Author: Steven James
Submitted: November 28, 2012
Tell us a little about yourself. Im a father, husband, storyteller, adventurer and lover of stories with a twist at the end.
What was your motivation behind this project? I was considering the question of what makes humans different from animals. At first I thought the answer would be, Well, humans have souls, but then I came across Ecclesiastes 3:21 that says, Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth? Id never heard in church that animals had spirits just as humans do, so this verse really got me to thinking. The storyline for The Bishop grew out of my journey deeper into this question.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? A greater sense of the dignity and worth of human life.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? This book required more research on philosophy, science and human nature than any of my previous novels. I learned a lot about the point of view of those who believe in evolution and about the impact that has on their view of humans, and of the point of view of those who believe in creation, and the impact that has on how they view human life. It was eye-opening. Its frightening where reasoning from a worldview that does not include God will lead you in the realms of justifying evil and immorality.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? While researching this book, I dove into apologetics and found that Peter Kreeft is probably my favorite author in that field.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: This is my deepest, most philosophical novel to date. It was also the one with the most intense climax. If you like thought-provoking, intense thrillers, then youll love The Bishop.
