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This week, please enjoy guest blogger Joanna White. She is a fellow author with Ambassador International. She will share with us about her debut novel Hunter.
What does Hunter mean to me? That’s a question I’ve never asked myself and one I feel deserves an answer.
Hunter is my first.
Sure, before Hunter I’d written lots of books; after all, I’ve been writing since I was ten or eleven and I first wrote Hunter when I was seventeen or eighteen. But it was my first fantasy novel. It was the first in what became a seventeen-book, epic series. It was the first novel I wrote after I got serious about writing and wanted to turn it into a career. It is my first published novel. It was the first book where I’d written major fights and action scenes. It was the first book where I’d created my own world. It was the first book that had names I’d made up on my own. It was the first book that ever had a direct Biblical parallel - until then, I’d always written Christian dramas with Christian themes, not direct parallels.
Hunter reminds me there’s always room for improvement, but that doesn’t take away from the original story.
After Hunter, I just continued writing. Onto Experiment, working on Mortal, then Assassin and Shifter, Samurai, Survivor, Remnant, Warrior, Enslaved, Rogue, Raider, Wicked, Paladin, finishing Mortal, Immortal, Valiant Part One, Valiant Part Two. After Hunter, I spent the next several years writing one book in the Valiant Series after another until the seventeen-book series had been completely finished. Throughout the years, my husband and I edited a few books in the Valiant Series together, including Hunter and I went through it again after the series finished, when we realized it paralleled with the Bible, so I could add a few more scenes to make it better. But for the most part, as soon as the Valiant Series was over, I started another series and wrote six books in it before I took a break. Then I started another one and wrote three books in it and in between wrote various novels, novellas, and short stories.
Then Hunter was accepted by Ambassador International, so I went through it and the first book in the Valiant Series, Shifter, with my editor. There were a lot of things to be edited and changed. Seeing the final product - all the edits, the smooth structure, the added scenes, the better pacing and development - it really showed me and made me appreciate the concept of revising and editing your work. I’m a writer and I’ll always be a writer, not an editor, but now I understand that sometimes editing my work and polishing it doesn’t take away from the original story. Hunter is still there and the original ideas I had back when I was senior in high school (and a much younger writer back then), were still good ones.
But over the years, all the writing I did - seventeen books, then six, then three, then several standalone ones - gave me experience as a writer and matured me as one too. That showed me that while my original ideas for Hunter were great and super creative, it could use a touch and polish. What Hunter is now, is smooth, better, improved, and still sitting on the platform of the original ideas and the book that was there before.
Hunter gave me my favorite characters, ones that have stuck with me over the years, through so much of my life.
As I graduated high school, then went to college online, got my writing degree, started my writing career, got married, moved away, started my life…I was writing the Valiant Series. Jared and Averella were my first two major protagonists. Hindah was my first villain and Radon…well, he was still being developed, but he was there. Jared and Averella, however, stuck with me and kept showing back up throughout the series as major protagonists in the Valiant Series. They were my first, so above all the other characters, they held a special place in my heart.
Even Hindah, who had been the first major villain in the series, stayed with me, so much so that I had to recreate that original conflict again and drive the stakes higher the second time. Now, as I look back at Jared and Averella, I see their development and overall character arcs throughout the entire Valiant Series and it inspires me to create more characters with their stories and arcs and make them grow and change as much as Jared and Averella did.
Hunter taught me how to write good, intense, action scenes
Since all I wrote before Hunter were Christian dramas, at most before then, I’d only ever written a fist fight here and there. Maybe the occasional car accident scene. Needless to say, I was not prepared for enhanced assassins tracking down and killing prisoners inside a multi-biome arena with medieval weaponry.
That was where my husband came in at, during the time we edited Hunter. Phew, there was so much that needed fixing, but it gave me all the lessons I needed; the proper words to use in a fight - slice, dodge, twist, smack, slam, pound, jab, lunge, drove, darted, sped, dashed, pierced, swung, etc. It taught me to picture the fight in my mind and clearly visualize it, then slowly describe what I’m seeing in my mind, even to the point of acting it out if I have to in order to see it properly. It taught me to know the characters and the environment they’re fighting in. How would they use it against their opponent or to their own advantage? What would they notice? What would they use? How would their body react with their weapon?
Hunter showed me I can create an epic world and intense survival scenarios to go with it.
I didn’t world build the entire planet itself - Averell - much, but I did world build the prison, Zagerah, since that’s mostly where Hunter takes place at. I created different biomes scattered all around the map - volcanoes, swamp, the shadow forest, ice caves, caverns, the mist, and even tried to make a few non-natural structures too such as the glass pyramid and the invisible maze. This allowed me the freedom to create survival scenarios that would naturally arise as the characters traveled to these dangerous biomes.
Hunter showed me that I can write in genres I’d never tried before.
With Hunter, I literally went from writing Christian dramas, to epic Christian fantasy novels filled with action, suspense, romance, drama, tragedy, and more.
Most of all, Hunter showed me to never give up.
I cannot tell you how many times Hunter has been rejected by publishers. I also self-published it first and it only brought me in about ten bucks a month. I submitted it to publishers over and over again, so much so that I doubted it would ever be accepted. And yet, it was. Hunter is going to be my first published novel and thus, my dream of becoming a published author will be fulfilled through Hunter. I started writing it in high school for fun and in the end, I created a career and now, Hunter is going to kick-start that career.
Never, ever give up on your dreams. God has a very special plan for your life and no one and nothing can change that. He has your back. He gave you the gifts and talents He gave you for a reason and He has plans to prosper you and not to harm you (Jeremiah 29:11). Nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26) and no giant or storm can stop Him. I hope Hunter can remind you of that, too.
So today, I’ll leave you with a short excerpt from Hunter:
Slipping one of his arms around my shoulder to steady him, I stopped short, feeling someone watching me from ahead. The clicking noise echoed again and barely had time to shove Wexx to the side before I was pierced by something sharp and knocked to the ground.
Pain exploded in my lower left shoulder. I groaned, practically a scream. I bit my lip to try to keep from screaming as loud as I could.
“Dalex!” I heard.
We were both dead.
Synopsis:
A reckless young woman named Averella does what no woman has ever done.
She disguises herself as a man and purposefully gets herself arrested and thrown into Zagerah. Her brother Gabriel was taken, and with his disease, he will not survive on his own. She has no idea what to expect inside the prison; all she knows is that once men get taken, they never come back.
The Hunters will find her.
Genetically altered to be faster and stronger than humans, the Hunters use their powers to find and kill every prisoner who enters Zagerah. The only ones who can defeat them, are in fact, themselves.
Jared is a Hunter. It’s all he’s known, all he remembers. He kills ruthlessly and without regret, one prisoner after another. When a new prisoner Dalex shows up, everything begins to change. Jared goes undercover to make Dalex and the other prisoners believe he is one of them, a prisoner himself.
No one knows the truth.
He will trick them.
Toy with them.
Then, he will kill them.
Link to Pre-Order:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NCM7XXF/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
What does Hunter mean to me? That’s a question I’ve never asked myself and one I feel deserves an answer.
Hunter is my first.
Sure, before Hunter I’d written lots of books; after all, I’ve been writing since I was ten or eleven and I first wrote Hunter when I was seventeen or eighteen. But it was my first fantasy novel. It was the first in what became a seventeen-book, epic series. It was the first novel I wrote after I got serious about writing and wanted to turn it into a career. It is my first published novel. It was the first book where I’d written major fights and action scenes. It was the first book where I’d created my own world. It was the first book that had names I’d made up on my own. It was the first book that ever had a direct Biblical parallel - until then, I’d always written Christian dramas with Christian themes, not direct parallels.
Hunter reminds me there’s always room for improvement, but that doesn’t take away from the original story.
After Hunter, I just continued writing. Onto Experiment, working on Mortal, then Assassin and Shifter, Samurai, Survivor, Remnant, Warrior, Enslaved, Rogue, Raider, Wicked, Paladin, finishing Mortal, Immortal, Valiant Part One, Valiant Part Two. After Hunter, I spent the next several years writing one book in the Valiant Series after another until the seventeen-book series had been completely finished. Throughout the years, my husband and I edited a few books in the Valiant Series together, including Hunter and I went through it again after the series finished, when we realized it paralleled with the Bible, so I could add a few more scenes to make it better. But for the most part, as soon as the Valiant Series was over, I started another series and wrote six books in it before I took a break. Then I started another one and wrote three books in it and in between wrote various novels, novellas, and short stories.
Then Hunter was accepted by Ambassador International, so I went through it and the first book in the Valiant Series, Shifter, with my editor. There were a lot of things to be edited and changed. Seeing the final product - all the edits, the smooth structure, the added scenes, the better pacing and development - it really showed me and made me appreciate the concept of revising and editing your work. I’m a writer and I’ll always be a writer, not an editor, but now I understand that sometimes editing my work and polishing it doesn’t take away from the original story. Hunter is still there and the original ideas I had back when I was senior in high school (and a much younger writer back then), were still good ones.
But over the years, all the writing I did - seventeen books, then six, then three, then several standalone ones - gave me experience as a writer and matured me as one too. That showed me that while my original ideas for Hunter were great and super creative, it could use a touch and polish. What Hunter is now, is smooth, better, improved, and still sitting on the platform of the original ideas and the book that was there before.
Hunter gave me my favorite characters, ones that have stuck with me over the years, through so much of my life.
As I graduated high school, then went to college online, got my writing degree, started my writing career, got married, moved away, started my life…I was writing the Valiant Series. Jared and Averella were my first two major protagonists. Hindah was my first villain and Radon…well, he was still being developed, but he was there. Jared and Averella, however, stuck with me and kept showing back up throughout the series as major protagonists in the Valiant Series. They were my first, so above all the other characters, they held a special place in my heart.
Even Hindah, who had been the first major villain in the series, stayed with me, so much so that I had to recreate that original conflict again and drive the stakes higher the second time. Now, as I look back at Jared and Averella, I see their development and overall character arcs throughout the entire Valiant Series and it inspires me to create more characters with their stories and arcs and make them grow and change as much as Jared and Averella did.
Hunter taught me how to write good, intense, action scenes
Since all I wrote before Hunter were Christian dramas, at most before then, I’d only ever written a fist fight here and there. Maybe the occasional car accident scene. Needless to say, I was not prepared for enhanced assassins tracking down and killing prisoners inside a multi-biome arena with medieval weaponry.
That was where my husband came in at, during the time we edited Hunter. Phew, there was so much that needed fixing, but it gave me all the lessons I needed; the proper words to use in a fight - slice, dodge, twist, smack, slam, pound, jab, lunge, drove, darted, sped, dashed, pierced, swung, etc. It taught me to picture the fight in my mind and clearly visualize it, then slowly describe what I’m seeing in my mind, even to the point of acting it out if I have to in order to see it properly. It taught me to know the characters and the environment they’re fighting in. How would they use it against their opponent or to their own advantage? What would they notice? What would they use? How would their body react with their weapon?
Hunter showed me I can create an epic world and intense survival scenarios to go with it.
I didn’t world build the entire planet itself - Averell - much, but I did world build the prison, Zagerah, since that’s mostly where Hunter takes place at. I created different biomes scattered all around the map - volcanoes, swamp, the shadow forest, ice caves, caverns, the mist, and even tried to make a few non-natural structures too such as the glass pyramid and the invisible maze. This allowed me the freedom to create survival scenarios that would naturally arise as the characters traveled to these dangerous biomes.
Hunter showed me that I can write in genres I’d never tried before.
With Hunter, I literally went from writing Christian dramas, to epic Christian fantasy novels filled with action, suspense, romance, drama, tragedy, and more.
Most of all, Hunter showed me to never give up.
I cannot tell you how many times Hunter has been rejected by publishers. I also self-published it first and it only brought me in about ten bucks a month. I submitted it to publishers over and over again, so much so that I doubted it would ever be accepted. And yet, it was. Hunter is going to be my first published novel and thus, my dream of becoming a published author will be fulfilled through Hunter. I started writing it in high school for fun and in the end, I created a career and now, Hunter is going to kick-start that career.
Never, ever give up on your dreams. God has a very special plan for your life and no one and nothing can change that. He has your back. He gave you the gifts and talents He gave you for a reason and He has plans to prosper you and not to harm you (Jeremiah 29:11). Nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26) and no giant or storm can stop Him. I hope Hunter can remind you of that, too.
So today, I’ll leave you with a short excerpt from Hunter:
Slipping one of his arms around my shoulder to steady him, I stopped short, feeling someone watching me from ahead. The clicking noise echoed again and barely had time to shove Wexx to the side before I was pierced by something sharp and knocked to the ground.
Pain exploded in my lower left shoulder. I groaned, practically a scream. I bit my lip to try to keep from screaming as loud as I could.
“Dalex!” I heard.
We were both dead.
Synopsis:
A reckless young woman named Averella does what no woman has ever done.
She disguises herself as a man and purposefully gets herself arrested and thrown into Zagerah. Her brother Gabriel was taken, and with his disease, he will not survive on his own. She has no idea what to expect inside the prison; all she knows is that once men get taken, they never come back.
The Hunters will find her.
Genetically altered to be faster and stronger than humans, the Hunters use their powers to find and kill every prisoner who enters Zagerah. The only ones who can defeat them, are in fact, themselves.
Jared is a Hunter. It’s all he’s known, all he remembers. He kills ruthlessly and without regret, one prisoner after another. When a new prisoner Dalex shows up, everything begins to change. Jared goes undercover to make Dalex and the other prisoners believe he is one of them, a prisoner himself.
No one knows the truth.
He will trick them.
Toy with them.
Then, he will kill them.
Link to Pre-Order:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NCM7XXF/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
- Published on
On March 18, 1995 I married my best friend, Angel. She has been my first editor, my strongest support and the one who understands me better than anyone else. She is the mother of our three children and I think she's a wonderful, beautiful person.
This is footage from our wedding which I edited down to 16 minutes. I also added sound and some subtitles for the hard-to-hear moments. Please enjoy!
This is footage from our wedding which I edited down to 16 minutes. I also added sound and some subtitles for the hard-to-hear moments. Please enjoy!
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You can now preorder Mindfire from
Amazon or Barnes & Noble for $12.37 (27% off)! Kindle and NOOK books are $4.99.
Mindfire will be released April 19, 2019.
Amazon or Barnes & Noble for $12.37 (27% off)! Kindle and NOOK books are $4.99.
Mindfire will be released April 19, 2019.
- Published on
- Published on
I will be on "Spiritually Speaking with Tamala Coleman" this Thursday night at 6:00 pm CST/7:00 pm EST talking about Mindfire and more!
Click Here to listen on Thursday!
Click Here to listen on Thursday!
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I will be interviewed by Tamala Coleman about Mindfire, my testimony and a lot more this coming Thursday, March 7, 2019. I will post more info as we get closer! Tune in!
- Published on
Thirty minutes later, Leia walked cautiously towards Skippy's Pizza. Her anxiety slowly grew as she got closer to the front door of her workplace. She still hadn't seen Misha anywhere on campus. But that wasn't entirely unusual in a bustling student population, especially as distracted as Leia had been today.
"Hey, Leia!" Misha waved enthusiastically as Leia entered Skippy's.
"Misha...hey," Leia replied, confused. "Everything okay?"
"Sure, why wouldn't it be?"
Leia tried to smile as she looked at her friend. Misha Breyer was shorter and thinner than Leia, with short curly brown hair and amber eyes. This time of year, Misha sported a deep tan. She was always a bundle of barely-held-in-check energy, making food in a high-traffic pizza joint. It helped that the customers liked her, and she always showed up early to the job.
"Um, so...last night—" Leia started to say.
"Oh, it's cool," Misha interrupted. "I didn't mind covering for you. It was a slow night anyway."
Leia blinked twice, unsure she'd heard Misha correctly.
"What?" Leia asked.
"Wow, you really were out of it, weren't you?" Misha added. "You told me you weren't feeling well, asked me to cover as manager the last couple of hours and you went home."
That's not what happened! What in the world?
"You still kinda look under the weather, Leia. Are you sure you're okay to work today? I can handle it if —"
"I'll be fine," Leia insisted. "I'll go change into my uniform."
"Sure, boss."
As Leia changed clothes in the ladies’ restroom, she tried to make sense of things.
She doesn't remember last night! No, that's not right. She just remembers it differently! How is that possible?
"Do you really want to know the answer to that question?" the voice returned.
Do you ever leave my head, lady? I feel like you’re stalking me! I don’t get any privacy, you can just butt in whenever you want!
"I'd think that you'd find some comfort in having someone with you who understands you. Besides, I try not to be invasive. I only talk to you when you need to know something."
Leia sighed.
You did this somehow, didn't you? You changed Misha's memories about last night!
"Not just Misha's," the voice said. "Everyone who witnessed it, including the police who were called. I even fixed the counter you smashed, so there’s no evidence of anything unusual happening last night. You have nothing to worry about anymore."
Who are you that you could do that? I know you helped me, and I'm grateful, but you messed with all those people's minds! You even made Josh forget!
"Would you rather I killed them all? Because that was my alternative. I've done it before."
What?
Suddenly, Leia could tell the presence behind the voice had departed.
And just like that, she’s gone. But now I know she’s a murderer...who’s stalking me and talks to me in my mind. She’s a bigger threat to everyone than I am! What am I going to do?
Leia walked to the counter and visually confirmed what the voice had said, that the surface had been completely repaired. It looked as if the entire counter had been taken apart and reformed from scratch with the same materials. Technically, it was impossible, but there it was in front of her. She decided to take Misha up on her offer to cover for her that evening. Leia was starting to feel sick after all.
"Hey, Leia!" Misha waved enthusiastically as Leia entered Skippy's.
"Misha...hey," Leia replied, confused. "Everything okay?"
"Sure, why wouldn't it be?"
Leia tried to smile as she looked at her friend. Misha Breyer was shorter and thinner than Leia, with short curly brown hair and amber eyes. This time of year, Misha sported a deep tan. She was always a bundle of barely-held-in-check energy, making food in a high-traffic pizza joint. It helped that the customers liked her, and she always showed up early to the job.
"Um, so...last night—" Leia started to say.
"Oh, it's cool," Misha interrupted. "I didn't mind covering for you. It was a slow night anyway."
Leia blinked twice, unsure she'd heard Misha correctly.
"What?" Leia asked.
"Wow, you really were out of it, weren't you?" Misha added. "You told me you weren't feeling well, asked me to cover as manager the last couple of hours and you went home."
That's not what happened! What in the world?
"You still kinda look under the weather, Leia. Are you sure you're okay to work today? I can handle it if —"
"I'll be fine," Leia insisted. "I'll go change into my uniform."
"Sure, boss."
As Leia changed clothes in the ladies’ restroom, she tried to make sense of things.
She doesn't remember last night! No, that's not right. She just remembers it differently! How is that possible?
"Do you really want to know the answer to that question?" the voice returned.
Do you ever leave my head, lady? I feel like you’re stalking me! I don’t get any privacy, you can just butt in whenever you want!
"I'd think that you'd find some comfort in having someone with you who understands you. Besides, I try not to be invasive. I only talk to you when you need to know something."
Leia sighed.
You did this somehow, didn't you? You changed Misha's memories about last night!
"Not just Misha's," the voice said. "Everyone who witnessed it, including the police who were called. I even fixed the counter you smashed, so there’s no evidence of anything unusual happening last night. You have nothing to worry about anymore."
Who are you that you could do that? I know you helped me, and I'm grateful, but you messed with all those people's minds! You even made Josh forget!
"Would you rather I killed them all? Because that was my alternative. I've done it before."
What?
Suddenly, Leia could tell the presence behind the voice had departed.
And just like that, she’s gone. But now I know she’s a murderer...who’s stalking me and talks to me in my mind. She’s a bigger threat to everyone than I am! What am I going to do?
Leia walked to the counter and visually confirmed what the voice had said, that the surface had been completely repaired. It looked as if the entire counter had been taken apart and reformed from scratch with the same materials. Technically, it was impossible, but there it was in front of her. She decided to take Misha up on her offer to cover for her that evening. Leia was starting to feel sick after all.
- Published on
TRIGGER WARNING: There will be discussion of several controversial topics within this blog entry.
I never set out to harm anyone when I write but I also won’t avoid a discussion just because it involves sensitive issues. Sometimes I choose to take a stand on things I consider important. That always runs the risk of offending or alienating people.
If this blog entry offends you in any way, I apologize. Please consider it “food for thought” and not some kind of personal attack.
LEGAL JUSTICE
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of legal justice is “the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments.” The laws within a country are generally designed to protect its citizens and maintain some kind of order.
But there are plenty of examples throughout history of laws that were enforced which were clearly unjust. In the United States (US) alone, slavery was legal until 1865. Women were not allowed to vote until 1920. Interracial marriage was illegal in many states until 1967. Laws were made to protect politicians and businesses from their own unethical practices or to prevent specific ethnic groups from voting. And these are just a few examples.
Even now, there are laws which many consider unjust or worse. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in 2010 declared that corporations had the same rights as people. Despite common sense making it clear that a business is not a person, the US Supreme Court’s majority interpreted existing laws, court cases and the US Constitution in such a way as to determine that corporations somehow were entitled to the same rights as people. This Supreme Court ruling was very controversial and had widespread political repercussions still in effect today.
In early 2019, several US states have made laws allowing abortion up until the date of birth. Many people (myself included) consider abortion murder. Regardless of what term one gives to the life within the womb, what medical conditions it may or may not have or under what circumstances that life was conceived, it is life. That does not condone the way it was conceived, especially if by rape or incest; it just acknowledges what is growing in the womb as life. Otherwise, it would not have to be killed in the abortion process.
Numerous medical professionals have confirmed that in a pregnancy past twenty-four weeks, the life growing within a woman could be delivered naturally or through C-section. In those instances, that baby would stand a reasonable chance of survival, given modern medical capabilities and techniques.
There are many questions and controversies regarding what happens to “unwanted” children after their birth including assistance in their care, the costs of foster care/adoption and more. These are all legitimate areas of concern. Addressing them would require changes to existing laws.
Statues of “Lady Justice” are said to be the ideal embodiment of legal justice. Based on the Roman goddess Lustitia, they are depicted as a blindfolded woman holding a sword in one hand and a set of scales in the other. She is supposed to be blind. This represents being impartial and objective, unswayed by anything but truth. The sword represents the power, threat and finality of the law.
However, reality is different than the ideal. People make laws and people are flawed. They have biases and can be swayed by the opinions or influence of others. People can be bribed, seduced or blackmailed. People can be the wrong kind of blind: willfully ignorant.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
According to Wikipedia, “Social justice is a concept of fair and just relations between the individual and society. This is measured by the explicit and tacit terms for the distribution of wealth, opportunities for personal activity, and social privileges. In Western as well as in older Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fulfill their societal roles and receive what was their due from society. In the current global grassroots movements for social justice, the emphasis has been on the breaking of barriers for social mobility, the creation of safety nets and economic justice.”
“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” - Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
There have been good forms of social justice, such as the Civil Rights movement. In particular, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s approach of non-violent protests garnered substantial support and was a great example to the world. Other calls for change over the decades have varied in approach, methods and success.
I participated in a form of social justice when I helped form the International Size Acceptance Association (ISAA) and ran it for eighteen years as its Director. We put together multiple online campaigns to educate the public about weight-related issues such as self-esteem, fitness at every size, healthy food choices and how to deal with weight-related biases and discrimination. We used the website, newsletters, e-zines, podcasts, local meetings and a few conventions to generate interest about these topics. I myself and several other representatives of ISAA were interviewed by a host of media at various times between 1997 and 2015, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, TIME, Wall Street Journal Radio, NPR, Japan’s Yomiuri Simbun newspaper and many others. We saw gradual improvements in public perception and things like fat-shaming have become unpopular. There is now more focus on healthy living and fitness at any size than at any time before.
There have also been more destructive forms of social justice. People have done dangerous things such as blocking traffic, placing spikes in trees (which resulted in deaths), threatening people, beating people, looting, burning buildings, cars and other property. These are methods which inspire terror not change.
The problems that can arise with social justice stem from the same root as those for legal justice. Social justice basically tells people “together, we can make a difference if we try hard enough and are patient and persistent enough.” Ideally, that is fine. But in reality, social justice depends on people. And people are inherently flawed. They can misjudge, assume and make mistakes. Its leaders can be well-meaning but ultimately wrong. Or they can have the right idea and use very unethical or even deadly means to achieve their goals.
GOD’S JUSTICE
God is a spirit. He created humans the same as He made all of Creation.
Isaiah 55: 6 - 11 (KJV) reads “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
God is holy. That doesn’t mean God is just good and loving. He is, but He also gives us love that we have done nothing to deserve (also called “grace”) and much mercy. He is patient.
2 Peter 3: 8 - 9 (KJV) reads “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
God is the ultimate judge. His judgments are holy, righteous and pure. They are not swayed.
People often say “But how could a just and loving God allow terrible things to happen to good, innocent people?” God’s son, Jesus Christ, answered this:
Luke 13: 1 - 4 (KJV) reads “There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
In the beginning, God made Adam and Eve as perfect humans with free will. Using that free will, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and committed the first sins. They became sinners. Their children and every generation since were born with the capacity and desire to sin. But God determined people who would be prophets, judges, kings, pastors and teachers throughout what is known as the Old Testament and sent them to help the Jews, the chosen people of God. Those prophets foretold of a savior or Messiah who would come. Christians (myself included) believe that Jesus Christ was that Messiah.
What does that have to do with God’s Justice? Everything. It was God’s Justice that made it possible for sinful man to be reconciled with Him. Jesus’ sacrifice was extraordinary. He took the penalty for all the sins of every man and woman who had ever lived or would yet be born upon himself and died. Then God raised Jesus from the dead and Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the world, offering hope, peace and a new relationship with God through that Holy Spirit and Him (Jesus).
Why? How is this “justice?” I am not a pastor but I am a Christian. I can only share what I’ve learned and experienced.
In 1996, when I was in an emergency clinic, severely dehydrated and contemplating whether I’d survive the day, I realized one very important thing: I knew that if I died that afternoon, I would not go to Heaven. On an instinctive level, I knew that. In my mind’s eye, I could see and sense the lonely, cold abyss of Hell.
People imagine Hell as being ablaze and the Bible speaks of fire and brimstone, a lake of fire. I believe in all of that. Nevertheless, imagine a black hole in your soul threatening to suck you into it. That’s what I perceived: a terrible lonely void I’d describe as cold and foreboding. I had no idea what lay within and I didn’t want to know.
It was scary enough that in my mind, I called out to God and begged for my life. I told Him “Lord, if you spare my life today, I’ll go and give my life to you tomorrow!” The Lord let me live that day and the next day was a Sunday. I went and fulfilled my promise.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is John 3:16 (KJV), in which Jesus said “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
In John 3: 17 - 21 (KJV), Jesus goes on to say “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
As I stated before, God is the ultimate Judge. Like the threat implied with the sword of Lady Justice, God has a wrath. But He has given us a way to escape that wrath and live in peace with Him. In the future, God -- through His Son Jesus Christ -- will judge the whole world. This is mentioned throughout the Bible.
In Matthew 12: 22 - 37 (KJV), Jesus referenced it when speaking to the Pharisees: “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
How does God allow evil in the world? He gave people free will. They can -- and do -- choose to do evil. To paraphase the late Reverend Billy Graham, people ask if God has abandoned them. But He hasn’t abandoned people; they have abandoned Him.
God wants people to seek Him through His Son Jesus Christ.
In John 14: 6 - 7 (KJV), “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.“
I can only speak for myself but I’ll put my trust in God’s Justice over people’s justice any day.
Thanks for reading this.
I never set out to harm anyone when I write but I also won’t avoid a discussion just because it involves sensitive issues. Sometimes I choose to take a stand on things I consider important. That always runs the risk of offending or alienating people.
If this blog entry offends you in any way, I apologize. Please consider it “food for thought” and not some kind of personal attack.
LEGAL JUSTICE
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of legal justice is “the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments.” The laws within a country are generally designed to protect its citizens and maintain some kind of order.
But there are plenty of examples throughout history of laws that were enforced which were clearly unjust. In the United States (US) alone, slavery was legal until 1865. Women were not allowed to vote until 1920. Interracial marriage was illegal in many states until 1967. Laws were made to protect politicians and businesses from their own unethical practices or to prevent specific ethnic groups from voting. And these are just a few examples.
Even now, there are laws which many consider unjust or worse. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in 2010 declared that corporations had the same rights as people. Despite common sense making it clear that a business is not a person, the US Supreme Court’s majority interpreted existing laws, court cases and the US Constitution in such a way as to determine that corporations somehow were entitled to the same rights as people. This Supreme Court ruling was very controversial and had widespread political repercussions still in effect today.
In early 2019, several US states have made laws allowing abortion up until the date of birth. Many people (myself included) consider abortion murder. Regardless of what term one gives to the life within the womb, what medical conditions it may or may not have or under what circumstances that life was conceived, it is life. That does not condone the way it was conceived, especially if by rape or incest; it just acknowledges what is growing in the womb as life. Otherwise, it would not have to be killed in the abortion process.
Numerous medical professionals have confirmed that in a pregnancy past twenty-four weeks, the life growing within a woman could be delivered naturally or through C-section. In those instances, that baby would stand a reasonable chance of survival, given modern medical capabilities and techniques.
There are many questions and controversies regarding what happens to “unwanted” children after their birth including assistance in their care, the costs of foster care/adoption and more. These are all legitimate areas of concern. Addressing them would require changes to existing laws.
Statues of “Lady Justice” are said to be the ideal embodiment of legal justice. Based on the Roman goddess Lustitia, they are depicted as a blindfolded woman holding a sword in one hand and a set of scales in the other. She is supposed to be blind. This represents being impartial and objective, unswayed by anything but truth. The sword represents the power, threat and finality of the law.
However, reality is different than the ideal. People make laws and people are flawed. They have biases and can be swayed by the opinions or influence of others. People can be bribed, seduced or blackmailed. People can be the wrong kind of blind: willfully ignorant.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
According to Wikipedia, “Social justice is a concept of fair and just relations between the individual and society. This is measured by the explicit and tacit terms for the distribution of wealth, opportunities for personal activity, and social privileges. In Western as well as in older Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fulfill their societal roles and receive what was their due from society. In the current global grassroots movements for social justice, the emphasis has been on the breaking of barriers for social mobility, the creation of safety nets and economic justice.”
“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” - Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
There have been good forms of social justice, such as the Civil Rights movement. In particular, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s approach of non-violent protests garnered substantial support and was a great example to the world. Other calls for change over the decades have varied in approach, methods and success.
I participated in a form of social justice when I helped form the International Size Acceptance Association (ISAA) and ran it for eighteen years as its Director. We put together multiple online campaigns to educate the public about weight-related issues such as self-esteem, fitness at every size, healthy food choices and how to deal with weight-related biases and discrimination. We used the website, newsletters, e-zines, podcasts, local meetings and a few conventions to generate interest about these topics. I myself and several other representatives of ISAA were interviewed by a host of media at various times between 1997 and 2015, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, TIME, Wall Street Journal Radio, NPR, Japan’s Yomiuri Simbun newspaper and many others. We saw gradual improvements in public perception and things like fat-shaming have become unpopular. There is now more focus on healthy living and fitness at any size than at any time before.
There have also been more destructive forms of social justice. People have done dangerous things such as blocking traffic, placing spikes in trees (which resulted in deaths), threatening people, beating people, looting, burning buildings, cars and other property. These are methods which inspire terror not change.
The problems that can arise with social justice stem from the same root as those for legal justice. Social justice basically tells people “together, we can make a difference if we try hard enough and are patient and persistent enough.” Ideally, that is fine. But in reality, social justice depends on people. And people are inherently flawed. They can misjudge, assume and make mistakes. Its leaders can be well-meaning but ultimately wrong. Or they can have the right idea and use very unethical or even deadly means to achieve their goals.
GOD’S JUSTICE
God is a spirit. He created humans the same as He made all of Creation.
Isaiah 55: 6 - 11 (KJV) reads “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
God is holy. That doesn’t mean God is just good and loving. He is, but He also gives us love that we have done nothing to deserve (also called “grace”) and much mercy. He is patient.
2 Peter 3: 8 - 9 (KJV) reads “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
God is the ultimate judge. His judgments are holy, righteous and pure. They are not swayed.
People often say “But how could a just and loving God allow terrible things to happen to good, innocent people?” God’s son, Jesus Christ, answered this:
Luke 13: 1 - 4 (KJV) reads “There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
In the beginning, God made Adam and Eve as perfect humans with free will. Using that free will, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and committed the first sins. They became sinners. Their children and every generation since were born with the capacity and desire to sin. But God determined people who would be prophets, judges, kings, pastors and teachers throughout what is known as the Old Testament and sent them to help the Jews, the chosen people of God. Those prophets foretold of a savior or Messiah who would come. Christians (myself included) believe that Jesus Christ was that Messiah.
What does that have to do with God’s Justice? Everything. It was God’s Justice that made it possible for sinful man to be reconciled with Him. Jesus’ sacrifice was extraordinary. He took the penalty for all the sins of every man and woman who had ever lived or would yet be born upon himself and died. Then God raised Jesus from the dead and Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the world, offering hope, peace and a new relationship with God through that Holy Spirit and Him (Jesus).
Why? How is this “justice?” I am not a pastor but I am a Christian. I can only share what I’ve learned and experienced.
In 1996, when I was in an emergency clinic, severely dehydrated and contemplating whether I’d survive the day, I realized one very important thing: I knew that if I died that afternoon, I would not go to Heaven. On an instinctive level, I knew that. In my mind’s eye, I could see and sense the lonely, cold abyss of Hell.
People imagine Hell as being ablaze and the Bible speaks of fire and brimstone, a lake of fire. I believe in all of that. Nevertheless, imagine a black hole in your soul threatening to suck you into it. That’s what I perceived: a terrible lonely void I’d describe as cold and foreboding. I had no idea what lay within and I didn’t want to know.
It was scary enough that in my mind, I called out to God and begged for my life. I told Him “Lord, if you spare my life today, I’ll go and give my life to you tomorrow!” The Lord let me live that day and the next day was a Sunday. I went and fulfilled my promise.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is John 3:16 (KJV), in which Jesus said “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
In John 3: 17 - 21 (KJV), Jesus goes on to say “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
As I stated before, God is the ultimate Judge. Like the threat implied with the sword of Lady Justice, God has a wrath. But He has given us a way to escape that wrath and live in peace with Him. In the future, God -- through His Son Jesus Christ -- will judge the whole world. This is mentioned throughout the Bible.
In Matthew 12: 22 - 37 (KJV), Jesus referenced it when speaking to the Pharisees: “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
How does God allow evil in the world? He gave people free will. They can -- and do -- choose to do evil. To paraphase the late Reverend Billy Graham, people ask if God has abandoned them. But He hasn’t abandoned people; they have abandoned Him.
God wants people to seek Him through His Son Jesus Christ.
In John 14: 6 - 7 (KJV), “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.“
I can only speak for myself but I’ll put my trust in God’s Justice over people’s justice any day.
Thanks for reading this.
About the author
Allen Steadham is a nondenominational Christian. Happily interracially married since 1995 and the proud father of two sons and a daughter. He and his wife have been in the same Christian band since 1997. He plays electric bass, she plays strings, they both sing. It's all good.
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