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Home » Theology » Page 5

Theology

Food vs. Medicine Books

By Dan Balowon September 7, 2022
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Even though this topic could be applicable to just about any type of book, we’ll be looking at those in the Christian publishing category today.

Categorizing books has been part of publishing for a very long time. Officially, there are over four dozen primary book categories designated by the BISAC coding system, which spin off to thousands of subcategories. For example, one of the primary categories is Mathematics, which has over 50 subcategories beneath it. Some primary categories have many more subcategories.

Physical bookstores generally use only the primary categories for shelving books. Public libraries have their own system, but still use a smaller number of categories than exist in BISAC.

For certain, it’s complicated.

To make this simpler for my convenience, every book published in the Christian market should be categorized into one of two categories:

Food

Medicine

For the sake of this post, I am not going overly deep into the exegesis of the words “food” and “medicine.” Yes, nourishing, healthy food is good medicine. But for today, keeping it on more of a surface level will be the extent of my analysis.

The Bible is both food and medicine. Only an all-knowing creator could combine the two perfectly. Food and medicine books have long been part of the Christian publishing landscape.

Food books are the inspiring, informative, encouraging, eye-opening, awe-inspiring type of books, in all categories. After reading, you are satisfied, joyful, uplifted, encouraged, and energized. Food books are messages from a good Father to His children, whom He loves.

Medicine books are convicting, motivating, change-making, emotion-draining, and challenging. After reading, you might be overwhelmed; but you know being stretched is a pathway to growth and change, which God desires for all His children.

However, if you aren’t careful, food books can become simplistic, fast-food that doesn’t do much except tickle the ears (or tastebuds); and the medicine-books can be harsh, unpleasant exercises, which few people read and take to heart.

Inside publishing, a common statement places a proposal for a medicine book in the “Castor Oil for the Christian Soul” brand. Sure, they are good for you; but they don’t taste very good, and the actual medicinal value is questionable. “Read this; you need it and it’s good for you, whether you like it or not.”  (I am not going to go down the route using “chicken soup” here because I promised I wouldn’t mix these categories.)

As Christian writers, you reflect the heart of God to His children and those made in His image. He is a good Father. This is for every type of Christian book, including fiction and books for children.

In your food books, make them a balanced meal of God’s heart. In your medicine books, combine God’s desire for His children to grow in their faith and life, without placing overly heavy yokes around their necks, thus exasperating them, as if from a stern, angry father.

Yes, this is hard. And it is why writing Christian books takes time, as authors take great care to accurately reflect the heart of God in what they do.

 

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Category: Book Business, Christian, Creativity, Theology

Against Laziness (A Writer’s Prayer)

By Bob Hostetleron August 24, 2022
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God, save me from laziness as a writer. Save me from the error of thinking my first draft is good enough. Save me from settling for second best. Save me from low standards, pedestrian thoughts, stale words, and pat answers. Grant me the grace to reread and rewrite with diligence and insight. Grant me the courage to invite and accept valuable and insightful critique from others. Grant me the …

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Category: Encouragement, Inspiration, Theology

Theology for Writers

By Dan Balowon August 4, 2022
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Spoiler alert: God’s nature never changes. His truth is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. While Christian writers seek to write in a compelling, engaging manner, seeking to pull readers through their books from paragraph to paragraph and page after page, the foundational theology of which they write never changes. You might write about the need for someone to make Jesus the Lord of their …

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Category: Theology

21 Influential Books

By Steve Laubeon July 18, 2022
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There is a shelf in our living room where I have placed the books that had the most influence on my spiritual growth. I call them my “Punctuation Marks” because in a metaphoric way some books were a comma, some an exclamation point, and some a period or full stop. The beauty of having them all in one place is the visual reminder of those moments when God reached out through the pages of creative …

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Category: Personal, Reading, TheologyTag: Books, Reading

He Is Risen!

By Steve Laubeon April 17, 2022
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He is risen indeed! “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we …

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Category: Personal, TheologyTag: Easter

Maundy Thursday

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon April 14, 2022
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Today is Maundy Thursday. As you feel led, visit this passage regarding the Last Supper and meditate upon it. I can never read this passage without thinking about how often I have disappointed Christ. And no matter how much I deny it, no matter how much I wish I were perfect, I am not. I will wretchedly and miserably betray Him again. And yet He forgives. I am nothing without Him. O Lamb of God, …

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Category: Personal, Theology

The Full-Armor Writer

By Dan Balowon March 2, 2022
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Christian communicators need a clear view of what they are getting into. No matter how creative you might be, if you are carrying the banner of Jesus Christ, you will become the target for attack. Pick any subject; and the world will object to it, going to varying lengths to marginalize it to the lunatic fringe. Thank you, social media. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. The times of “cultural …

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Category: The Writing Life, Theology

For Things That Are Important to a Writer (a Writer’s Prayer)

By Bob Hostetleron February 16, 2022
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Abba, Father, Lord God, thank you that I can type so fast, that the Internet makes research relatively easy (if dangerous), that I can work at home or in a coffee shop. Thank you that I can send manuscripts and galleys via email, that I can quickly search a document, that I can access, order, and download books online. Thank you that I can choose between screen and paper, digital or analog, old …

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Category: The Writing Life, Theology

God’s Timing vs. Ours

By Dan Balowon December 22, 2021
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With Christmas coming soon, we pause to remember what happened a couple thousand years ago. Of course, we know the whole story. The King of heaven was born, lived and died, resurrected and returned to the Father where he came from, all over a period of about 33 years. We can read a lot about his life, family, teachings, friends, followers, and foes in the pages of Scripture. But if we had a …

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Category: Personal, The Writing Life, Theology

The Writer’s Senses (a Writer’s Prayer)

By Bob Hostetleron November 24, 2021
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Gracious God, thank you for the smell of pencil shavings, the tactile elegance of a good fountain pen, and the click-clack of ancient typewriter keys… for the intoxication of creative juices, the sweetness of a well-turned phrase… for the creak of the office chair, and the surprise of a catch in the throat and the salty track of a tear on the cheek… for the hum of a computer, the …

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Category: Inspiration, The Writing Life, Theology
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