An Author Interview from Books At a Glance
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Greetings, I’m Fred Zaspel, and welcome to another Author Interview here at Books At a Glance.
Dr. Sharon James is an excellent writer, her books are just the kind we love to promote, and she is here to talk to us today about them all.
Sharon, welcome – great to have you again at Books At a Glance.
James:
Great to be with you again! Thank you.
Zaspel:
Okay, I count about eight books – Is that right? How did you get started writing?
James:
It goes back a long time when I was a young mom and pastor’s wife. I have to confess there were moments I was somewhat overwhelmed. I had what I regard as self-pity. I came across a 19th century memoir of Ann Judson. I was gripped by this old book because the amazing testimony of this women’s resilience and fortitude in incredible sufferings showed me how feeble I was as a believer. I felt by the end of reading it I was ready to share this treasure. I knew it was long and outdated in its language. I wanted to make the story accessible to this generation. I used significant extracts from her own memoir in her own words hoping people would be inspired as I was inspired.
Zaspel:
You do not write necessarily to women, but you do have several books about women. Is your book about Ann Judson your first? Tell us about her.
James:
The original version was called My Heart in His Hands. This was a quotation from a diary entry as a 16-year-old. Many people weren’t clear what the title meant. When it was reprinted, we just changed it to, Ann Judson-A Missionary Life for Burma.
Zaspel:
Okay, I think next is In Trouble and in Joy: Four Women Who Lived for God. Who are the four women, and what would you have us learn from them?
James:
These were four women who really inspired me. The first was Margaret Baxter. She was a rebellious teenager born into a noble family in England in the 1600s. She was converted as a teenager to living Christianity. She was converted under the ministry of the great Puritan, Richard Baxter. She married him and sacrificially supported him. They lived a life of extraordinary sacrifice and service. She loved the word of God and supported her preacher husband.
Sarah Edwards, Jonathan Edwards’s wife. She was a very godly, pious teenager. She came from a Christian family. She was an extraordinarily supportive wife and mother. At the time of one of the awakenings in North Hampton, she had a profound experience of the love of God. Scriptures and hymns she knew all her life came at a new force to her. It did not just feel good at the time but equipped and empowered for her the years of much suffering that were coming. She was able to bear those with serenity knowing that nothing can separate her from the love of Christ.
Lastly, I cover two examples of godly single women. Both contented and fruitful in their singleness. Both refused several proposals of marriage. Ann Steel was a hymn writer in the 18th century. She had a deep love for the word of God. Some of her hymns were inspired by that love of the word of God. The second was the 19th century hymn writer called Frances Havergal who wrote Take My Life and Let It Be. Her desire was to be wholly surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ. I learned a lot from both women and wanted others to learn a lot from them.
Zaspel:
Okay, the next is Elizabeth Prentiss. Tell us about her and your book.
James:
Once people knew I loved reading they passed me a copy of Elizabeth Prentiss’ famous novel called Stepping Heavenward. I was gripped by this account of a young woman with everyday struggles of motherhood and the pressures of that and yet seeking to live a truly godly life. It was lively and accessible. I realized why her book became a best seller in the 19th century. I read her very long memoir her husband wrote after her premature death at age 59. I learned a lot but wanted to make it more accessible and up to date. She had great suffering. She went through the loss of two children. She and her husband had ill health. They lived through the American Civil War. The great theme of her life was being surrendered to the will of Christ. If we are surrendered and know nothing can separate us from his love, then the times of trial can draw us closer to experiencing that love of Christ.
Zaspel:
Okay, you have written about six different women from Christian history. Who is your own favorite, and for someone new to your biographical works what is the best place to start?
James:
My favorite must be Ann Judson. In all of church history perhaps the drama and romance of the life of Adoniram Judson is almost matchless. If one life has been an ongoing inspiration over the last 30 or so years, it has been the life of Ann Judson. I would point other people to her and her husbands’ lives. Especially right now I must commend the life of the Judson’s because there is the most vial, brutal military dictatorship affecting Burma. The Gospel has had a profound effect on minorities, but the majority population is not Christian. We should be praying for that very needy country particularly at this time.
Zaspel:
One more about women is your more recent, God’s Design for Women, but this is not a biographical study. Tell us about it and what you are trying to contribute here.
James:
Going back when I was a young wife and mother I was engaged in women’s ministries. I was traveling a lot in the UK and abroad. I spoke to women in different situations and cultural contexts. Wherever I went I was profoundly distressed at the impact of family fragmentation which was being driven by the circle of new morality. The old conventions and Christian reality were being torn up. In its place, there was the belief that everyone should have liberation and freedom. One expression of that was radical feminism. The effect on women was appalling. There was an escalating family breakdown.
I went into quite a study of modern feminism and its devastating effects on women. By contrast, God’s design for men, women, families, community, and society is for our flourishing. We function best within God’s design. The book not only dealt with the terrible effects of modern feminism but also the beauty and glory of God’s design. Women are equal in dignity, value, and significance to men. We should respect our differences. After 20 years, the 3rd and 4th waves of feminism meant I completely rewrote it in 2019. It was republished under the new title with God’s Design for Women: In an Age of Gender Confusion. I rewrote about the positive effect the dignity of women has had on society.
Zaspel:
Okay, let’s back up to 2006 – Gentle Rain on Tender Grass: Daily Readings from the Pentateuch. Tell us about this.
James:
The title comes from the words of Moses who said that God’s word comes to us as “gentle rain on tender grass.” We need regular refreshing rain. As we approach God’s word, we need to be soaked in it to have that daily input of the most precious words we can live by. I had been profoundly affected by my husband Bill’s systematic exposition.
In the first five books of the Bible, we see all the beginnings of the great storyline of the Bible, of redemptive history. I wanted to make this topic accessible to readers who have less time. The final thing that helped me prepare for this was George Mueller. He was an English Christian who ran orphanages in the 19th century. His principle was to get on your knees and read the word of God prayerfully first thing in the morning and take a text throughout the day to meditate on.
Zaspel:
In 2007 you published The Dawn of Heaven Breaks. I love this book – I think it is my favorite of yours. Tell us about it.
James:
My husband was a pastor for 26 years. It was such a wonderful privilege to have input into a congregation for that long because you see people being born, coming to faith, and being baptized. But also, you see members of your congregation departing to be with the Lord. During that time, we saw all different ages going to be with the Lord. One of the privileges of pastoral life is to walk with people through those times of grief. It is at these times we felt Christ to be closest. The Dawn of Heaven Breaks is an anthology. It gathers Scripture and hymns through people in church history who shepherded people through death. You can pick out these short readings and share them with those facing death. The title is inspired by the hymn by Samuel Rutherford, The Sands of Times Are Sinking.
Zaspel:
In 2019 you stepped into a huge contemporary controversy with your book Gender Ideology: What Do Christians Need to Know? Certainly, an explosive topic today – tell us what you do in this book and just what Christians need to know.
James:
Christians need to know that young people and children in our society are being told lies. They are being told there is no creator God, we can choose our own identity. They are told that binary is bad, gender is fluid, we are all on the spectrum. If you look like you are a girl, you might be trapped in a boy’s body and vice versa. This arises out of the notion called gender ideology. There are some fantastic longer books on this subject, but I know many do not have time to read so I boiled down what people need to know into an accessible book. It aims to equip Christians to know what the truth is. God has made us male and female. There are deeply confused people because we live in a confusing time. Everyone needs to be treated with dignity, care, and love but they are presented with wrong ideas and we need to oppose them.
Zaspel:
Then your most recent book, just a delightful read, How Christianity Transformed the World. Tell us about it.
James:
It is based on what some call identity politics. It puts people into a pyramid of oppressors and victims. The oppressors are said to the villains and the victims are said to be innocent. There is a narrative going around that western Christianity has been a repressive force that has kept victims under. This is appalling because when you look at the foundation of human freedom and dignity it comes from a biblical worldview. All humans have been created equally in God’s image. Even secular thinkers will say openly it is the biblical worldview that has led to the promotion of individual freedom.
There are longer academic books, so I aim to produce a shorter accessible book. Ten chapters showing the positive effects of Christianity. Ranging from issues of freedom, protection of life, healthcare, education, work ethic, and so forth. In the past, there have been episodes in the name of Christ we would not defend. All human beings have been created in God’s image and can have compassion. The command of Christ to love God and neighbor puts a duty on Christians to care for others. Our compassion is unmatched. We do not need to be ashamed when we look back at the Christian past.
Zaspel:
Okay, which of all these do you consider either your favorite or your most important?
James:
Freshest in my mind, I totally enjoyed writing How Christianity Transformed the World. I am a historian by training. I enjoyed going back to my first love of history. It also went to a desire to help the younger Christians under huge pressure. At university, they are confronted with many students and teachers who are anti-Christian. I want them to have confidence that Jesus is Lord, and the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We do not have to be ashamed of our past and there is much we can commend to others. I would love it to be a way you can point others to Jesus. When people follow the command of Jesus to love their neighbor look at what has been done. When you look at biblical missions, there is a good story out there. We know if we sacrifice our lives, we will gain our lives. This gives encouragement to the most extraordinary endeavors.
Zaspel:
Any more books currently in the making that we should watch for?
James:
I have written another book. It is entitled The Lies We Are Told; The Truth We Must Hold. That is going to be published by Christian Focus in March of next year. It is about biblical worldview. It contrasts biblical worldview with non-Christian worldviews. It is not just about the theory of worldviews. I trace out the devastating impact of non-Christian worldviews. For example, I look at the record of Marxist, totalitarian regimes in the 20th century. It helps us to see what it looks like in practice. The lies lead to bad fruit and results. By contrast, the biblical worldview leads us to human flourishing.
Zaspel:
We are talking to Dr. Sharon James about her books. Her books are well-informed, and she is an excellent writer. My own favorites are The Dawn of Heaven Breaks and How Christianity Transformed the World, but the biographical titles make for delightful reading also. And her 2019 book on Gender Ideology is especially important for Christians today. In any case, we’re very happy to feature her works here on Books At a Glance, and we hope for more to come.
Sharon, great to talk to you again – thanks so much.
James:
Thank you so much. It has been great talking to you. Thank you for your useful ministry.
Editor’s Note: See our previous interviews with Sharon James here and here.
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