REPENTHOUSE

BRINGING GUIDANCE TO THOSE WHO WANDER

 

 

 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:

and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

Matthew 11:28-30

 

 

 

PART ONE: TOPICS

 

 

1.

Bible Study includes both aids to devotional reading and hermeneutics.  These may focus on specific books of the Bible like Genesis, specific authors like Solomon, extrabiblical figures who influenced the course of Biblical history like Julius Caesar, specific events like King Josiah’s reforms, or specific themes like mercy.  It may focus on one testament or both and may include the so-called intertestamental period during which most of the Apocrypha was written.

 

 

 

2.

Children’s Fiction comprises narratives written for a juvenile audience.  Subcategories include picture books (for preliterate children from birth to age five, but including folktales and nursery rhymes for parents to read aloud to them), early readers (ages 5-7), chapter books (ages 8-11), tween fiction (ages 12-14), and young adult (or YA) fiction (ages 14-18).  The so-called new adult fiction genre is emerging for readers 18-26 who are still living with their parents and (usually) attending college or a trade school.  Because of the mature themes involved, the editors at Repenthouse are not sure these titles should be classified as Children’s Fiction.   

        Major challenges in writing for children include handling controversial topics delicately (if at all), avoiding stereotypes, keeping the narrative age-appropriate throughout, and, as an adjunct, choosing vocabulary simple enough to be understood but advanced enough to educate.  Learn which words and concepts children are expected to have mastered at specific reading levels.  Both first- and second-graders will study early readers, for example, but second-graders are more likely to exhibit a deeper understanding of the world around them.  Depending on their dispositions, first-graders would probably appreciate Suzanne Lang’s Grumpy Monkey (2018) better than Jory John’s bestsellers The Bad Seed (2017) and The Good Egg (2019).  The earlier title is not to be confused with William March’s 1954 horror thriller about an eight-year-old psychopath and murderess, which despite its engaging style is not suitable for preteens, due mostly to its violence.  Third- and fourth graders tend to prefer titles like David Shannon’s A Bad Case of Stripes (1998), a relatively complex fable about social conformity, though each reading level typically expresses different reasons for liking it.  Some critics have challenged its surreal visuals, which suggest that the main character may be acting under the influence of drugs.  It goes without saying that authors should thoroughly familiarize themselves with the market.  The behavioral theories on which William March based his novel are now widely (though perhaps not universally) considered outmoded, so it’s advised to keep up with the latest published debates in the field of child psychology, even as they evolve in our lifetimes.

        Although one or more genuine “bad eggs” will inevitably play a part in the narrative, typically as a source of conflict that drives all fiction, at least one conscientious role model should set the proper example for readers by the last paragraph without playing too heavy a hand, even if he or she steps into those shoes reluctantly or unwittingly.  As the Bible cautions us, “Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise” (Ecclesiastes 7:16), which is to say “in excess,” prefiguring the words of Our Lord in Matthew 6:1, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.” 

        Whether the designated role models are human beings, animals, plants, or even little monsters, they are encouraged to “Let [their] light so shine before men [i.e., others], [so] that they may see [the characters’] good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).  Tween and YA fiction are especially demanding in this regard because they incorporate adult responsibilities into the story lines – such as caring for younger siblings or even ailing parents, knowing when to assert one’s independence and when to play exclusively by the rules, and entering into more mature and consequently more demanding relationships with friends, new relatives (say, by marriage), teachers, mentors, coaches, counselors, and eventually bosses.  Romantic relationships, often starting with crushes that seem overpowering when they’re first felt, come into play all too soon.  Determining how much detail to include and with what language so as to reinforce the proper Christian (and family) values of patience, compassion, devotion, and restraint, among others, presents the greatest difficulty for authors writing for teenagers.          

 

 

 

3.

Church Management encompasses all aspects of the administration of a local congregation, whether or not it is part of a denominational body such as a synod – including advertising, bookkeeping, community activism, childcare, contingency plans, crisis counseling, educational programs, eldercare, membership maintenance, fundraising, staffing, insurance, investing, tax filing, event scheduling, music ministries, prison outreach, volunteer programs, youth ministries, damage control, and public relations.

 

 

 

 

4.

NOTE: Always exercise caution when researching cults.  Most of them were devised by Satan

to push the curious, uninformed, and desperate into hell.

Those flagged in amber require great caution.

Those flagged in red require extreme caution.

Caveat lector!

 

Cults, sometimes described as New Religious Movements or NRMs by the PC pundits, consist of religious and quasi-religious groups whose charismatic but ultimately narcissistic leaders abuse their followers financially, psychologically, socially, sometimes physically and sexually, and above all spiritually, in part by taking on the role of God or Christ in the lives of their followers.  They may be broken down into the following general categories: destructive (like Jim Jones’s Peoples Temple), doomsday (like Aum Shinrikyo), occult (like spiritualism), personality (like the Ayn Rand Institute), political (like the Lyndon LaRouche Movement), polygamous (like the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), pseudo-Christian (like the Unification Church), racist (like the Ku Klux Klan), Satanic (like the Satanic Temple), self-improvement (like Landmark Worldwide), and sexual (like NXIVM).  The categories sometimes overlap.  The Ayn Rand Institute, for instance, began as a largely philosophical movement that now dominates the Libertarian political sphere.  Some groups, like the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM), were founded to mock the whole institution of religion.   Fortunately such organizations exist primarily online.  Religious bodies that endure the test of time often join the mainstream, among them the Community of Christ (formerly The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day [sic] Saints) and the Seventh-day Adventist Church, typically becoming less exclusive and less idiosyncratic in the process.  

        We’re primarily interested in the testimonies of persons who joined cults, especially pseudo-Christian or Bible cults, and eventually overcame cultic mind control to rejoin the bona fide faith community.   

It’s true that our world has become so depraved in recent years that some people actually worship spaghetti, which they gluttonously consume, often with cheap beer (the devil’s brew) or other intoxicants, including marijuana (Lucifer’s leaf, or the weed with its roots in hell) after intoning that it “boiled” to bring them heavenly pleasure on earth.  Nor can we discount the influence of the Satanic Temple, an atheistic, antireligious cabal of scoffer-mockers who are trying to work their way into politics in spite of their publicly stated adherence to the doctrine separation between Church and state.  They claim not to worship Satan, or in most cases even to believe in him, but they carry out his evil will and further his filthy agenda in the world today.  Never forget that, to paraphrase the immortal words of William Cowper, Satan works in stupefying ways, his corrupting influence to extend.    

 

 

 

 

5.

Current Events covers the latest newsworthy occurrences, typically examined against a background of economics, geography, geopolitics, history, sociology, and prophecy to chart the progress of human development (or, according to some theories, degeneration).  Your mission is not just to chronicle passing events in the realms of business, crime, the economy, education, entertainment, the environment, fashion, government, healthcare, natural disasters, politics, science, sports, and technology, but also to find and elucidate a higher meaning in their progress.  What’s trending?  Where is it headed?  And what does it all mean for America and the world (not necessarily in that order)?

 

 

 

6.

Education includes any publication that can aid in the educational development of others, from preschool primers to postgraduate polytechnic manuals.  Writing an educational article or book may require certain credentials or experience.  We also welcome constructive critiques of our current educational system, complete with proposals on how we might fix it.  What, if anything, are those pitiful public teaching today besides theory?

 

 

 

7.

Health and Healing involve not only health maintenance, including diet, exercise, and sleep management, but also alternative healing, including faith healing.  We focus on physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.  While we welcome testimonies from Christian Scientists and members of New Thought disciplines (such as the Unity School of Christianity), we in no way discount the contributions of medical science to the field of healthcare.  We support the availability of affordable medical plans, including psychiatric and end-of-life care, to all Americans.  We are concerned about the opioid crisis that recently rocked the nation.  Again, credentials make all the difference.  We are interested in the personal experiences of persons undergoing specific types of therapy, including so-called natural remedies.

 

 

 

 

8.

History is the interpretive study of past events and the people who both initiated and followed the flowing trends of time, either actively or passively, tracing not only the movers and shakers but also the populations they moved and shook.  Writing history effectively typically involves sifting through archives of old texts, artwork, photography, and sometimes artifacts to draw new conclusions from a specific sequence or pattern of events that will ultimately teach valuable lessons to present and future generations.  Historians must be careful not to allow preconceived notions or biases to influence their reading of history.  Instead they must let the facts as they uncover them in their studies speak for themselves.  As philosopher George Santayana wrote in The Life of Reason (1905), “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  Many would argue that history repeats itself anyway, at least after a fashion, in part because our understanding of the past is restricted by our involvement in the present.  The flow of history often seems irrelevant to many students who view it as something far removed from their everyday lives.  The function of the Trojan Horse of antiquity might be lost on those who have trouble understanding why their forebears sent telegrams instead of emails.  Historians may specialize in following individuals, such as King Solomon, Julius Caesar, or Napoleon Bonaparte; commodities such as wine, iron, or silk; or inventions such as the clock, the train, or the telephone, but should always keep in view the everyday lives of ordinary people caught up in the heaving tides of history.  Some advocate following the money, which is a commendable idea as long as the various historical modes of exchange are clearly understood.

        Christian authors will profit from a detailed reading of Biblical history stretching from the ancient city-states of Sumer and Akkad to the Roman emperor Domitian. 

 

 

 

9.

How-To Guides overlap somewhat with Education, but tend to cover more practical topics, such as home maintenance and animal husbandry.  Once again, the proper credentials and experience may be required to build reader confidence.  Accomplished authors can teach people everyday skills such as building confidence, critiquing films, debating issues, designing a website, improving vocabulary, investing in the stock market, making arts and crafts, managing money, mentoring students, networking online, performing in public, practical housekeeping, riding horses, speedreading, succeeding in business as a Christian, swimming, volunteering, and writing hymns, among others.   See also Marriage and Family and Parenting.

 

 

 

10.

Inspirational Fiction is our bread and butter.  We’re looking for powerful, compelling narratives that confront real-world moral dilemmas such as abortion, addiction, adoption, adultery, alcoholism, anger, antisocial behavior, anxiety, apathy, blackmail, blended families, child abuse, child neglect, chronic illness, climate change, corruption, crime, custody battles, death and dying, debt, dementia, demonic possession, depression and other psychological disorders, despair, disability, divorce and remarriage, elder abuse, envy, espionage, exploitation, fads and trends, false accusations, fanaticism, fornication, gang membership, gaslighting, gossip, greed, grief, guilt, homelessness, hypocrisy, illiteracy, indolence, infertility, involvement in the occult, irresponsible behavior, jealousy, loss of faith, male bonding, marital discord, mass hysteria, mixed marriages, obesity, pornography, poverty, prejudice, pride, procrastination, prostitution, racism, rape, romance, sexual incompatibility, sexual promiscuity, social conformity, spouse abuse, stress, subterfuge, suicide, teen pregnancy, teenage rebellion, terrorism, tyranny, unemployment, venereal disease, white collar crime, willful ignorance, and workplace harassment – in detail while offering scripturally sound yet equally plausible, workable solutions to them.

        Don’t neglect the classics – even if their authors were pagans (like Plato), agnostics (like Thomas Hardy), or atheists (like Robert Louis Stevenson).  God sometimes speaks in His typically mysterious way through the work of unbelievers and the moral lessons they typically convey in spite of their authors’ doubts.  Much of their work makes up part of the Western canon – which is only one among many literary canons the world has to offer – and as such literate authors are expected to be familiar with it.  Just be careful not to allow their literary characters, plots, and above all themes exercise undue influence over your writing.  Even a champion of irreligion like Ayn Rand, author of such scathingly irreverent titles as Philosophy: Who Needs It and The Virtue of Selfishness accurately (if somewhat derivatively) defines art as “a selective re-creation of reality according to an artist’s metaphysical value-judgments.”  Make sure the value judgments that inform your writing are, unlike hers, morally uplifting, scripturally sound, and spiritually enlightening.

 

 

 

11.

Marriage and Family encompass all areas of marriage from courtship, dating, engagement, mixed marriages, interfaith dilemmas, showers, weddings, honeymoons, sex, wedded life, everyday routines, church attendance, relationships with in-laws, financial management, anniversaries, adoption, conception, pregnancy, childbearing, childrearing, economic hardship, dissatisfaction and discord, pre- and postpartum depression, jealousy, sexual incompatibility, infidelity and its aftermath, reconciliation, family unity, sibling rivalry, grandparenting, “in sickness and in health,” mental illness, family feuds, a family’s proverbial black sheep, separation, divorce, remarriage, letting go of resentment, custody battles, and visitation arrangements. The topic covers various types of family – the nuclear family, the single-parent family, the blended family, the extended family, the interracial family, the interfaith family, children reared by grandparents or other relatives, the family of choice, the broken home, and the polygamous family, among others.

        A few of these subtopics may be covered in greater depth under Parenting and Women’s Studies.

 

 

 

12.

Memoirs selectively record an author’s personal experiences, often against a backdrop of a historical period, such as the Cold War Era, the 1970s, or the Trump administration.  Many will trace the course of a specific phase of one’s lifetime or personal development (such as childhood, adolescence, a coming of age, adulthood, a trial, an exile (voluntary or not), a prison sentence or other type of confinement, a hospital stay, or old age), an education, a career, a project, a business, a relationship, a marriage, a mission, a ministry, membership in an organization, a conspiracy, a reunion, participation in an activity, temptation, a crime, sin, a struggle, a war, a delusion, a loss, an estrangement, a test, a hardship, a handicap, a medical condition or illness, an addiction, special challenges, one or more visions, failure, recovery, success, or indeed a whole lifetime.  Memoirists will be asked to describe first of all how the world made them the individuals they are and then what they contributed to the pool of human experience during their lifetimes. 

        In some cases, editors may be permitted to publish the memoirs of others, such as deceased relatives or persons who suffer from memory loss.

 

 

 

13.

Parenting embraces all aspects of parenthood from problems conceiving children to ongoing tensions between parents and their adult children.  The topic covers productive guardianship of a child’s physical, emotional, educational, psychological, social, vocational, and spiritual development as a human being, after which time the child is ideally equipped in all these areas to take on and successfully discharge the responsibilities of parenting on his or her own, ideally with the grandparents’ involvement.  Broadly speaking, parents adopt one of four primary styles, based in part on their education level, ethnic and religious background, social class, income, and status in society: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and (in worst-case scenarios) uninvolved.  These may evolve during the course of the relationship between parents, their children, and others both inside and outside the family. 

        Parents are called on to make tough decisions: how to set the right (and ideally unified) examples as adults, whether to adopt one or more children, whether to pursue a career (or adult education) while parenting, when to begin toilet training, how to find the best available childcare, how to teach the proper values, how to stimulate children’s curiosity and engagement, how to navigate the developmental phases children go through, how (and how often) to discipline children, how to secure a thorough education that mirrors constructive family values, whether to homeschool or send their children to public or private schools, when and how much to teach children about sex and relationships (including sexual orientation and gender identity), how to regulate children’s access to all types of media (from TV and the telephone to social media), how to develop specific abilities and talents, how much to involve the extended family or the larger community (including the church), how to quell childhood rebellion, how soon to allow children to start dating (and how much to supervise or chaperone them through the process), how to provide for children with special needs, when if ever to depart from family tradition, whether or not to try to keep up with the Joneses to bring up resourceful and competitive children, how to keep children involved in church activities if the parents lose interest, how to equip children to resist peer pressure, when if ever to involve the law, how much to trust professionals (including doctors) whose values seem at odds with their own, how to deal with differences in children while remaining impartial, how to address setbacks and outright failure in rearing children, how to cope with the loss of a child, and above all how to keep the family together.  

        Should parents who can’t reconcile their personal differences stay together for the sake of the children?  When if ever should parents let go of long-held expectations and let their children live their own lives without pressure or interference?  Should adult children who refuse to conform be shunned, disinherited, or completely disowned?  To what extent, if any, should children be asked to take sides in their parents’ disputes, separation, or divorce?  How can parents make amends for unintended or undisclosed abuse, both sexual and otherwise?  Can (and if so should) a previously uninvolved parent try to reconnect with his or her neglected children?  Should adult survivors of abuse or neglect forgive a parent who failed them in this way, or who somehow facilitated this kind of maltreatment?

        Parenting is obviously a fertile field for commentary and discussion.  The overall tone should be kept uplifting and optimistic and allowed to devolve into an airing of grievances and resentment.           

 

 

 

14.

Poetry is defined as lyrical language, typically but not exclusively presented in a series of verses and characterized by rhythm and often rhyme, that evokes a mood in the reader or hearer.  The Bible is filled with poetry, though it may not always be printed in formats that have become standard since the first English-language editions were published.  All the Psalms in the Hebrew Bible are poems, for instance, as is Genesis 1 and much of the Prophets’ writings (such as Isaiah 40).  Rhyme is used rarely and often coincidentally, as in this well-known passage from Psalm 23, so it isn’t carried over into most of the English versions except in hymns adapted from the text.  Instead, Hebrew incorporates parallelism, antithesis, and chiasmus, all of which have taken root in English (and to some extent in all Western languages) owing to translations of the Bible into the vernacular.    

 

                                KJV Bible (Psalm 23:1-4)

                                        The Lord is my shepherd;

                                        I shall not want [i.e., I have no unfulfilled needs]

                                        He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

                                        He leadeth me beside the still waters.

                                        He restoreth my soul:

                                        He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.     

                                        Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:

                                        for Thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…

 

                                Hebrew Text of Psalm 23:2 Transliterated

                                        Bi-n^e’ōth deshe’ yarbītzē-nī

                                        ‘al-mei m^enuchōth y^enahălē-nī

 

                                Literal Translation

                                        In-habitats of-grass He-makes-me-lie

                                        Onto-waters resting He-makes-me-feel-refreshed

 

        Antitheses make up most of the Book of Proverbs, and Jesus began His Sermon on the Mount with a collection of them.

 

                                KJV Bible (Proverbs 12:2)

                                        A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord:

                                        but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

 

                                KJV Bible (Matthew 5:6)

                                        Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness

                                        [i.e., those who go hungry and thirsty for righteousness’ sake by avoiding sin]:

                                        for they shall be filled. 

 

        The Greek New Testament combines Hebrew locutions with Greek conventions, in some cases to mark a contrast.  The compound nouns “tongues of men” and “of angels” reflect the Hebrew model (as seen, for example, in Job 15:5), while the participial forms (“sounding brass” and “tinkling cymbal”) occur more commonly in Greek.  These constructions may have been chosen deliberately to demonstrate the difference between the Law and the Gospel as the Apostle Paul understood them (cf. Mark 12:33).  Heavily inflected languages allow for greater freedom of word order than more analytical languages like Modern English, where more rigid syntax forms a major part of the grammar.    

 

                                KJV Bible (1 Corinthians 13:1-6)

                                        Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,

                                        and have not charity [i.e., love, goodwill]

                                        I am become as sounding brass,

                                        or a tinkling cymbal.

 

                                        And though I have the gift of prophecy,

                                        and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge;

                                        and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains,

                                        and have not charity, I am nothing.

 

                                        And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,

                                        and though I give my body to be burned,

                                        and have not charity,

                                        it profiteth me nothing.

 

                                        Charity suffereth long, and is kind;

                                        charity envieth not;

                                        charity vaunteth not itself,

                                        is not puffed up,

                                        doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own,

                                        is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

                                        rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth…

 

                                Greek Text of 1 Corinthians 13:1       

                                        Ean tais glossais tōn anthrōpōn lalō

                                        kai tōn angelōn,

                                        agapēn de mē echō

                                        gegona chalkos ēchōn hē kymbalon alalazon

 

                                Literal Translation

                                        Even-if with-the-tongues of-the human-beings I-speak

                                        and of-the angels

                                        Love but not I-have

                                        I-have-become [as a] brass banging or [a] cymbal clashing

 

        John Keats’s classic poem Endymion (1818) follows most of the expected conventions, including heroic couplets, that is, rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter. 

 

                                        A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

                                        Its loveliness increases; it will never

                                        Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

                                        A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

                                        Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

                                        Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing

                                        A flowery band to bind us to the earth,

                                        Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth

                                        Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,

                                        Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways…

 

        More modern poetry may ignore these conventions, according to the poet’s purpose.  Note that poetic forms will typically express order, not chaos.  Many take a form comparable to an essay, like this passage from Kahlil Gibran’s prose poem The Prophet (1923).

 

                                        Your children are not your children.

                                        They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.

                                        They come through you but not from you,

                                        And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

 

                                        You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

                                        For they have their own thoughts.

                                        You may house their bodies but not their souls,

                                        For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

                                        You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

                                        For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

 

        Sadly, even the most heartfelt volumes of poetry usually sell poorly unless an extra attraction is added.  These can be drawings, cartoons, photos, anecdotes, essays, short memoirs, even short short stories or flash fiction, which we typically sandwich between layers of poetry.  

 

 

 

 

15.

Political Science explores the current political situation, ideally from a global perspective, while aiming at elucidating the timeless truths recorded in the Bible.  What kind of people are qualified to rule the masses, for instance, and how should their duties most effectively and judiciously be discharged?  What measures must be adopted if leadership grows lax when and where it is most urgently needed?  Should leaders be chosen by the people or appointed by God and “certified” as such by the priesthood or its equivalent?  The Hebrew prophet Samuel addressed these exact issues as the Twelve Tribes of Israel struggled to maintain a loose confederation of political states in the Holy Land at the dawn of the Iron Age.  What can only be described as a republican party favored a more tribal or local leadership model vested in Israel’s judges, elected officials who typically served as a type of magistrate. 

        The early republicans, like Samuel, contended with monarchists, who demanded a king “like all the [other] nations” (1 Samuel 8:5) who could unify the tribal territories under a strong central government and ultimately secure the borders against foreign incursion.  God informs Samuel, “Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).  Was God trying to show His people the error of their ways, or of their ambitions?  Or was He reminding them that freedom is attained only at great cost?  Weaving together a number of ancient traditions, the two books of Samuel present both sides of the argument and as such serve as a primary text for political theory.    

        Political scientists (and by extension political science writers) must never limit their research to mere theory, however rich and influential the subtopic may appear on its own.  Instead they must be thoroughly – and we can’t overemphasize how thoroughly – grounded in history.  And by history we mean not only recent history, not only contemporary history, and not even exclusively American history, but world history beginning at least with the Revelation of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20).  Authors who prefer to begin their studies with the Code of Hammurabi are invited to do so.  They can’t ignore the contributions of Greek democracy, however inchoate and ultimately flawed it may seem to us today.  It was a long-overdue step in the right direction.  Similarly, they should never shy away from studying the seminal works of Machiavelli, Marx, and Mao, however distasteful or burdensome they may find the two philosophers’ Godless ideologies to be.  Our authors should be able to refute their arguments clearly, cogently, and impartially, offering the antidote of Christian compassion to the poison of malicious materialism.    

 

 

 

16.

Prophecy and Eschatology reveal the will of God concerning the gradual extension of His Heavenly Kingdom through the medium of human history (through its many peaks and valleys – its many achievements, disasters, and setbacks) into the realm of earth, culminating in the creation of a New Heaven and a New Earth in the hereafter (Revelation 21:1-7).  Traditional prophecy begins by proclaiming the need for a thorough overhaul of human society (which is often achieved at a limited level by religious reform and mass repentance), then foretelling its often gradual manifestation in human affairs, and finally demanding adherence to its principles.  Prophecy presents the details of God’s will to humanity, focusing on the how, the why, and the when, though these are often conveyed in symbolic language so as not to influence the course of events directly.  God’s will unfolds across various stretches of time like a roadmap and may actually be modified to some extent to accommodate human needs.  It’s true that God exhibits “no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17), but it must also be accepted that “the Lord is not slack concerning His promise [to return to earth soon], as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:19).  Obviously God has delayed His imminent return to foster growth in the church.

        Prophecy is fundamentally concerned with establishing justice, both on earth and in the hereafter, and attempts to explain why God apparently allows the righteous to suffer and the wicked to prosper.  As such it gives rise to a number of philosophical disciplines, chief among which is theodicy, a justification of God’s actions.  Coined by German (Lutheran) philosopher Gottfried W. Leibniz (1646-1716) in his 1710 study Essays of Theodicy on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil, the theory explains how and why an Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omnibenevolent God could allow evil to proliferate in the world, up to the extent of permitting Satan to assume control of human activity (cf. John 12:31 and 2 Corinthians 4:4) to the extent He apparently has.  The Book of Job addressed many of these questions thousands of years ago, exploring the roles of free will, determinism, fate, ambition, faith, commitment, judgment, retribution, and predestination in the Lord’s master plan.  Prophecy clarifies how, why, and to some extent when God will even the score, and with what ultimate consequences.

        The Christian tradition of prophecy thrived during the Apostolic Age (1 Thessalonians 5:20 and 1 Corinthians 12:28), though occasional abuses were recognized, but it began to wane after the publication of the Book of Revelation about A.D. 95.  At the dawn of the Patristic Era, as the New Testament canon was finally established toward the end of the second century A.D., when the acceptance of Revelation was still in dispute, the church leaders questioned the need for ongoing prophecy when they had the Scriptures to guide them.  By the time of Montanus (ca. A.D. 150), a Phrygian visionary and founder of the New Prophecy movement, the growing church feared that prophecies uttered at various times and places throughout Christendom might undermine the authority of the elders, bishops, and deacons who presided over individual congregations within the emergent Mother Church.  Though initially supported by Tertullian and other authorities, Montanus was eventually branded a heretic, in large part owing to the ecstatic prophecies that he and his two female followers, Prisca and Maximilla, uttered in public places, which occasionally drew unwanted attention from the Roman authorities.  When serious persecution of Christians began under emperor Marcus Aurelius about A.D. 165, efforts were made to silence such prophecies.  Little is known about Montanus’ actual teachings.  He is sometimes compared with leaders of the 20th-century Pentecostal movement like Charles F. Parham (1873-1929) and William J. Seymour (1870-1922).

        How much are human beings involved in prophecy?  Can anything we do defer the Last Judgment, or perhaps decrease its severity?  Does God follow a strict timetable down to the day, the hour, and the minute, or do the prophetic books present more of a general outline of things to come, some of them contingent on human actions in response to the Gospel?  Have modern communications media, including social media, enabled or hindered the spread of the Good News?  Knowing that Satan will do everything in his limited power to thwart the Will of God, how do you view the doctrine of the Rapture within its Biblical context?  Most Evangelical Christians today believe in a Pretribulation Rapture.  Contributors are invited to elaborate on or even challenge other authors’ interpretations, but always in a professional, dispassionate, and above all scholarly fashion.              

        Eschatology examines the “last things” or End Times events leading up to the Final Judgment, including the Second Coming of Christ, the establishment of His Kingdom, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil.  The term may also refer to life in the hereafter once the present system, with all its corruption, if not the world itself, has come to an end.              

 

       

                                                        “ I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee,

                                                        and will put my words in his mouth;

                                                        and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”

 

                                                                                        Deuteronomy 18:18

 

 

                                                        “ For out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

                                                        And [the Lord] shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people:

                                                        and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks:

                                                        nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

       

                                                                                        Isaiah 2:3-4

 

 

                                                        “ I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land:

                                                        and I will build them, and not pull them down;

                                                        and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.

                                                        And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord:

                                                        and they shall be my people, and I will be their God:

                                                        for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”

 

                                                                                        Jeremiah 24:6-7

 

 

 

17.

Recovery typically refers to protracted recuperation from a longstanding psychological dependence on alcohol, drugs, or some sort of vice (including cheating, extreme risk-taking, food (and especially sugar), gambling, impulse buying, lying, sex, obsessive-compulsive behavior, pornography, procrastination, shoplifting, or violence (including self-harm), among others).  It may also refer to rehabilitation from abuse, codependence, confinement, depression, grief, ill health, terrorism, trauma, or worry and their painful aftereffects.  Recovery often involves joining support groups and following traditional twelve-step programs to avoid relapses into patterns of dangerous behavior.  Some critics opt for a simpler or more secular approach to what they see as psychological disorders.  Professional detachment often offers the clarity that the family and friends of persons seeking or involved in recovery need to cope with the situation, but there’s no support for personal experience. 

        Texts may focus on those in recovery; their families, friends, and associates; and those whose lives were affected by their dependence or troublesome behavior, which some see as the symptoms of an illness.  Twelve-stop programs encourage them to make amends if they can.  What happens when that isn’t possible?  Should victims – should you choose to use that somewhat controversial term – really forgive “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22), or hold others accountable for their actions (Romans 14:12)?  Can mental illness be healed, or must it simply be managed?  If so, which methods prove most effective?  Is it mostly a matter of keeping people away from dangerous substances, or chemical dependency only the tip of the iceberg?  What about codependency?  We are especially interested in the spiritual aspects of mental healthcare management. 

        We will publish under pseudonyms but prefer not to release completely “anonymous” memoirs or studies of the subject.

 

 

 

18.

Science Fiction and Fantasy inspire a sense of wonder in their vivid creation of imaginary realms, most of them analogues of isolated aspects of the real world.  Science fiction incorporates rational science into the narrative, either overtly or covertly, while fantasy remains rooted in folklore and mythology.  Many Christian publishing houses reject fantasy narratives outright because of their historical links to paganism.  Repenthouse will at least review them on an individual basis.  George Orwell’s Animal Farm (1945) is considered fantasy literature by some, along with E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web (1952) and Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach (1961).  All fall under the relatively benign fable subgenre of fantasy.  A fantasy’s moral tone should never be presented ambiguously.  The works of C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) and J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) have garnered a large following among Christian readers, yet they are among the most commonly challenged (and burned) books in local churches. 

        Works populated by androids, cave dwellers, cryptids, doppelgängers, dinosaurs, dragons, dwarfs, elves, extraterrestrials, fairies, genies, giants, gnomes, goblins, gremlins, kobolds, robots, time travelers, trolls, unicorns, vampires, werewolves, and zombies will be considered if these creatures are depicted humanely, typically though not exclusively as human beings trapped in the guise of preternatural entities who can at least in theory be redeemed.  Powerful vampires, as opposed to those who fall under their influence but remain essentially human, may stand in for Satan himself as he seeks to corrupt humanity.  If conceived as earthbound spirits who may be saved if they succeed in influencing the actions of the living, ghosts may be permitted depending on other story elements. 

        Dark fantasy, which incorporates horror elements like demons, ghosts as spirits of the damned, warlocks, witches, and wizards, is largely to be avoided, though exceptions might be made in the case of exemplary characterization.  What makes a good witch good, for example?  What is the source of her supernatural powers?  What would happen to her if she surrendered her soul to Christ?  In L. Frank Baum’s Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), Glinda the Good Witch of the South exhibits an altogether different personality from the character that stage actress Billie Burke played in the 1939 musical, who was a composite of three of the novel’s supernatural characters.  Witches like Gillian Holroyd in the movie Bell, Book and Candle (1958), who loses her powers when she falls in love, and Samantha Stephens in the TV series Bewitched (1964-72), who represents all the perfectly natural “magic” that busy homemakers and stay-at-home moms bring to a marriage, might be permitted within a proper Christian context, with witchcraft per se connoting worldliness or depravity. Despite her general demeanor of deceit (in promising her husband she would renounce her supernatural powers when she probably had no such intention), Samantha is certainly no more evil as a witch than her husband’s overly avaricious boss, who would stop at nothing to turn a profit.

        True stories about demonic possession, including attacks by incubi and succubae, are usually published as Testimonies and Tracts as narratives of spiritual warfare – unless perhaps the inner demons prove to be figments of one or more characters’ imagination.

 

 

 

19.

Short Stories make up the bulk of our publications.  We typically issue them in anthologies with individual contributors being paid according to the number of contributions per volume.  Like poetry, the short story aims for a unified emotional effect, but as prose fiction it exhibits a more sustained form, each example running between 5,000 and 7,500 words in length, with exceptions popping up at both ends of this general rule.  Simpler in structure than the longer novel, a short story typically includes character, plot, and theme within a compact structure that limits the range and development of all three of these elements in deference to one.  An introductory visual snapshot usually gives way to rising action that builds through conflict to a climax that is resolved in a denouement or untying of the narrative strands that have held the reader’s attention from the first page of the story.  Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tell-Tale Heart” (1843) follows this formula perfectly in a plot-driven format.  Plot often incorporates a reversal (or peripeteia) followed by a discovery.  Neither should defy the logical framework established by the author or occur too abruptly to drive home the point to the reader.  Katherine Mansfield’s “The Garden Party” (1922) focuses more on character.  Character-driven stories often feature a change of heart or epiphany.  Fantasy and science fiction stories, like Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder” (1952), are often described as theme- or idea-driven.

        Some writers portray what they call a “slice of life” and allow readers to draw their own conclusions from the narrative, which either may or may not constitute a formal plot or may stop short of a formal climax.  Anton Chekhov’s “Lady with Lapdog” (1899, and sometimes printed under the title “The Lady with the Little Dog”) serves as an example.  Christian short stories usually contain a moral, like Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” (1948).  Unlike in classic fables, a contemporary short story’s moral is more often implied by the narrative than stated outright, and may often be interpreted in more than one way.  Some stories hinge on a mere joke, like Damon Knight’s science fiction classic “To Serve Man” (1950).  Mystery stories normally describe a crime and its subsequent detection, like Arthur Conan Doyle’s “Scandal in Bohemia” (1891), though many subgenres of crime fiction exist.  In response to popular media from radio to TV to the ubiquitous online forums, the short story thrives on innovation, with some authors sacrificing character, plot, and theme for sheer effect.  Experiment with care after you’ve mastered the traditional forms, remembering, as the Bible points out “there is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).             

 

 

 

   

20.

Stewardship teaches that humanity takes at least partial responsibility for the state of the world – in terms of the environment, society, and our natural abilities.  As the Lord instructed in Genesis 1:28, we must…

 

                                                         “Be fruitful, and multiply,

                                                        and replenish the earth, and subdue it:

                                                        and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,

                                                        and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

 

We can, and in fact must, reap the benefits of the vast pool of resources God has placed at our disposal without endangering, exploiting, abusing, or depleting them.  Stewardship provides the means.  It ultimately touches virtually all aspects of human endeavor, from the community to education to employment to finance to healthcare to the ministry, enabling us to preserve, enrich, and propagate the most valuable commodities in God’s orderly world.  The topic also covers the volunteer spirit that drives Christian charity.

 

 

 

21.

Testimonies and Tracts are relatively short pieces, often published in anthologies or packets for public distribution, that outline the author’s relationship with Christ, sometimes by means of a particular church, denomination, congregation, or community – or even of faith in general as opposed to secularism, skepticism, or just plain doubt.  Testimonies tell a brief but (mostly) true story of how you (or someone close to you) once wandered in sin and/or doubt; then found Jesus as your personal Savior; gradually learned to resist temptation; survived one or more tests of your faith, endurance, or devotion; parted company with those who hoped to drag you back into a life of the indulgence; grew in wisdom and grace; forgave others when you thought you never could; and taught others the lessons you had learned, finally becoming a dutiful but by no means perfect servant of the Lord.

        Tracts contain relatively short inspirational messages intended to advise readers to examine their own lives, habits, opinions, beliefs, and so on, so they can better understand God’s plan for their lives.  Common subjects include finding Jesus, attaining salvation (and a secure place in heaven), faithfully fulfilling God’s will, recognizing wickedness, resisting temptation, breaking bad habits, knowing when to be silent and letting your actions speak for themselves, overcoming sin, avoiding hell, joining the right church, separating oneself from sinners and the influence they may wield, discerning the signs of the times, and successfully sharing the Gospel message with others (in both word and deed), even with unbelievers and skeptics.  Tracts may focus on a doctrinal topic like speaking in tongues or foot washing but shouldn’t be overly controversial in tone, as many of Jack T. Chick’s famous tracts are.  The message should be supported by quotations from the Bible.  Authors are asked to use one Bible version (or translation) per tract (unless perhaps they’re comparing two or more versions in the tract), which should always be identified.  This need not be the King James Version (KJV), which we somewhat prefer to other versions.  A list of the fourteen most popular Bible version in English may be found below.  The bestselling Bible in Spanish, a top seller in the United States rivaling the New International Reader’s Version, is the Biblia Reina-Valera, most recently updated in 2011.

        Repenthouse publishes short tracts in both Castilian and Latin American Spanish, along with French, German, Italian, and Swedish, possibly among other languages as well, such as Esperanto, Portuguese, and Russian.    

 

 

 

 

22.

Women’s Studies examine the roles of women in society at large throughout history, as student, bachelorette, sister, fiancée, employee, protégée, graduate, professional, wife, mother, stay-at-home mom, aunt, grandmother, widow, divorcée, and believer, among others – particularly as these overlap or intersect with one another and with the corresponding men’s social roles.  How are women’s roles, whether traditional (like mother) or relatively innovative (like Supreme Court Justice), affected by factors like race, ethnicity, class, caste (where applicable), marital status, birth order, religion, family background, education, economic background, immigration status, social mobility, physical appearance, conformity to social norms, “street smarts,” adaptability, political affiliation, health (including any number of medical conditions), height, weight, disability (or “different ability”), creativity, and talent, among others?  Authors may choose to emphasize the positive or negative aspects of the recent changes in social roles and responsibilities against a background of history, psychology, and sociology.  Are women more empowered than ever before?  If so, how does that affect traditional social roles?  Are women still exploited by society – or at least by certain elements in society?  Are these roles specifically defined in the Bible, or does the Sacred Text simply record the social paradigms of the historical periods it covers?  What does the Apostle Paul mean by these words?

 

                                                         “But after that faith is come,

                                                        we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

                                                        For ye are all the children of God

                                                        by faith in Christ Jesus…

                                                        There is neither Jew nor Greek,

                                                        there is neither bond nor free,

                                                        there is neither male nor female:

                                                        for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

 

                                                                                Galatians 3:25, 26, 28

 

 

What does it mean to be a woman today (whether single, married, a mother by any definition, or childless) – and has the answer to that question changed substantially since the days of Eve, Sarah, Ruth, the Queen of Sheba, Esther, the Lord Jesus’ Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, Priscilla, the early women saints, Hypatia, Christine de Pizan, Joan of Arc, Queen Elizabeth I (the so-called Virgin Queen), Queen Isabella of Castile, Mary Wollstonecraft, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Florence Nightingale, Margaret Sanger, Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, and Hillary Rodham Clinton, among others?  Many of these women have been called wicked by various authorities at one time or another, mostly because they challenged the social norms of their time.  Given the historical context, is that assessment fair for any of them?  What kind of world did – or do – they envision for all of us?

 

  

 

PART TWO: BIBLE VERSIONS

 

THE BEST-SELLING BIBLE VERSIONS

IN ENGLISH

with sample verses Luke 23:33-35

 

 

 

 

 

Repenthouse Publications

Prayer Box 2925

Antioch, CA 94531-2925

USA

 

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