Confession Time

I have a confession to make.

Something kind of snuck up on me, and even when I realized it - I was slow to make things right. Too slow!

Here's what happened.

I enjoy reading a good mystery novel - particularly murder mysteries. Nothing wrong with that. There are some fantastic Christian authors - Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Randy Alcorn, Terri Blackstock - have all written great stuff, some of it in the murder-mystery-thriller genre.

But last year I gravitated toward a popular secular author someone had recommended to me. I had actually listened to a few spoken word audio books by the same author before finally reading a paperback. Pretty prolific writer - dozens of titles.

Problem was/is that her characters frequently use the Lord's name in vain. Particularly the name of Jesus, in their casual conversation. Now, initially my wife and I cringed a few times during the audio tape drives on long highway trips. But the stories were really good. Great prose. LIke I said, I really like a good mystery novel. I figured, "contemporary speech, you can't avoid it."

But this year the burden finally hit me. Particularly as I read a few of the paperbacks.

The words on the page were impossible to ignore. A few times before bed I had just finished reading my bible. One night I was even preparing for bible study the next day - and then I picked up the novel before going to sleep. It wasn't right, more or less condoning the coarse, casual epithets about my friend - my Saviour, Jesus. 

Anyway, long story short - I realized the gig was up. I couldn't justify reading more of it, on purpose, when it was abundantly clear that this author would habitually use the Lord's name in vain, in every book, and with more than one character. There's salt, and then there's salt.

So - and this really killed me - I stopped one of the books in mid-read and returned it to the person who had originally recommended the author, explaining my dilemma.

Wait, there's more. I've got more to confess.

This person said, "I know how much you like this author, and it really is just the slang of the characters - how about if I go through the book and black out all the curse words for you? Then you don't have to read them."

Now, first of all...there's a real friend for you!  But the worst thing is....I considered it. Just for a minute, but I considered it. No,  I can't enlist your help to read the curse words yourself, and then pretend that I'm not a party to the...sin.  Yeah, it's a sin.

Exodus 20:7  "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God."

I'm sorry Jesus. I can do better.

And I promise not to ask anyone else how the story I gave back ends!

What do you believe?