ASK THE AUTHOR 

Julie Klassen

LATEST PROJECT: The Dancing Master (9780764210709, $14.99, January).

Publisher: Bethany House (Baker Publishing Group)

What draws you to the Regency era?

I have loved all-things-British ever since I read The Secret Garden and Jane Eyre as a young girl. But later, Jane Austen’s novels—and the miniseries based on them— cemented my love of the Regency era in particular. ... As a Christian author, I’m also drawn to the era because it was a time when church attendance and family prayers were commonplace.

Is the village of Beaworthy real?  It is a fictional village based on a composite of three real villages in Southwest England.

What type of character is Julia Midwinter? Is she a typical character for you?  Julia is a different character for me in that she is not the typical sweet, self-sacrificing heroine. Early on, she is a bit reckless, flirtatious and difficult. But like many people in real life, there is more going on beneath the surface—and in her past—that has made her who she is. As the story unfolds and secrets are revealed, I hope readers, like the hero, will come to understand her, and perhaps even become fond of her, especially as she begins to grow and change.

How did you research the dances and dancing instructors of this era?  I read the diary of the dancing master to Queen Victoria’s children as well as dance instructions from the 18th and 19th centuries. My husband and I went English country dancing several times, and this fall I attended dance classes at the annual meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America. Research has never been so enjoyable! 

What themes are explored in this work?  The main themes are love and grace—contrasted with the foolish things we sometimes do to try to fill the void in our hearts that only our heavenly Father’s love can fill. I enjoyed weaving in grace in its many forms—social graces, grace in dancing and, most importantly of course, God’s grace. 

Why did you include the Byranites?  I came across the name in an old Cornish newspaper that described the Bryanites worshipping in a large loft over a stable with great fervor in imitation of David’s dancing before the ark. The beams suddenly gave way, and “the minister and his dancing congregation” fell to the stable beneath. How could I resist mentioning them in a book about a dancing teacher? Further research revealed the Bryanites (or Bible Christians) were an offshoot of Wesleyan Methodists, founded by a man named O’Bryan (originally Bryant).

What else should retailers know about this novel?  The Dancing Master is a stand-alone novel. [Also] the English country dancing described in the novel is akin to, say, square dancing or the old-time waltz here in America. In 19th-century England, dancing at a ball under the watchful eyes of chaperones was the primary way young people met and courted. It was considered so vital that parents hired dancing masters to teach their sons and daughters this important social skill. I sincerely appreciate everything retailers do to bring good books—and The Good Book—to readers!

Latest project: Holy Fire: A Balanced, Biblical Look at the Holy Spirit’s Work in our Lives ($15.99, 9781621366041 Charisma House, Jan. 7).

Why did you write Holy Fire at this time? My publisher, Charisma House, got word that a leading noncharismatic evangelical was writing a book that would almost certainly be a broadside attack against Pentecostals and charismatics generally. They knew this man would particularly try to discredit the view that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are available to the church today. They asked me to respond, although there would be no opportunity to read his book. I did my best to write Holy Fire in a manner that would anticipate what I thought he would say. I was pretty sure he would defend the cessationist perspective, that is, the view that the miraculous ceased after the first century of the Christian church. I devote two chapters to expose the folly of cessationism and to demonstrate the contemporary relevance of holy Scripture regarding this issue.

Who is this book for? Because it addresses the heart as well as the mind, I would honestly say it is written for every single believer on the planet—the conservative, non-charismatic evangelical, the anti-charismatic, the Roman Catholic, any Protestant, the preacher, the layman, the teacher, the Pentecostal and the charismatic. I also kept the young student and new Christian in mind, and someone preparing for ministry. And yet, as I say in the preface, I wanted to make people “hungry for the Holy Spirit.” Therefore, it is not merely a cerebral book.

What do you mean in the book by  “a silent divorce in the Church”? It is my view that there has been a silent divorce in the church, speaking generally, between the Word and the Spirit. When there is a divorce, sometimes the children stay with the mother, sometimes with the father. In this divorce, you have those on the Word side (calling for sound doctrine, earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to the saints, Reformation teaching [justification by faith, sovereignty of God], expository preaching and the need for people to be saved) and those on the Spirit side (urging people to get the same power demonstrated in the book of Acts and to experience signs, wonders, miracles, healings, prayer meetings where the place is shaken and even seeing people being struck dead for lying to the Spirit). Both emphases are exactly right. But they talk past each other, and neither side seems to deeply respect the other. We need both. The simultaneous combination will result in spontaneous combustion and bring the Great Awakening so desperately needed.

What exactly is “strange fire”? Taken from Lev. 10:1 (KJV) and also translated “unauthorized fire” (NIV, ESV), it is what Nadab and Abihu produced on their own. [Both] were consequently destroyed by God. The author of the book Strange Fire applies this to all Pentecostals and charismatics today, claiming that their manifestations, including speaking in tongues, are demonic. I include a chapter called “Strange Fire” in my book.

What motivates you to be frank about the various types of strange fire? I was compelled to point out that too much that has taken place in the modern Pentecostal and charismatic movement is strange fire. False. Counterfeit. I warn against false healings, false teaching, sheer showmanship, hyper-grace teaching, open theism, universalism, so many songs that are shallow theologically and the notion that gifts are more important than character. I also lament the fact that prosperity teaching has taken a front seat where the traditional emphasis had been on signs, wonders and gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

You speak of a time when “the Word and Spirit come together.” To what are you referring? My final chapter in Holy Fire forecasts the next (and in my opinion, final) great move of the Holy Spirit before the Second Coming. It is the cry in the middle of the night (Matt.25:6), when the church is awakened from its slumber. I call it “Isaac,” the true coming together of the Word and Spirit. I liken it to the ancient promise to Abraham. For 13 years, Abraham sincerely believed that Ishmael, son of Hagar, was the promised child; likewise, so have many Pentecostals and charismatics assumed that their movement of the past 100 years was the ultimate “last days ministries” before the Second Coming. It was Ishmael (in my opinion), although Ishmael was a major part of the sovereign purpose of God. But the best is yet to come, as prophesied, too, by Smith Wigglesworth in 1947, when the Word and Spirit would at last come together—which I call “Isaac.” This awakening is coming soon.

How can retailers promote Holy Fire? I would like to think that every person who reads Strange Fire will also read Holy Fire. ... Who am I to give advice to these retailers? I realize they cannot take sides. I suppose I would like them to challenge the buyer to read both books and let the reader decide. I would also hope they could somehow make available an open letter I have written to the author of Strange Fire, which I wrote after I read his book and heard all his talks at his Strange Fire Conference. I have asked him to pray about having a civil debate—presidential style—on the issue of cessationism. Everybody tells me he won’t do it, but let us hope he will.

As Jennie Allen’s newborn son slept nearby some years ago, she stared at the ceiling feeling restless. She longed for a sense of purpose and wondered about the nature of her restlessness. Was there supposed to be more to her life than what she was currently experiencing, or was she simply not valuing the life she had been given?

She sensed there might be a little of both at work in her heart and set about seeking God for direction. He led her to discover her life’s purpose, and now she wants to help other women do the same.

Allen and her husband, Zac, have four children and serve in ministry together. Allen is a Bible teacher, author and founder of the If Gathering, a conference for women. Her first book, Anything, urged believers to completely surrender to God, to be willing to do anything for Him. 

Since the publication of that book, she hears from women who say they are all in, but want to know what to do next. Her new book from Thomas Nelson, Restless: Because You Were Made for More (9780849947063, $15.99, Jan. 7), is a response to that question.

In Restless, Allen invites women to dream again. She writes: “I want you to dare to believe that God has a vision for how you are to spend your life. Because finding and accomplishing this vision is quite possibly the greatest responsibility we have as a generation, second only to knowing and loving God.”

The author is careful to point out that sometimes a feeling of restlessness comes from a view that our lives are small and insignificant when that is not true. She argues that finding one’s purpose begins with identifying the unique threads of one’s life—experiences, gifts, passions, even sufferings. She leads women to lay out before God all the threads that might seem random, but which He weaves into a beautiful tapestry.

Thomas Nelson is simultaneously releasing several ancillary products, including a DVD, study guide, leader’s guide, discussion cards and a DVD-based study kit.

To order, call 800-251-4000, or visit www.thomasnelson.com.

Mega-selling author of The Five Love Languages describes ‘the kind of marriage God intended’

Six months after their wedding more than 35 years ago, Gary Chapman and his wife, Karolyn, were not happy as a couple. Their problem, Chapman asserts, was a lack of understanding about how to complement and support each other despite the fact that they are different. Without an instruction manual, they pressed on with much confusion and frustration, but eventually attained the type of relationship they both desired. Now Chapman offers a new book “with the hope that it will help couples learn the lessons it took us so long to discover,” he writes.

Chapman is the author of many titles, including The Five Love Languages, which sold more than 5 million copies and was translated 38 times. In Now You’re Speaking My Language: Honest Communication and Deeper Intimacy for a Stronger Marriage, available this month from B&H Books, he focuses on ways couples can enhance the five types of intimacy in marriage.

Drawing on his years of pastoral experience in counseling couples, Chapman begins the new book by examining unhealthy communication patterns and showing ways to establish healthy ones. He claims that 86% of divorced people name deficient communication as their main marital problem.

Better communication fosters deeper intimacy, Chapman argues, and whereas biblical oneness does involve sex, the other types of intimacy—intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual—are equally important. He writes that when these four are strong in a marriage, “they lead naturally to sexual intimacy.”

Chapman also points out the differences between contracts and covenants. While contracts are conditional, often short-term, agreements, covenants are permanent and based on steadfast love and unconditional promises. He says the Bible presents marriage as a sacred covenant between a man and a woman, yet many couples today practice only contractual marriage, where the give-and-take is conditional. 

The author confesses a time in his own marriage when he didn’t think covenantal marriage was possible. But then God directed him to study the life of Christ yet again, and he came to understand the principle of servanthood in a way that finally began to transform his relationship into a covenant marriage. Chapman writes: “I’m convinced that this is the kind of marriage God intended His children to have.”

And yet he often hears people lamenting that they had not learned these principles of marriage sooner. Chapman longs for every local church to have a staff or lay couple dedicated to the enrichment of marriages and urges all couples to do two things: participate in one marriage-strengthening event and share one book on marriage every year.

To order, call B&H at 800-251-3225 or visit www.bhpublishinggroup.com.

Thrive (602341018425) from GRAMMY-winning band Casting Crowns releases Jan. 28 from Beach Street Records (Provident Distribution). Lead singer and songwriter Mark Hall shares the story behind the new project. 

Tell us what inspired Thrive.  It was inspired by the student ministry at our church, Eagles’ Landing, called “Thrive.” We’ve been working with the youth for about 12 to 13 years. Being a youth pastor is still what I want to be when I grow up. When I talk to my teens, I ask, “How are you doing?” and they answer, “I’m just trying to get to Friday or fall break, if I can just get to graduation.” All they’re doing is surviving. When they talk about their calling, they say, “One day, God is calling me to ministry,” but there’s something to be doing now. You’re here to bloom where you’re planted. You’ve been given your story to make God known today, so we named our student ministry Thrive and used a verse in Jeremiah [17:7-8], which speaks of a tree planted by streams of water whose roots are digging down and reaching.

In the church, some believers are all roots. They’re digging in and learning all the doctrine and theological terms, they’re all roots, but there’s no reach. They don’t get out and love on the world. As deep as their roots are, there’s nothing to them. Then there are believers who are all reach, saving the whales, doing mission projects. They haven’t fully dug into their faith. The first storm of life just knocks them right over. So the “roots” people are more law and the “reach” people are about more grace. We took six songs and they’re all about digging deep and getting into the Word. The next six songs are about reaching out, your gifts, talents. How does it work to live out your faith in your friendships where you’re having to trust God in your everyday life?

What are some of the new songs?  “Thrive,” the title track, is a high-energy worship song. “All You’ve Ever Wanted,” that song is hitting the church right where they live. It’s about the fact that [with] most of us, the battles we’re fighting are the battles that are over, just taking us to that journey of God pursuing us, not that it needs to be earned. 

“This Is Now” is the story of Peter in that same vein, about starting his friendship with Jesus all over again. It’s a pretty “killer” story I’ve been telling my kids for years. We tend to gravitate toward stories. We just pop around sometimes. I remember, several years back, that the story of miraculous fish happened twice. Peter caught the fish when he first met Jesus. Peter, on the biggest payday of his career, leaves it all and follows Jesus. Anybody today would say, “Jesus, let’s meet here tomorrow at this same time.” He leaves it and follows Jesus, and for the next three years, sees things he’s never seen before. … He’s starting to get a little less popular hanging around Jesus. Jesus is telling him, “I’m going to die. I’m going to let them kill me.” He leads with his mouth, which reminds me a lot of myself. At Jesus’ greatest point of need, Peter bailed. In the last chapter of John, Peter is with Jesus, Jesus is resurrected … teaching and talking to Him. At one point, Peter turns to one of the guys and said, “Hey, I’m going fishing.” To me, it’s like saying “I had my shot, I’m bailing.” He’s out fishing, and what does he hear from the shore? He pulls in the second-biggest payday of his career. He’s so far away from God in his mind. One of the other disciples says, It’s Jesus. He jumps in the water and swims a football field to get back to Him. What Peter is saying to Jesus is, “I’ll start over with you. We’ll go all the way to where our friendship began.”

How do you meet the needs of older listeners while reaching younger ones as well?  The music has never been polarizing; it’s been in the middle by design. I listen to a lot harder music than I play. I listen to rap, to (the rock group) Red. I think the blessing [is] that our music lands somewhere in the middle. Someone said, “you’re one of the only bands that my daughter and I can listen to together.” It’s more about what we say. I think that helps us that our group, our audience, is all over the map. We’re working with teenagers every week we’re writing these songs. It’s almost like it’s designed to be that way.

‘Partridge Family’ actress and husband Marty Ingels appear together in movie for first time

A young professional struggles with unemployment, romance and the existence of God in A Strange Brand of Happy (095163885625, $19.95), releasing on DVD this month from Bridgestone Multimedia Group. 

David, played by Joe Boyd, is let go from his company and, under duress, hires a life coach, Joyce, played by Christian recording artist and actress Rebecca St. James (Left Behind, Sarah’s Choice). 

David soon finds himself competing with his ex-boss for Joyce’s affections and being coached in ways to win her over by a group of nursing home residents, including Mildred—Academy Award-winning actress Shirley Jones (The Partridge Family). Jones’ husband, Marty Ingels (CSI, ER, Baywatch) is in the role of Mack, another nursing home resident. The film marks the first time Jones and Ingels have appeared together in a movie. 

When Joyce takes David to an open mic night of people contemplating the existence of God, something said by one poet—National Poetry Slam Champion Anis Mojgani, appearing as himself—provokes David to begin questioning who he is and his relationship to God. 

As he begins to reconcile his faith, the competition for Joyce from his former boss turns extreme, and David is forced to, once again, find wisdom and counsel in his unexpected friends, the retirement home residents. 

David Wise, the film’s writer and director, met Boyd when the two worked on a Christmas short film for a megachurch in Cincinnati. Boyd is also president of Rebel Pilgrim Productions, a Cincinnati-based band of storytellers. As a struggling pastor and church planter, he began doing improvisational comedy and feels he has now tapped into what he was created to do. The storytellers’ group says that Boyd’s story provided the inspiration for the film’s theme of discovering one’s passion and purpose. 

To order A Strange Brand of Happy, contact Bridgestone Multimedia Group at 866-774-3774 or visit www.gobmg.com.