Mick Silva Editing

You know, you could do a lot worse than to write a bunch of books about this revolution. So many people don’t understand it, and most have never even heard of it. How will they hear if we don’t tell them?

There’s an axiom not used a lot by people who employ market research and target audience feedback data to determine which books are “hot”: people don’t know what they want until you tell them. This isn’t true with everything, of course. Clear Pepsi comes to mind.

But have you ever heard someone say they didn’t realize how lost they were until they were found or something to that effect? I think we’re all like that to some extent. We all have some part of us that doesn’t realize the very freedom we’re looking for is right in front of us, waiting to be seen. Why else would this be such a common theme in fiction?

Don’t listen to the dissent out there that says there’s no such revolution taking place. Don’t listen to the voice that says it’s never going to happen. It IS happening. It’s always happening for those who see behind the veil. Does the fact that it’s constantly occuring throughout history change the timeliness of this message? God is outside of time, choreographing it all. Does the word “revolution” sound too strong? The overthrow of the existing ruling class is exactly what we’re talking about. Those elements within that would squelch the truth about God and His nature are complicit with darkness. As Dekker said at Mt. H this past April, when we paint the darkness as gray to satisfy the ruling powers, we are complicit with that darkness. The devil masquerades as an angel. Of course many don’t see it.

Strong words, I know. And very hard to live by. Saying all this is one thing. Doing it is quite another. That’s what My Writers Group is for, to help us stand together and work out our faith with fear and trembling, and encourage each other to keep peering behind the curtain at the humble God pulling the strings. Yes, He’s humble. Glorious, magnificent, omnipresent, and humble, willing to reveal Himself in “shameful” ways that we’re not even willing to see: “But Lord, I cannot have You wash my feet….” That still small voice is trying to lead by example that there’s nowhere too “secular” or profane that He isn’t willing to go.

I know some out there won’t be called to this path, to redeem the CBA from its compromise with the unenlightened bookbuyers. That’s fine. But the revolution is coming and bookbuyers better beware. God will not be mocked for long. Am I going too far? Should we ask the district reps. at bookseller conventions how many complaints they get from people about “risque” and “blasphemous” books? Should we look into the complaints logged with Christian publishers about their “trashy”, “sacreligious” books? How many Christian authors haven’t received a letter from some irate fan calling his motives into question for the “salacious” content of his work? It’s not going to go away, so all we can do is accept it and band together to stand against it.

But slowly and surely, little shafts of light are showing through the barrier. And before long, it will look like Swiss cheese. The CBA shelves that used to be so “safe” and “clean” and sanitized will display books with little warning stickers on them. Or maybe they’ll be locked behind a glass case. Or maybe child locks. Or ink that’s only visible to mature Christian adults. But no. You know what? That’s not good enough. God didn’t protect the “innocent” from the Passover. And He didn’t make sure there were no children in the crowd at His crucifixion. Maybe it’s a grandiose notion, but I think within our lifetimes, the shelves will be a bit shocking to our more conservative CBA readers.

I’m not assuming it will happen overnight. But the only way to make it happen is to start talking about it like the inevitability that it is.