee and in small-town Colorado.  In the novel the small Christian disciple group grows into a movement for social change and builds a practical program of renewal for the people and their city.  In the gospel, this section ends with healing a blind man and sending him back home while he, Jesus, and the other disciples went into Caesarea Philippi and on toward Jerusalem, conflict, death, and resurrection.

In the novel, this section ends with leaving the Church of Animas behind to grow as it has been growing all along.  Jesus and a few of his followers set out on ‘The March’ toward Denver, toward conflict, and death and, they hoped, toward resurrection.

The third and final section of both the gospel and the novel is the long journey into the heart of the ruling powers – church, military, and government.  In both, we see a renewed call to action and teachings which are intended to illustrate this new way. The new location for the showdown between the powers and this new way is the city of Jerusalem in the gospel of course, and in Denver in the novel.

In both cases, the dramatic build-up is intense as the powers recognize the threat, issue their warnings, and finally move with overwhelming force – “and with him (Judas) a great multitude with swords and staves…” – to crush any dissent or opposition.  The power elite simply cannot be defeated.

It is then, however, at the very moment of our weakness, that we can find the strength through Christ to prevail and to transcend the entire situation.  It is then we discover the true transcending power of the cross.

The style of the novel is fast-paced, tense, and taut.  In the gospel of Mark, we have a sense of constant movement with words like ‘immediately’ and ‘right away’.  That same sense of pace is used in the novel. Almost at once conflict is set up as any move to live as Jesus lived and teaches us to live will come into direct conflict with the world.  The character development is minimal, being sacrificed for the overall call to action. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ you take on certain characteristics that transcend personality or personal desires.

The use of a submerged first-person narrator is the key to the style of this novel.  It is this sense of personal storytelling without revealing its source that keeps the reader engaged in the welfare of the characters in spite of their rather sketchy development.  In several instances, the reader catches glimpses of the interior life of Jesus through his journal entries. Not until the end of the novel, however, does the first-person voice of the narrator emerge as one of the common people of that future time.

For those who want to study this novel in more depth, James has developed A READER'S GUIDE: THOSE WHO DWELL UPON THE EARTH. It provides background, literary analysis, critical thought, insights, author information and questions for group discussion.

James blogs at: http://jamesdsanderson.blogspot.com/

His Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JamesDSandersonBooks/

If this has piqued your interest in reading this novel and/or its Reader's Guide, click on the image below:

About James D. Sanderson:

Author James D. Sanderson was born and raised in the Midwest – in Michigan – where he lived the values of a hard-working blue-collar family.  He began reading great literature at an early age. The idea that we are to live greatness in our lives took root then. That our time is limited and therefore valuable – not to be wasted on trivial matters or cheap entertainments.  That, if God took the time and effort to create us, that is something special. Life is not to be squandered.

He was a nominal Christian until a mission trip to Nicaragua confronted him with poverty and the way of nonviolence in the face of a civil war that had left that country devastated.  His faith in Christianity as Sunday gathering and religious observances was overturned. When he returned home his wife Nancy and he began an outreach to the homeless, the poor, the disenfranchised, the lost and forgotten in their community.  The practice of Christianity in that setting changed everything. Then a homeless woman living in a cave challenged him, “If you want to know what it’s like living outside in the winter, why don’t you come out and try it for yourself.” So he did.  That challenge, “try it for yourself,” has informed his ministry and his writing since the beginning. “If we don’t know first-hand what we’re writing about, we have no business writing,” Sanderson has said.

His writing is built upon the foundation of great literature, the Bible, and has been influenced by Steinbeck, Dickens, Tolstoy, Henry David Thoreau, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and many others.  His attempt to express the way of Christian love, nonviolence, missional community-building, and solidarity with the poor and downtrodden of society is unparalleled, especially in literary fiction. “Theology has to work in the real world,” Sanderson says.  His writing reflects that conviction.

Readers and reviews are an author’s best asset, so I encourage any reader, to consider reading Those Who Dwell Upon The Earth and submit a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (or any other social media you subscribe to).

Reviews help promote an author’s novel to potential readers and encourage the author to keep writing. Reviews also help get the author’s message (and God’s message) to the reader, whether Christian or not, who may need encouragement and support in their lives while being entertained by the story.

Please note: As an Amazon Associate, I am required to disclose that book cover images or titles of novels in this post are paid links if they are linked to Amazon and result in a sale.

Fallen by Melinda Viergever Inman

Fallen

Love takes action. The Creator God establishes the cosmos and shapes a man. Adam rises from the dust. Envious, the powerful angel Lucifer despises him. Oblivious to the threat, Adam is captivated by his strong, intuitive wife Eve. In the Garden of Eden, they enjoy abundant food, gorgeous vistas, and intriguing challenges, including their budding love and passion. They have it all! 

But Lucifer's deceptive brilliance tricks them into disobeying God. Their unity with one another and with God is destroyed. Lucifer's jealousy threatens mankind's tenuous beginning. But God is merciful. What astonishing promise does He make? How will Adam and Eve survive - broken, shattered, and separated from God? 

The Guru's Review: 

I have waited 3 years to read this novel! It had been on my To Be Read list on Goodreads since that time but due to reviewing other authors novels, I have only now managed to get to it now.

All I can say is the wait has been more than worth it! This is a beautiful and tender novel. There are novels where the reader can feel the author pouring herself into it with the utmost passion for writing and the storyline and this novel is one of those. Having read some of Inman's Tweets, posts from Facebook and her website, she is passionate about writing, about the art of story creation, expressing her love for God and all things relating to Him. It definitely shows in this novel's construction and forms one of its foundational pillars.

I have not come across a novel where there is so much detail in describing the gaps in the Genesis account of Adam and Eve, their fall from Grace and their life after being banished from the Garden of Eden. Inman has clearly researched this, discussed with other Christians who would be able to provide more insight and expound more on this. Inman has a short reference list at the end of the book that has influenced the storyline and added to her poetic licence to fill in these gaps in this Biblical narrative. This licence does not detract from it but actually is an enhancement without making it more important than what God has included. To me, it reads as if it is a fictionalised account that could be considered the closest to what it could have been that the Biblical narrative does not give account.

It is very much alive this account of Ish/Adam and Isher/Eve. You are transported there; it is almost as if you are part of this narrative and not just reading it. I found myself relating to everything they experienced from Creation to their sin culminating in their hardship and rediscovering themselves and how to relate to each other as a result of their new fallen nature. The way God had created them to be one with each other and with God made me yearn for this when He returns and restores us to Him. Inman shines here in her description of this relationship. Again it is beautiful and tender. Reading this pre-fall account of their relationship only reinforced this oneness of what I have felt towards my own wife since marriage, albeit not to the full extent of what Adam and Eve experienced as these two are the only ones to experience the full relationship of what God had intended.

Inman further shines in her description of how this perfect relationship between them and God is destroyed and what it then comprised as they move forward with the reality of their now sinful and fallen nature. I am sure every married couple reading this, if they are honest with themselves, will relate and even be confronted with some of the emotions, attitudes and behaviour that Adam and Eve now exhibited towards each other. I know I did! And what this did to me was to reinforce what I have discovered that relationships, especially a married one, require more work on every level, physical, emotional, spiritual and on a daily basis in every situation that you are both presented with.

Inman is very clever at describing this. Reading how Adam and Eve were before their sin and after, reads like a relationship manual. The thought struck me that she has included all there is to identify in dealing with relationship conflict and resolution, learning about each other and in relation to each other and overcoming this by referencing it back to God for His guidance in what He required of them in their situation. It is here that they learn how to effectively communicate, the art of listening, of honesty, forgiveness and in understanding each other's point of view. They also learnt about dealing with anger, bitterness, regret and resentment. I even thought that every engaged couple or those wanting to be married should read this novel just for these insights! They are rich and powerful. If any reader approaches this novel with a teachable spirit, they will pick up some valuable relationship gems to apply to their lives and be strengthened and blessed by it. And all the while honouring God in the process seeing He is the force behind these insights.

One of the most powerful insights I found from this novel and that is reinforced in the Bible and what I have applied in my marriage, is that as Adam and Eve, before their sin, placed each other first and would lay down their lives for each other. It was the opposite story after their sin. Sin changed this attitude and behaviour of looking out for the other to only looking out for themselves. Placing the other first is now what we have to learn and apply to our lives and it is no wonder that Jesus stressed this to us in His example of what a married relationship needs to be. Just as He laid down His life for us, He has specified that we need to lay to lay down our lives for each other in marriage. I stated this as a condition for my future son-in-law that he could marry my daughter only if he was prepared to lay down his life for her and place her first in everything, just as Jesus had done for us! It is what I have based my marriage on and can vouch for its success. It was also what I based my Father of the Bride speech at their wedding!

Where Inman shines again, is her description of the creation of Ish/Adam and Isher/Eve and the Garden of Eden. Compared to other novelised accounts which can be dry, and very matter of fact, Inman evokes your curiosity through Ish's as he wonders in the flora and fauna, his naming of them, and in the natural workings of the environment and world that God has created. This also adds to the mystique of this part of the novel, it is not a bland description that makes you want to gloss over but encourages you to be in the same wonderment that Ish had about every aspect of this created world. And it is this description that shows more of the nature of God and the depth of relationship that He has toward His creation, the highlight being Ish and Isher. Inman's depiction of God/Creator is very relational and not just as a hierarchical Being but one that is intimately involved with His creation, especially towards Ish and Isher.

Inman has dealt with the sexuality of Ish and Isher very appropriately and respectively and I believe as close as possible to how God planned it. These two are the only ones who have lived to have experienced sex how God created it to its fullest (before their sin) and how it was different afterwards. Pre their fall, it was an integral part of their oneness with each other and towards God. Post their fall, it was fragmented and not so integrated as before. Tiredness and the effects of conflict between them altered to some extent this oneness and enjoyment of it between them. And the human race since has only experienced sex and sexuality through the effects of sin and our fallen nature. Even today, sex and sexuality in the media, education and many other areas, including families are not promoted as an expression of love and oneness towards each other within the confines of marriage but just a physical act, a relieving of one's sexual urge and expected behaviour in relationships. And the perversion of it is just becoming more so with each passing year under the new attitude of it being normal and healthy. And sadly, even in Christian marriages and amongst Christian singles, the adherence to the Bible's principles of marriage, sex and sexuality are challenged, modified and in some cases suppressed and rejected. I applaud Inman for showing and being daring to do so in today's world of political correctness to include this in this novel. She shows faithfulness to God's standards and not man's in this regard. May all Christians follow her example and stand up for what is correct in God's eyes!

Years ago, when I examined why I love Christian fiction, I identified some key points and it is these that I love to see in a Christian novel (and can be found in the Why Christian Fiction? tab in this blog): 

• it has entertained me immensely, 
• it has encouraged my walk with God, 
• it has not deviated from biblical doctrine, and it will not, I believe, lead a non-believer astray or promote false doctrine, 
• it honours God, 
• it does not encourage worship of the created (eg angels) instead of the Creator (God). 

Well, Inman has more than succeeded with these criteria in this novel! She has encouraged not only my walk with God but has encouraged me to continue to place my family first and them above myself.

And since I started reading and reviewing Christian fiction, I have identified that this area of fiction across all its genres, deals with the following issues/doctrines: 

• relying on God through difficult and trying circumstances, 
• the nature of God, developing faith and trust in Him, 
• encouraging others, 
• spiritual warfare, 
• demonology, 
• angelology 
• being true to yourself, 
• standing up for what is right, 
• Godly romance, 
• sex and sexuality. 

and all these are in this novel, in varying degrees! Now, I realise that these are included in the biblical account of Adam and Eve/Genesis and elsewhere in the Bible, but I applaud Inman for being faithful to the Biblical account and to God in these areas and through the use of poetic licence. 

Inman is adept in outlining God's plan for salvation and redemption, and I appreciated how she integrated this through the fall of Adam and Eve, what this then meant to them and future generations until, through their lineage, one would come to crush the serpent's head and become the Saviour of mankind, restoring/reconciling man back to God. It was such a joy to have Inman include the reasons why God knew Adam and Eve would sin and how He had prepared a solution from the beginning which is where the doctrines of redemption and salvation come from. So much of this is omitted from similar Christian novels that leads to the plotline being thin and any Gospel message watered down. These two doctrines are, in some Churches just not taught today. I applaud Inman (yet again!) for doing this and showing how fiction can be used mightily by God to educate and uplift one's faith or sow a seed concerning biblical truth and principles. I loved how Adam and Eve began to identify these motives from God in response to their sin and fallen nature and integrated it into their newly forged relationship with each other and God. In doing so they also learnt more about the nature of God, His mercy, goodness, patience, forgiveness, "restoring lovingkindness" (to quote the author), His unfailing love, his Omniscience and that He will never forsake them. 

Inman also shows valuable insights into the spiritual warfare side of the fall of man relating to Lucifer's rebellion, banishment from Heaven and bondage to Earth. Despite his revenge enacted through his attempts to destroy everything relating to God's human race, represented here by Adam and Eve, he underestimated who God is and His Sovereignty. Inman provides a valuable biblical truth here, as Lucifer (now named Satan since his sin and rebellion) experiences first hand how the power of God's love for Adam and Eve and their love for Him, makes their relationship with each other and with God "fireproof" while the Spirit of God remains working in and through them. Inman's description of this account is a powerful read and gives the reader a solid basis of God's commitment to us that can be seen in John 3:16 as the fulfillment of this commitment and love towards us while further illustrating that nothing we do will separate us from His love as the apostle Paul expounds in  Romans 8: 35-38, the latter being my favourite Bible verse.

I am looking forward to reading the sequel, Refuge, over the next few weeks. This series is truly a blessing. I would recommend this novel to any Christian but especially to new Christians. This would definitely give reinforcement to their newly found faith and supplement the basic tenets of Christianity. I highly recommend the study guide at the end for this purpose as well. 

Inman has definitely allowed the Spirit to use her talent, imagination and creativity to craft a novel that is very much God-honouring and faith strengthening. As one of my author friends states, if you are a Christian author and you believe God has mandated you to write, then write for Him. I can see that Inman definitely does this. 

Highly recommended. 

The three ratings below are based on my discernment:

World Building 5/5

Characters 5/5

Story 5/5

The two classifications below are based on the booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland: 

Spiritual Level 2/5

Enemy Spiritual Level 3/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

_______________________________________________________

Spiritually, based on my review and on the aforementioned reference booklet, A Spiritual System for Rating Books by David Bergsland (Radiqx Press) 

Melinda Inman is bestowed the

Reality Calling Pre-Christian Godliness Fiction Award

Fallen contains elements of the criteria of what constitutes Pre-Christian Godliness Fiction and is awarded to novels with level two spirituality detailed in the Booklet. This criterion is as follows:

• they accurately depict Godly living at the Old Testament level,
• they clearly reveal the Truth about the Lord and how He works. 
• there must be specific references to the coming Savior/Redeemer and the Lord’s ultimate plan for His people.

Congratulations, Melinda!

To buy or preview this novel, click on the BUY/PREVIEW icon on the image below: