As an author of Christian children’s books, I know that every person picks up a story and reads the text through their own theological lens. It’s quite impossible not to. Equally impossible, then, is the enormous task of an author who tries to placate each reader. And so rather than tie myself in knots, trying to please everyone, I decided, early on in my writing, that I would try to please God.

This is a portion of my interview on the Christians Engaged in Faith Formation blog, where my UMC colleague, Christine Hides, was good enough to interview me about the theology behind Easter Love Letters from God. 

Knowing that more liberal Christian audiences might struggle with some of the language in the book and perhaps wonder about my reasoning, I welcome the opportunity to address questions such as these:

Sharing the stories of Holy Week can be a challenge because of the violence of the cross and because the stories are laden with theological implications. How did you approach this? 

Why does the book use the term ‘Father’ to refer to God, when gender-neutral language is so important in our denomination?

In the resurrection story, why do you have the birds sharing the good news that Jesus is alive, rather than the women at the tomb, whose witness is so important?

Why does the final letter from God read as a sort of sinner’s prayer, inviting children into God’s family, when in the UMC, it is by baptism that we are incorporated to the Church – God’s family?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on my replies to these questions, so head on over to the blog, and be sure to leave a comment on this post on the CEF Facebook Page to enter the giveaway.