Playing Saint
Page 32
“There are two messages for you, Pastor Brian,” Ruth said, handing him a couple illegible notes on small slips of paper. He smiled and accepted them.
“What does this say here?” he asked, pointing to a particularly cryptic word.
“Halligan Moving Company,” she answered. “They called about an appointment tomorrow, but I didn’t understand what it was for.”
“It’s my office furniture,” he said. “I miss my office furniture. This stuff has seen better days.”
Ruth wrinkled her forehead. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. Some of these things arrived with Reverend Brian, Senior.”
He tipped back in his seat, intrigued. “You actually remember when Grandpa started pastoring this church?”
“I sure do. He did my wedding in 1949. And I knew your father when he was only this tall.”
“So which of these priceless treasures belonged to my grandfather?”
She squinted her way around the room. “That rocker in the corner was his. That love seat. This desk blotter, I believe. And this lamp. Your grandmother thought it was the ugliest lamp on earth, but Reverend Parker would never dream of parting with it.”
Parker picked up a plastic Bic. “What about this pen? Was this my grandfather’s pen?”
Ruth frowned and left the office.
He chuckled. This was going to take some getting used to. He thought of his sleek, spacious office at Abundance Now and let his eyes drift from the threadbare love seat to the rocker to the lamp . . . Honestly, the lamp wasn’t half bad. The shade was cheap and cracked, but the base was interesting, made of yellowed glass—almost an amber color—and filled with what appeared to be very realistic artificial flowers. And thorns.
Lots of thorns.
Pastor Brian picked up the phone and reached for Father Michael’s card.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Like most readers, I am often interested in the genesis of the novels I enjoy, as well as which aspects are rooted in reality and which sprang full-form from the author’s mind. Along those lines, I have been asked who some of the characters in this book are modeled after—generally by people who are reasonably sure they know the answer. The truth, however, is that the tension Parker feels between following Joshua Holton and following in the footsteps of his grandfather and Evert Carlson is a tension felt by almost every pastor I know, myself included, and on a certain level by every disciple of Jesus. The twelve certainly felt it (Mark 9:33–34; 10:37) and Christians—especially Christian leaders—have been tempted to chase the dragon’s crown ever since.
As far as the historical and ecclesiological devices are concerned, while the Sudarium of Oviedo is very much a real (and, I believe, true) relic, the Crown of Marbella and its provenance are products of my imagination. Likewise, the Jesuits Militant do not exist as such, although there is no shortage of claims that the Society of Jesus has functioned or does function as something of an ecclesiastical spy agency. Among such claims one finds frequent appeals to the so-called “Jesuit Extreme Oath of Induction,” which one can indeed find in the Library of Congress and the Congressional Record (including the text Parker highlights). Parker’s brief research and debunking of the oath’s veracity is a succinct recounting of my own conclusions on the topic, reached after a much more in-depth study of the matter.
If you take away anything from this book, I pray it will be that positivity in and of itself is powerless to save you and without the cross it will lead you in the opposite direction. Only Jesus’s substitutionary death and triumphant resurrection have the power to raise a broken sinner from death to life (Luke 11:24–26, Matt. 23:27).
Soli Deo Gloria,
Reverend Zachary Bartels
READING GROUP GUIDE
1. Do you accept Evert Carlson’s assessment of Satan, the dragon, as a combination of a lion (I Peter 5:8) and a serpent (Gen. 3:1)? Why would the enemy need both strategies?
2. Where in Scripture do you see Satan using his serpent strategy (i.e. slipping past a person’s guard undetected)? Where in your life have you seen this? Where in our broader culture?
3. Where in Scripture do you see Satan using his lion strategy (openly attacking, trying to shatter a person’s faith)? Where in your life have you seen this? Where in our broader culture?
4. Does worldly success necessarily open us up to temptation as it did with Parker? How can we guard against falling into a spirit of self-sufficiency (Rev. 3:17) when God blesses us with success?
5. What did you think of Parker’s evasive answers to the reporter and Father Michael’s philosophy that we should avoid glossing over differences and difficult truths? Is it ever wise to gloss over the truth?
6. Parker’s journey, while filled with trials, pain, and missteps, ultimately leads him back to the cross and to a place of being stronger than ever in his faith and more effective in his ministry. Have you ever gone through a similar valley, only to see in retrospect how God was refining and re-making you in His image?
7. Danny scoffs at Christians who are quick to see Satan in the obvious places (e.g. Damien) and to rebuke him there, while missing the “snakes slithering around their feet.” Do you think this is happening in the church today? Where and how?
8. Damien is outwardly hostile to Christianity because of the pain he has experienced at the hands of self-professed Christians. Only when Parker is forced to ally himself to Damien does the protective shell of hostility begin to crack. Can you think of opportunities in your own life to remember that people who are openly hostile to the Church are also broken people who need Jesus? What helps you maintain this Christlike mindset?
9. Did Jesus and the Apostles react more harshly to the Damiens of the world who rail loudly against the church or to those who slip in undetected and teach falsehoods? (See Luke 23:34, Matt. 23:15, Acts 16:25–28, Gal. 5:12)
10. Do you believe that there is any veracity to curses or spells? When the Bible speaks of “cosmic powers over this present darkness” and “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places,” (Eph. 6:12, ESV) what do you think that looks like in our world today?
11. What do you think of Dr. Graham’s assessment that effective spiritual warfare is comprised of two steps, which are simple but not easy? (See James 4:7)
12. Danny’s descent into full-blown demoniac status began with dabbling in darkness and the enemy slowly taking hold. Do you believe this can happen to a believer as well? Why or why not?
13. At the end of the story, it seems as though Parker will not be able to recover Hope Presbyterian’s former building. How important are physical church buildings to your faith? Is a church building simply a convenient place to meet or is there more to it?
14. What do you think Parker means when he says he has recovered the “greatest treasure of the Christian church”?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THE WRITING OF THIS BOOK TOOK LITERALLY YEARS AND MANY people were of great help. First and foremost, unending thanks goes to my wife, Erin, who is the greatest teacher, encourager, guide, and friend an aspiring novelist could ever want. Her skill as a writer is matched only by her patience in helping me along the way. My congregation at Judson Baptist Church has offered encouragement as well and has gladly put up with their pastor’s writing habit. (By the by, we’d love to have you worship with us any time—www.ChurchLansing.com).
Of course, my deepest thanks to my agent Ann Byle of Credo Communications, my editor Amanda Bostic and the whole incredible fiction team at HarperCollins Christian Publishing (for a large company, “y’all” feel suspiciously like a family), as well as Allen Arnold and LB Norton.
My boy Ted Kluck (as well as Chaz Marriot and the whole Gut Check Empire) was also instrumental in this book becoming a reality, as were Bill and Jen Colin and WAC Productions. And I appreciate everyone who was willing to slog through a pretty rough draft early on and offer advice and encouragement: Terry and Shelly Bartels, Noel Harshman, Mike Wittmer, Helen Patscot, and Noah Filipiak. And, oh, let�
��s say Turk.
I am also grateful to Lt. Col. Dave Grossman for his book On Combat, from whence comes the metaphor of sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs, and to the men of the White Horse Inn for getting me thinking about a lot of this stuff.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
AN AWARD-WINNING PREACHER AND BIBLE TEACHER, ZACHARY Bartels serves as senior pastor of Judson Memorial Baptist Church in Lansing, Michigan. He earned a BA in world religions from Cornerstone University and his Masters of Divinity from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. Zachary enjoys film, fine cigars, stimulating conversation, gourmet coffee, reading, writing, and cycling. He lives in Lansing, Michigan, with his wife Erin and their son.
Visit Zach on his website zacharybartels.com
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