​This is an intriguing and powerful fiction. I discover that the first time I read this back in high school. At first, I was mostly drawn to it because it was written by C.S. Lewis. I didn’t even know what it was about or that it was fiction, given that Lewis wrote in so many different genres. What started as a reading project for extra credit became a book that taught me powerful lessons about heaven and hell. This book is one that I definitely recommend ~ Bethel

​​In his book The Great Divorce, beloved author C.S. Lewis presents powerful fictional analogies of heaven and hell. When the narrator suddenly finds himself in a joyless “grey town”, he chooses to wait at the bus stop to take the bus out of town. When he gets on the bus and finally arrives at his destination, he discovers that he and other passengers have become ghosts. While they arrived in a beautiful, heavenly country, their ghostly form make it painful to even walk on the grass. The bus passengers are met by people who they had known on earth who try to encourage them to choose heaven. Most of the passengers choose to get back on the bus (and essentially go to hell) by making up all kinds of excuses. The narrator eventually runs into George Macdonald, an author whom he called a mentor, who becomes the guide for the rest of the narrator’s journey. Macdonald helps the narrator to see and understand the excuses others passengers made to not go to heaven, whether or not they realize it before it’s too late. Right at the end, the narrator startles awake, realizing that he was fallen asleep in his study.

​This book has an interesting cast of characters that, even years after its publication, are relevant to its readers. In a similar fashion to his book The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce uses fiction to help them understand the struggles of the spiritual realm and our spiritual well-being. If you enjoy insightful Christian fiction, this is a book that I highly recommend. Get your copy today!

​This is an amazing book. I knew that even before I read it. I’d heard and read many glowing recommendations of this book from people I trusted, so I decided to check it out, even though I had hardly ever gotten into the realm of Christian fiction. In the end, I was not disappointed. And when I was first reading it, I couldn’t put it down. I love the setting, the biblical parallels, the storyline, the twists and turns in the plot, and where the story ended. I would even say that this is the best work of Christian fiction I have ever read. It’s incredible to think that this was Francine Rivers’ first book she wrote as a Christian, because it contains such a powerful portrayal of the heart of the gospel. It’s no wonder this book has sold over a million copies, and has remained a classic of Christian fiction for over 20 years. It makes me excited to get into other books by Francine Rivers in the future. I hope that maybe you will consider doing the same ~ Bethel

​When we look at many of the love stories that are unfolding in our culture today, it is very easy to become discouraged. Because so many people have given into the deception that love is based on feelings, too many people let go of love too soon, often for extremely selfish reasons. The popularity of movies and books that glamorize these type of relationships has only made matters worse. It’s even to the point that those that believe true love endures are presented as foolish and out of date. It leaves us to ask the question: can we actually find a good example of a love that won’t give up, no matter what?

In the first Christian fiction novel by Francine Rivers, Redeeming Love, we are given a powerful example of a love that doesn’t give up, an example of Christ’s enduring for us. Based on the biblical story of the prophet Hosea being asked by God to marry the prostitute Gomer, this book takes familiar elements from that narrative and puts them into the setting of the gold rush in California in the 1850s. In Redeeming Love, mountain man Michael Hosea is compelled by God to marry Angel, the most popular and hard-hearted prostitute in that area. Despite her resistance and bitterness, Michael never gives up on gently loving and pursuing her, and it makes no sense to her. Angel resists for the longest time, refusing to break the walls from her past and open her heart towards Michael, and but over time, her heart does slowly begin to change. When her hardened heart finally begins to soften, she can’t help but feel unworthy and afraid of his affections, so she runs away. Then she is finally forced to confront the darkness of her past. Since she is apart from her husband’s love, her full healing is finally able to come from the One whose love and pursuit of Angel’s heart is even greater than her husband Michael’s, a love that proves that it will never let go, no matter what.
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This is a powerful work of fiction, one that can change your perspective of the powerful, all-consuming love of the heavenly Father. The fictional setting makes it even more accessible and engaging to the reader. It’s a book that draws you into its world, but also presents powerful truth in a compelling way. If you only ever read one Christian fiction book in your lifetime, this should be the one. I would recommend this book to anyone about 16 or older, male or female, teen or adult. It’s available pretty much everywhere, so get your copy today!

​In the world we live in today, spiritual warfare is going on all around us. But it’s not just going on in the world at large; it’s also warring around the soul of each person on this earth. Sometimes, we are aware of when we are under attack by Satan. But most of the time, we are not aware of how the Enemy works in small ways throughout our day-to-day lives. These small victories can often lead to large footholds, and we didn’t really see it coming. This makes us struggle to believe that we have been shown grace through Jesus Christ and makes us doubt in our own salvation. And we get stuck in this exact same cycle over and over again. It makes us ask the question: is there a way to us to understand the tactics of the Enemy so we can stand up against it?

​In his famous novel, C.S. Lewis explodes to answer this question in a way that’s not only satirical, but also very applicable to our lives. The Screwtape Letters shows fictional letters written by an experienced, world-wise demon Screwtape to his inexperienced demon nephew Wormwood. Since Wormwood is constantly asking his uncle for advice, Screwtape answers with the tactics and strategies they use to tempt or deceive for “Our Father Below”. You follow along as Wormwood continually attempts to tempt a young man who becomes a Christian, but despite the best advice of Screwtape, does not succeed in having victory over his soul or keeping this man away from “The Enemy” (their name for God). All of this is done within the fictional and satirical setting that makes it easier to process, but also presents its powerful message. It’s rather incredible to think that Lewis was able to get into the mindset of the other side, and it seems that even he was rather surprised at how easily it came to him. What resulted was one of the best representations of the spiritual warfare ever written, and can give anyone that takes the time to read it a powerful tool to stand up against the tactics of Satan, so that then you can help others do the same. Being such a beloved classic, you can easier find it in bookstores everywhere, so get your hands on a copy today!