Sage Advice

Book Publishing Update

The General Assembly (GA) is when the churches within the denomination send representative(s), normally pastors or elders, to attend a large meeting. It is a time of fellowshipping, exchanging reports on the status of the individual congregations and missionary efforts, examining and ordaining men for the ministry. It is also a time for settling disputes, hearing disciplinary cases as well as discussing theological and practical matters. Some denominations refer to these meetings as Synods and others refer to them as Conventions. Our GA is next month and so I sent the following e-mail to my potential publisher:

Dear XXXXXX, Two months ago I sent you a copy of my manuscript. It is a very large book (620 pages) and it is on a very complex and controversial subject – Gay Theology. So, I expected that it might take quite some time for the reviewers to go through it. However, I am an ordained evangelist in the XXXXX XXXXXXX Church and in a few weeks we will be having our General Assembly. When I was ordained I was specifically tasked to address the topic of the growing popularity of Gay Theology. At the General Assembly I will be expected to give some a report on the progress of my book. So, I am inquiring to find out if there might be an update as to whether or not [name of publishing company] has any interest in publishing this timely book. I look forward to hearing from you again. 

Erik

Here is the response I received:

Erik, Thanks for your email. Some of our reviewers have given us initial feedback on your manuscript. However, at this point we are still receiving evaluations and considering its possible place in our program, making it difficult to say whether or not we'll be able to move forward with it. I'm sorry not to be able to give a definitive answer before GA, but we should be back in touch with you in the next month or so.

 All the best, 

XXXXX

So, it looks like I’ll neither have good or bad news to report at the GA. I suppose I take this as good news since it has not been rejected out of hand. 

Free to Choose: A Journey With Same-Sex-Attraction

Still waiting to hear from the publisher... waiting... waiting....

In the mean time, check out this video and comment below!

Andrew Sullivan Vs. Douglas Wilson: Is Civil Marriage for Gay Couples Good for Society?

So I watched the debate posted above. While I agree with the logical arguments of Doug Wilson I feel a great deal of empathy for Andrew Sullivan’s opening statement.  

An update on my book… in February I contacted 4 potential publishers. I had investigated numerous others but they all said “we are not accepting unsolicited manuscripts at this time.” Of those four, 2 said the book was too long, one did not reply and the other said that I would hear back within 90 days. I heard back from them 2 hours later and at their request I submitted chapter summaries, a 150-word thesis of the book and 3 full chapters. A week later they requested to see the other 17 chapters and I sent it to them on February 15th. So, now I am waiting to hear back on the rest of the book and hope I will receive a positive response by the end of April.

So now I am waiting… waiting… waiting…

But it isn't easy.

A MUST SEE Video: Interview with Rosaria Butterfield; January 11, 2013

Thus far my book has been submitted to four publishers but it may take 3 or so months before I hear back from any other them. I have also sent it to one of my former pastors to read and I have asked him to write the Forward. Please pray that a suitable publisher would see the need to put my work into the market place of ideas.

In the mean time, check out the above video. I wish every church would hear what Rosaria has to say, especially my own.

$$ Marketing The Truth $$

I don’t know if anybody really reads this blog or not so I haven’t posted anything in a while.

My book has been submitted to 3 publishers, one has shown some interest but I have not heard back yet from the others. I checked out the web sites of about 20 or so Christian publishing companies and most of them say, “We are currently not accepting any unsolicited manuscripts.”

The one that has shown some interest is very hesitant to print and publish a lengthy theology book that refutes Gay theology because they don’t think there is a market for it. They want a Reader’s Digest version that would require me to toss out about 60% of my material.

I had already planned on providing a “popular” version but I wanted the more scholarly one in print first.

Personally, I think Gay Theology is a very hot topic as I hear about homosexuality in the news EVERY day and I am convinced it is the #1 topic that the church is confronting in our culture. The truth is, there isn’t a book on the market that is as thorough as mine and the only thing even remotely comparable is written by a higher-critical liberal scholar (Robert Gagnon) who, among many other liberal heresies, denies the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch.

The fact is, if I was Joel Osteen I could write a book about how to get rich blowing your nose with 80 grit sandpaper and evangelicals would line up for miles to buy it and publishers would be fighting with each other for the publishing rights.

I understand that a publisher is a business that has employees they need to pay and if they can’t sell a book they can’t pay their own bills. But the truth is there are “Christian” publishing companies and music recording companies owned by NON-Christians whose only concern is the bottom line – the almighty dollar. The truth is, if the church had a desire to read good Christian literature and sound Biblical theology there wouldn’t be a market for selling all the crap to evangelicals. People want their ears tickled, they want to be entertained and want to be tantalized by wild speculative theories about the end of the world.

I am waiting to hear back from the other two publishers and if they both send me a typical form letter, “Thank you for your submission but…” I may self-publish it.

In the mean time I am extremely busy focusing on my career, writing another theology book on a completely different topic. I also have been doing a lot of work-related and personal travel.

When I find the time, I’ll work on the shorter “popular” version of my book but it isn’t a priority right now.

Creation and Redemption Sexuality

For the past couple months I’ve been waiting to hear back from a potential publisher of my book and from at least one reviewer. In the mean time I have been thinking about how I want to promote it once it is published. The first thoughts that come to my mind are to create a new web site and seek speaking engagements at colleges, seminaries and perhaps even at a few universities. I might even create some new videos for YouTube and perhaps engage in a few public debates.

In the mean time... I recently came across a brief lecture series by Pastor Doug Wilson held at Indiana University on “Creation and Redemption Sexuality” during which a large portion of those in the audience become disruptive.

I have been listening to Wilson for a number of years, I have read numerous of his books on marriage, family and theology. Generally speaking, we are in the same theological camp. I don’t agree with him on everything but I can’t think of anyone that I agree with on everything.

As I anticipate the possibility of speaking on the issue of Gay Theology and homosexuality at various venues and then see the response to Doug Wilson by a group of immature, rude "Diversity Mongers" (as Doug calls them) who want anything BUT free speech, polite debate and discussion on hot button topics I get a hint of what I may be encountering in the near future.

This sort of behavior is typical of the “Act Up” crowd and is regularly endorsed by many leaders of the Metropolitan Community Church. The goal is not to debate ideas but to intimidate and disrupt anything that is contrary to their worldview, their politics and sexual agenda.

Please check out the two part lecture series on Creation and Redemption Sexuality” at the following link:

http://www.canonwired.com/bloomington/