Meet our favorite characters

Lutheran, The, Jul 2002 by Melander, Rochelle, Eppley, Harold

We learn about God's world from these fictional folks

Join us at our dinner table and you'll hear us talking about the inspiring people we've met. They aren't neighbors, friends or family members. They are characters who populate the pages of the novels we love.

We speak about their courage in the face of adversities. We ponder their misdeeds, forgiving them their foibles because they remind us of our own. Novelists put flesh and bone on our unspoken concerns, questions and desires. Like Jesus' parables, fiction clarifies life's mysteries and muddles our certainties. Stories allow us to delight in the messy richness of life in God's world.

We read a variety of authors, including fiction not designated "Christian." As believers, our image of God has grown because of the work of agnostic writers. As Christians, we've gained insight into the dynamics of our faith from people of other religious traditions. As adults, we have been enlightened by the spiritual struggles and longings of adolescents. Although we live in the hectic everyday world, our spiritual centers resonate with the routine of prayer and practice in novels about monastic life. Here are books that have moved us beyond our familiar world and enriched our faith, spirituality, sometimes in unexpected ways. We invite you to get acquainted with them. (You'll find these books at the library, and many are available from bookstores.)

Agnostic writers

Agnostic writers often grapple with life's biggest questions. In our experience, confronting and exploring our own questions through these books strengthens our faith.

A. Manette Ansay documents her doubts about the Christian faith in her memoir Limbo. Still, religious themes permeate her novels. Through an ensemble of characters, this novel explores a community's reaction to a miraculous event involving the death of a young boy. The characters' words give voice to our faith and doubt in the presence of mystery.

At first glance, Francis Kreer may not seem to be an inspiring role model for Christians. He is a minister who neither believes in God nor loves his wife. In The Vicar of Sorrows, British author A.N. Wilson follows Kreer through a series of comic adventures, which can help readers learn about surviving amid misfortunes and missteps.

Mark Salzman opens his novel The Soloist with the protagonist, Renne Sundheimer, discussing the ecstatic vision of St. Theresa of Avila. Renne wonders if Theresa's visions-and his own musical genius-are a gift of God or an oddity of nature. As Salzman said, "We live in an age when certainty is passed off as spirituality-like the fundamentalists who are so sure of their beliefs-and what I love about the contemplatives is that they are willing to acknowledge their doubt."

Also consider Mark Salzman's Lying Awake. Sister John of the Cross has been blessed with enormous spiritual and creative gifts. When she is diagnosed with a brain tumor, she confronts the reality that getting well might mean losing her gift.

And then there's the plot and characters in Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge, which echo the biblical relationship of Saul and David.

Jewish writers

In books set in Jewish communities, we witness God's presence in the lives of families who cultivate the faith for themselves and the next generation.

In the companion reader's guide to Tova Mirvis' The Ladies Auxiliary, the author says, "One of the best compliments I've received ... was from someone in Mississippi who told me that she knows very little about Judaism but she could have sworn that this book was about her mother's Methodist church." Mirvis' tale about a tight-knit orthodox community in Memphis will resonate with any reader who has experienced the dynamics of insiders vs. outsiders in the church.

Also consider Myla Goldberg's Bee Season, which tells about the quirky Naumann family. The novel explores religious experience and family dynamics.

Pete Hamill's Snow in August is set in 1947 Brooklyn. It chronicles the unlikely friendship between a war refugee, Rabbi Judah Hirsch, and an 11-year-old Irish-American boy.

Chaim Potok's Davita's Harp tells the story of the daughter of agnostic political activists who must choose her own spiritual path.

Writers of young adult fiction

We've discovered some of the best contemporary fiction in young adult books which explore topics that challenge readers of all ages. In Christopher Paul Curtis' The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, 10-year-old Kenny introduces us to his African American family living in Flint, Mich., during the 1960s. He chronicles their trip to Alabama, which coincides with the tragic, racially motivated bombing of a church in Birmingham.

In Kimberly Willis Holt's When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, 13-- year-old Toby Wilson begins his Texas summer coping with loss: His mother has left to become a country singer. Zachary Beaver arrives as "The World's Fattest Boy," part of a traveling sideshow. Toby helps Zachary get what he truly wants, his baptism.

Also consider Cynthia Rylant's Missing May and A Fine White Dust. Both feature children who seek spiritual connections.