[Free Ebook: Divine Healing by Andrew Murray]  Andrew Murray (1828-1917) was an amazingly prolific Christian author. He lived and ministered as both a pastor and a writer from the towns and villages of South Africa.

All of his publications were originally written in Dutch and then translated into English. As his popularity grew, Murray’s books found their way into more than twelve foreign languages during his lifetime alone.

Andrew Murray’s early writings were primarily written for the edification of the believer-building them up in faith, love, and prayer. They include Abide in Christ, The Spirit of Christ, and With Christ in the School of Prayer. Later writings leaned more heavily upon the sanctification of the believer with such works as Holy in Christ and Be Perfect. Finally, in his last days, Murray addressed the issue of the Church and its lack of power on the earth. He emphasized the need for a constant and vital relationship with Jesus Christ and for consistent, fervent prayer.
Murray was an alert and intense man, continuing on in his writings until his death at age eightynine. His burning desire to transpose all that lay on his heart and spirit to paper was revealed in the presence of several manuscripts in various stages of completion at the time of his death.

Andrew Murray has greatly blessed the Christian world with richness of his spiritual wisdom and his ability to see and answer the needs of God’s people.

Click on the picture to download your PDF copy of this Ebooks right now!

Free Theology | Free Courses | Archeology | Knol | Factoid | Free Bible

The Language Of A Good Pieces Of Writing

There is no way in which language used and the message communicated can be separated from each other. The language should always suite the message, and the message should always be expressed language that is appropriate. This brings us to the language that a writer should strive to use.

The discussion upon language brings me first to a misunderstanding that many people have and that must be cleared before anything meaningful can be said. Most beginning writers and the weak of intellect seem to think that only an artificial, pompous, laboured, and jargon-loaded language shows their capability. This is a fallacy. Even the stupidest writer having access to a good Thesaurus can produces volumes in that kind of a language, but it takes a genius to produce material in language that is simple, inviting, fascinating, yet crisp and accurate.

Simplicity of language is not the product of a deficient mind. On the contrary, one’s power to express in a simple and lucid language increases in proportion to the mastery that one has on the subject under discussion and also the language used for it. On the other hand, the complexity, ambiguity, and showiness of one’s language is directly proportional to one’s superficial grasp of the subject being discussed, and also the crudeness with which one still handles the tool of expression that language is.

Look around and you will find both articles as well as decent sized books that expound subjects as simple as hobby development and as complex as Quantum Chromo-Dynamics in equally popular manner. You will find exciting books on mathematically and logically oriented subject like philosophy, classical music, and computer programming.

What distinguishes the writers of these exciting and pleasurable reading is their mastery of the subject discussed as well as the ease with which they are able to express themselves upon the subject. Even the most unschooled person among the target audience can say "Hey, even a person like ME can understand what this author is saying!". That is a great writing !!

The language of an accomplished scholar, authority, and writer is not marked with difficult or obscure words, but with language that is simple, lucid, fascinating, yet crisp and accurate. It becomes technical only if the intended audience needs it, and even there it does not get difficult for the sake of technicality. Let me tell you a few things about such language:

I-IT IS SIMPLE BUT NOT CHILDISH: When an expert writes or speaks, he is able to put the subject in such terms that even the non expert is able to appreciate the presentation. If such an expert happens to be a good writer also, his writing becomes very special. He is able to write in language that is simple yet not childish. It Is  A Serious Error To Equate That Which Is Simple With Childish Writing   !!

The language of a properly conceived and executed writing is so simple for the target audience that is sheet excitement to read it. At the same time it does not bore the reader by giving the appearance of childishness.

The simplicity that we are talking about in this lesson is not the product of a mind feeble and incapable of handling mature language, but the work of a trained person who is able to excite with his communication people who do not have his level of grasp of the subject discussed. Such simplicity does not come by keeping one’s linguistic capabilities at the level that one had achieved in kindergarten. Nor does it come by imitating childish speech or writing. Rather, it comes by careful planing and deliberate working and reworking of the manuscript.

The language of a good writing and its great writer is simple enough to excite, yet not childish to be boring. It is the result of mental growth, not of mental handicap. It does not proceed from the pen of an unschooled person, but from the mind of a thoroughly disciplined wordsmith.

2-IT IS DYNAMIC AND CAPTIVATING: Simplicity is not the name of an endless stream of babyish words, phrases, or sentences. Rather, it is presentation in words and in style that are no more complex than what the target audience can appreciate. At the same time this language is not monotonous in any way. Just as variety is the secret of serving food, selection of language and style is the secret of presenting the material in simple language.

The language of a good writing is simple, yet is shows great variety. Instead of being monotonous and boring, it tends to be dynamic and captivating. It might be a little difficult for you to visualize what I mean by language that is simple yet which is dynamic and captivating. The best thing to do is to read first hand the writing of writers who show this quality.

Books And Articles That Captivates Will Always Get Read, In Spite Of The Oppressive Presence Of The Electronic Media  !!

C. S. Lewis is a good example of dynamic and captivating English. His writings are contemporary and recent enough to be still available without much difficulty. In fact MacMillan still publishes and distributes his Narnia Chronicles, a collection of novels for children (relished even by adults). His Problem Of Pain and Screwtape Letters are also still easily available. Study the way in which he has used language. It is simple, yet dynamic and captivating.

If you can get hold of Rudyard Kipling’s poem titled `IF’ you will have the same experience. If it is too difficult for you to get any of these, then study a few issues of Reader’s Digest. Go to the Drama In Real Life section. Notice the simple vocabulary they use. Yet the words unfold such drama, such excitement, and such a sense of urgency that a sensitive reader feels he is present at the scene itself. The effect is not produced by using words larger than life but by a carefully written story that is simple enough to excite my ten year old son, yet is so dynamic and captivating that I compete with my son to get my hands upon the magazine.

No writer can ever write like another, and nor is it necessary. However, everyone can develop a language and style that is both captivating as well as dynamic — like the language used by successful writers. Reading and observing the language of others, writing, and rewriting is the answer.

3-IT IS ACCURATE BUT NOT TOO TECHNICAL: Many writers feel that if they simplify the presentation, accuracy will have to be sacrificed. This need not be so. Capable writers have found it possible to explain even the most technical and involved subjects in vocabulary and language that seems quite simple for the task.

I wonder if you have ever seen the popular science books published in the former USSR and sold world over for propaganda. These books powerfully illustrate my point. You will find in this collection, books on physics, philosophy, as well as genetics which have been explained in such a manner that a tenth standard student would exclaim with surprise that he is able to enjoy the subject.

In fact, there is no subject which they ever left untouched in their popular science serieses. What is interesting is that they found a way of writing on even a technical subject like English Grammar in such a way that everyone in our University faculty was excited about this book. Yet the book was so simple that my son who studied in the third standard at that time used to sit with it for hours together.

Writing in a simple manner does not mean that the writer has to compromise with accuracy. Using technical language is not the only way to express the subject unambiguously. Some of the most widely read science, technology, philosophy, and humanities journals are distinguished by the simple language in which they express themselves accurately.

Different level of readers require different levels of accuracy and precision in the material they read. The housewife needs only to be told to use a "pinch" of salt, while the chemist needs to know it sometimes in micrograms. The writing should therefore be no more technical than the need of the intended audience.

Good writing is accurate, but not too technical for the target audience. The reader should be able to exclaim that he/she is able to get a good grasp of the subject and yet the technical person should not be able to say that it communicates error. Plenty of such writings are available around, and studying them will shape the WriterCraft of anyone who is interested to make an impact in his field.

4-IT USES THE MOST ACCESSIBLE VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSION: When both simplicity as well as accuracy are stressed, most beginning writers become exasperated. They feel that the demands are in direct conflict with each other. While it might be true on a rare occasion, it is definitely true for the everyday writings of most writers.

It is possible for a skilled writer to communicate accurately using a vocabulary that does not force the reader to run to the dictionary on every other sentence. This is not to imply that good writings be restricted strictly to the vocabulary used in TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR or HUMPTY DUMPTY SAT ON A WALL. But it does require that it be restricted to a vocabulary that is expected of the audience for which the writings are intended.

Many successful writers are known to restrict themselves to using only the most common words. Lists of such words are available in many books as well as from many language institutes. Some dictionaries also follow this practice — they give all their explanations using the most frequently used words. Of course this might again raise the question of accuracy in your mind. Accuracy along with simplicity is achieved by using proper synonyms.

Many people have this illusion that synonyms are meant only for scholars of English Literature and that these will only make the writings more difficult to understand. This is a mistaken view. Looking into any decent Thesaurus (a dictionary of synonyms) will show that almost every world has several very simple, pictorial, and yet sufficiently satisfactory and accurate synonyms. Using a good Thesaurus will ensure that the writer has plenty of words at his disposal that help him to express himself accurately yet in a language that is accessible to the reader. What’s more, it will help him to avoid unnecessary repetition of the same word over and over again.

Good writers consider the vocabulary capacity of their intended audiences. Then they restrict themselves to a vocabulary that is most accessible to them, yet which does not compromise with accuracy.

5-IT AVOIDS SLANG, CHEAP AND PROFANE EXPRESSION: What is slang is easily understood by the generation that coined it. However, an accessible vocabulary does not imply that one should go down to this level.

Expressions that are slang to the level of vulgar, expressions that are cheap and profane manifest the way in which depraved minds think. This kind of a thinking is not appropriate for any mature and God-fearing person, let alone for a writer or reader who enjoys a personal relationship with God.

Expressions that are slang, cheap, and profane do harm in several ways. First they devaluate the esteem in which the readers hold the writer. Second, they cheapen and reduce the sanctity of the subject discussed. And finally, they reduced abhorrence to sin and vulgarity.

Researches have repeatedly revealed that when people are exposed to the profane for some time, their shock and revulsion to these expressions and subjects decrease. They become less sensitive to the evil tone and even feel free to use it themselves. This is the reason why you notice people belonging to certain groups using slang and vulgar expressions freely and frequently without any shame or guilt. They have been made insensitive to sin and evil by repeated exposure. A good writer understands this and keeps his writings free of such a vocabulary.

This might raise the question of how to portray sin and abomination in one’s writings, specially when one is trying to produce fiction that depicts the fallen lifestyle of sin-loving people. Interestingly, one does not have to stoop down to the level of people being depicted to give a good picture of those people to the readers. There are hundreds of literary ways in which one can create a word picture of sinful people and their unrighteousness without needing to use their profane language.

Just as a medical professor does not have to become ill to show his readers what illness means, the resourceful writer does not have to stoop down to profanity or vulgarity to depict evil. Nor does he have to resort to a cheap vocabulary to communicate in a simple manner with people. The writings of an accomplished writer use language that is most accessible to people, yet he never stoops down to using slang and profane expression.

6-IT USES THE RIGHT PROPORTION OF IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS: Just as flowers give a special beauty to gardens, idiomatic expressions, figurative language, the right use of metaphor, anecdotes and catchy expressions impart a special beauty to language.

Idiom, to be effective, should be natural, appropriate for the occasion, and never served in excess. Just as excess of monotonous prose makes reading a bore, excess of idioms makes the writing revolting to read.

For the idiom to flow naturally out of your pen, you should make it a habit to read writers who are at ease with using this kind of language. Not everyone is an expert at it, nor will reading a dictionary of idioms will make you one. This is not to discourage you from buying such a dictionary. Not at all ! If at all possible, every writer should buy at least one dictionary that deals only with idioms. This is to sharpen your grasp upon idiomatic expressions, but this in itself is only the first step. The second one is to read, and the third one is to integrate idiomatic expressions into your speech and writing.

Using non literal language without ambiguity of meaning, and using it effectively, is an art seen in the works of accomplished writers. Language devoid of it is as attractive as a fully shaven lion, and language loaded with it is as repulsive as a swarm of flies. The right proportion of idiomatic expressions makes language lively and captivating, exactly as a properly trimmed bed of flowers makes it a delight to the eyes.

SUMMARY

A good subject does not automatically make an article or story good. Nor does an attractive language automatically make it something of substance.

A good language should properly integrate the right subject with attractive presentation. It should motivate the readers towards the right goals in life, while at the same time it warns them against indulgence in things that are improper.

Only commitment to the correct cause and dedication to communicate the message captivatingly will make your writings good. Nothing less than that ought to be acceptable to a Christian writer.

Free Courses | Free Apologetics Courses | Free Seminary Degrees | Knol | Factoid

Specialities Of A Good Piece Of Christian Writing

It is very clear to even the casual observer that the writings of a Christian are definitely different from that of a non Christian. This difference is seen even when the Christian writes on a non-religious or non-moral subject. This is because the Christian world-view permeates his thinking, evaluation, and opinions. So much so that this can be perceived in his oral or written expressions.

Yet, what is Christian does not automatically become good or pleasant reading. Goodness is a quality that has to be created in addition to the substance of the writing. A good material does not automatically guarantee pleasant reading, nor does pleasing writing guarantee material of any substance. They are different from each other, but in a truly good writing they should go hand in hand. Yet, to a casual reader or writer this distinction might not be as clear as it ought to be!!

In this section we will discuss what is a good writing, but will not refer specifically to Christian writings. That is because these comments and observations apply equally to both Christian as well as non Christian writings.

Everyone who is interested in reading instinctively recognizes good writing. Book lovers unconsciously choose what most others also chose, and the thread that unites them is the goodness or quality of the writing.

While it is easy to recognize a good writing, it is not all that easy to define what makes a writing good. Language is a natural phenomenon, not bound by mathematical boundaries, and therefore there are many things about language that cannot be brought in the confines of a rigid or restricted definition. However, it is possible to list some qualities of good writings, and that I will do now:

I-IT CAPTURES THEIR ATTENTION: Almost all good writings capture the attention of those readers for whom they are intended. Good stories attract both children as well as adults.

Witness the popularity of the Phantom (Indrajal Comics) or Tintin, Asterix, Mandrake. Observe the popularity of Bahadur, Boban-Molly (Malayalam language), or comics produced by the Amar Chitra Katha. In book-loving families they create a stir with everyone from the grandpa to the grand child to see who gets to read it first.

In the same way, good textbooks attract everyone, while good books on philosophy, photography, cooking, hobby development, or any conceivable or inconceivable subject attract people for whom it has been written, and elicits great enthusiasm from the intended audience. This is the reason why Reader’s Digest continues to be the most widely sold magazine in the world. A Digest is something that searches out and publishes good material from all over.

2-IT FASCINATES THEM: In a careless moment people might yield to thinking that only comics excite people, but they are wrong. Look seriously around and you will find that good books on ALL subjects excite and fascinate people.

While the son might be absorbed in his comic (that the dad is waiting to read next), his dad is equally excited about the 2000-page volume on theology or philosophy which has come recently from the pen of a master writer. Look around on the train when you travel next. It gives you an opportunity for studying the reading preferences and habits of a large number of persons simultaneously and in the same setting. You will notice the that philosopher is as much excited about the journal in his had as the housewife is about her film-magazine and the sports buff about his sports magazine.

Good writing not only captures people’s attention, but it also fascinates them so that they are not willing to trade it with anything else. They lay down the book or magazine only when tiredness, hunger or nature’s call interrupts them. Further, you will notice that they automatically resume reading as soon as they attend to the call that distracted them in the first place. Good writing must not only capture people’s attention, but it must also fascinate them into continue reading till the reach the last line. It is difficult to create, but not impossible as attested by the mountain of good writings available today.

3-IT TOUCHES THEIR PAINS AND NEEDS: People read for different reasons. This includes education, information, and entertainment, but is not limited to these.

A lot of them expect additional help in their needs and problems. This is the reason why magazines on health and fitness, psychology, astrology, self-improvement, and do-it-yourself topics are bought in large quantities. People are hurting everywhere, and a good writer discovers these things and addresses their pains, problems, aspirations, and desires in his writings.

Even the richest man and the funniest comedian have some pain and problem hidden in their hearts. Neither money nor the sense of humour relieve them of their problems or aches. However, good writings can definitely help them.

A young person might have many aspirations and desires but might not have the faintest idea about how to go about fulfilling these. Others might have similar desires but might need guidance. Good writing captures their attention and offers them the appropriate solution.

Good writing tells them how to overcome their pain, how to fight with their problems, and how to reach where they want to go. It offers consolation to the mother who has lost her only son, to the wife who has been widowed and left with half a dozen children who do not yet know the difference between their left and right hands. At the same time it guides the depressed father back into a normal life, guides the young girl into the values of preserving her chastity, and motivates the young man to work harder to attain his noble and ambitious goals.

If your writings are good, people would be able to look back to them and say that these touched their pains and problems at the crucial point, and helped them with their aspirations and noblest desires of life.

4-IT MOTIVATES THEM INTO ACTION: Good writings motivates people into attitudes and deeds that are appropriate, expected of them, and that are good for the society. It does so by changing their habits, viewpoints, and even aspirations.

If the society is to be a good place to live in, people have to respect law and order. They have to be courteous and ready to defend the values upon which their society is built upon. They should treat heroes as great and criminals as the scum of the society. Crime, violence, and lust should be seen in correct perspective, and they should never be glorified or even condoned. Good writings do all these by motivating people in the appropriate direction.

The actions that make a society good do not come automatically. Many people with proper conviction have to build it up. In the same way, what makes society rotten or degraded does not happen automatically. People have to do things to make it like that. People do these things, good or bad, only when they are motivated to do so. Good writings mould the habits, viewpoints, and aspirations of people in the right direction. It builds up the society by building up and motivating people.

One should not forget that man’s sin nature makes it easy for evil to spread in comparison with good. Evil people find it easy to unite against the good people so as to threaten their righteous ways. However, the good people find it almost difficult to unite together to oppose evil. This means that the writer should pay all the more attention to motivate people to get involved in things that are beneficial for the society.

5-IT CREATES COMMITMENT: Nothing can be achieved in life without some sort of commitment. This is an important principle when one tries to make the society a better place. No good comes out of people or society without commitment.

The better things of life require both short term as well as long term commitment. For example, a man working in an office which has no pension scheme has to plan ahead and make something like a forty year commitment for savings if he has to provide for his family at retirement. Very few people are that foresighted.

At the same time, a person will be able to make that kind of a long term commitment only if he makes several short term commitments like forgoing some of the pleasures that are enjoyed by his short-sighted colleagues and friends. He will have to forgo some of the luxuries in which people indulge. He might even have to work a little extra before his marriage. Only this will ensure that he has something to fall back upon after he has a family, or if he faces a financial emergency, for which the long term commitment ought not be disturbed. Life promises to offer a lot of things. All of them look fascinating. However only those things are worth working for that have a lasting value. For most people these better things do not come easy, cheap, or by a stroke of luck. One has to work for them. Good writings explain these things to the reader, and in turn they create in the readers an intelligent commitment — towards long term as well as short term goals.

There are many who can look back into their past and testify that good writings helped them to become what they are now. Good doctors, lawyers, engineers, athletes, and professionals can testify to it. But what is more, good pastors, counsellors, writers, teachers, parents, housewives, and even good sons and daughters, who make this earth a better place to live in, can also often point to books and articles that helped them to become what they are now.

6-IT CONDEMNS EVIL, PRAISES RIGHTEOUSNESS: What is condemned by good writers imprints itself in the minds of people. At the same time, what good writers praise in their writings motivate people to aspire for it. Therefore good writings condemn evil, create an abhorrence against sin, praise righteousness, and create a desire towards righteousness.

Writings, specially that of popular writers or authority figures, have a great appeal for people. Readers consider their statements as authoritative truths. This means that the quality of the writing ultimately affects the quality of the way people think and act. Good writings, therefore, project the good things of life.

A good writer would like to keep people away from sins and sinning. His writings would therefore reflect this desire. Good writings do not stop with condemning evil — which it should do — but go further by creating in the hearts of people an abhorrence against sin. Only this is the long term solution to guide people towards righteous behaviour.

Good writers know that what they praise, people will accept as appropriate. Thus all good writings praise righteousness. But if people have to love righteousness of their own, a desire for it has to be created. Consequently, good writings skilfully create a appetite in their hearts for a life that is marked with straight forwardness and holiness.

Both sin as well as righteousness can become habits. It depends upon one’s tastes and preferences. The degenerate ones would like the world to love sin, but the good writer counters the tendency through what he says. Good writings therefore not only condemn sin and exalt righteousness, but also develop attitudes that will sustain this viewpoint.

Therefore good writings never even indirectly exalt sin, nor question things inherently or spiritually good. Their writers know that previous souls might be destroyed if they stoop down to doing this either actively or even through negligence. Their writings therefore reflect what they want people to do. They generate a revulsion against sin and a passion for righteousness.

In summary, all good writing praises good things and motivates people to prefer that which is good. This analysis applies not only to writings by Christians, but also to writings produced by non Christians.

Good writing is that writing which captures people’s attention, fascinates them, touches upon their pains as well as their aspirations. It motivates them into certain actions by changing their attitudes, viewpoints, and goals. It creates short term as well as long term commitment to the better things of life. What is more, it condemns sin, creates an abhorrence gains unrighteousness, praises righteousness, and creates a desire towards a life that is marked by honesty, and transparency.

Free Courses | Free Apologetics Courses | Free Seminary Degrees | Knol | Factoid

You Build Them Up by Showing
The Difference Between Good and Evil

The world is full of good and evil. This includes not only people but also their thoughts, deeds, motives, and movements. These are never neutral. Either they conform to God or they oppose Him. There is no middle ground and there is no neutral thought or deed. However, most people are not able to differentiate good and evil from each other. Someone has to show them what is what.

The writer builds up his readers by making the distinction clear between the good and the evil, and also by motivating them to pay the cost for choosing that which is good.

The human life is never free of thoughts or actions. Even the physically paralysed person is not free mental activity. Human life is permeated with mental and physical action. The sinful nature that man has inherited from Adam sees to it that the thoughts and deeds that come naturally to man are evil. So much so that many times what people consider as most noble might be terribly evil and sinful when examined from a divine viewpoint.

This is why a writer is called upon to build up people by showing what is good and what is evil. He does it by doing three things: by developing discernment, by developing commitment, and also by putting godly people in touch with each other.

BY DEVELOPING DISCERNMENT: The ability to discern between good and bad does not come easily, specially because of man’s inclination to sin and also because of his spiritual blindness. Further, using clever methods, in every generation Satan projects himself as an angle of light, adding to the difficulty of distinguishing what is what.

Added to this is the increasing range of workable human activities. Things are becoming possible in every generation that were unheard of in the earlier generations. For example, abortion — sanctioned by governments and performed in government run hospitals — was not heard of a few generations ago, but it is taking place today all over the world. The fact of easy availability of abortion today blinds many people to the unethical and criminal nature of this practice. This is blindness more pronounced in people born into our generation — they have no background or insights in these subjects. They have been seeing this, and other such practices, as a normal day to day activity, and thus they have no idea about the ethics involved. It is here that the writer steps in.

The writer not only denounces the evils of his generation, but also helps people to develop discernment about what is acceptable and what is not. He instills a set of values and norms in his readers using which they will be able to face not only things that they know, but also thoughts, movements, and activities that come up for the first time in their generation.

BY DEVELOPING COMMITMENT: Knowing the difference between good and evil does not automatically guarantee that people with opt for good. Choosing good and rejecting evil is painful, and many times people prefer the path of least resistance. Even if they do not aggressively choose the evil, many of them try to remain neutral by not advocating the good. In spiritual matters there is no neutrality. If one is not for God, he is automatically against Him. Thus it is essential to develop a commitment in people.

The writer should write in such a way that it creates a passion in the hearts of people to abandon evil and at the same time choose what is good. Further, you should be able to develop a passion in their hearts so that they advocate and advance the choice of good among the children of God — and even among those who are yet outside the fold!

BY PUTTING IN TOUCH WITH EACH OTHER: Even though you might be using gas stove or electric heaters for cooking in your house, you must surely be acquainted with firewood and coal. When a fire is lit using them, the firewood or the coal should placed in close contact with each other. Separate them, and the fire goes out fast. The same is the case with human life. We all need each other.

People need fellowship with others to sustain the kindling and glowing of their spiritual life. Put a couple of zealous believers, and their passion will flare up. Separate them from each other, and very soon most of them will fade away from their commitment. Just as evil people need company to sustain them in their sinful deeds, the good and the spiritual also need others to sustain their faith and commitment.

You Build Them Up by Not Praising Evil

Spoken words vanish fast, but the written word endures for long. This is not to imply that one can be careless in speech, but to remind that one has to be extra cautious when one writes. The written word goes to hundreds of readers, perhaps even to thousands or tens of thousands. Statements coming from writers, specially from writers of repute, are often accepted with great reverence. Consequently, what you say in print has long lasting effect. It can build up people, but at the same time it has the power to send people to eternal hellfire. Write with care. You build up people by never praising evil, and by never questioning the good.

BY NEVER PRAISING EVIL: Evil is evil, yet the fallen man has a fascination at least for some forms of evil. This is why one hears statement like, "It is impossible to live if one abides by all what the Scriptures demand". People who drop this kind of statements here and there are always looking for an excuse for indulging in evil — and the condoning tone of a Christian writer might be all what they need to strengthen their evil inclinations.

Further, many who have no idea of evil get into it when someone in a position of authority praises it. Even if he does not desire it, the writer is always in a position elevated over others and therefore if he praises any evil, directly or indirectly, it immediately opens up the way for the innocent to indulge in it. Therefore, DO NOT ever praise, appreciate, or speak good of people, movements, activities, or thoughts that are evil in any way. Your pen as well as your writings are sacred, and do not use them to sanction or elevate evil to the level of the sacred things of life.

BY NEVER QUESTIONING WHAT IS GOOD: All good might not look good on the surface. One requires a lot of spiritual discernment and maturity to recognize things that are inherently good. This means that many times things that are right, glorifying to God, and of inherent value might not look or be recognized as good. This perplexes many, and what they need is assurance not further doubt.

Consider the example of young Joseph — one of the most innocent persons mentioned in Bible. On the human plane everything that happened to him from the day he set out to meet his brothers was bad. Grief came not only to him, but also to his father. What’s worse, when he ran away from lustful activities, he was jailed on charges of attempted rape — even without a trial. However, the divine blueprint that controlled all of this was directing everything into a good and blessed direction.

We understand this today because the story has already come to a culmination — now we can look back and discern what is what. However, this was not the way Joseph could perceive it. He did not know how the story is going to end up. The most that he could know is that God is in control, and therefore he does not have to worry about his destiny.

There are many like Joseph today. What they see happening in their righteous lives are not meaningful in themselves. They keep making choices for God, but the results do not look very encouraging. This can perplex even the greatest spiritual giant. It is a moment of spiritual weakness, and if anyone questions these things at this time in front of that person it might be sufficient to break him down completely. Many are there who have become backsliders because of the stupid and foolish words of others.

Whenever a believer questions in front of others things that are good, he opens up the way for the spiritual destruction of at least some people — his listeners. Since the impact of a writer continues for generations, and since it reaches numerous people, he should NEVER questions anything that is good. He might not understand many things, but he should keep these questions to his heart and ask them to God instead of destroying the faith of others.

A writer builds up others by never praising evil and by never questioning good things. He never elevates the profane to the level of the sacred, nor discusses the sacred in such languages and tones that reduces them to the level of the profane.

You Build Up by Motivating

Man’s natural tendency is to avoid work and take the easiest path, the path of least resistance. Of course you might say that there have been many exceptions to this. True, there are always some who are highly motivated to take up the toughest path, but they are always in the minority. Whether it is the physical realm or the spiritual, the natural tendency is to take the path of least resistance. The right walk, however, requires a lot of work, and such efforts cannot be sustained without proper motivation.

A Christian writer builds up people by motivating them to be committed to the truth, to do things helpful to all, to develop hobbies, habits, and attitudes that are helpful to others.

BY MOTIVATING THEM TO BE COMMITTED TO TRUTH: Truth is not always pleasant, nor is adherence to truth always easy. The world despises people who try to be honest, and many times rewards them with insults, injuries, and even punishment. Students face this problem frequently in our country. Cheating in school and college exams has become widespread. Further, the marks given to them for laboratory exams is often arbitrary and based upon their contacts (or the influence of their family) upon the examiners. In such a situation adherence to truth, honesty, and integrity is often painful for the student.

Not only for students, but almost for anyone in any profession, adherence to truth often results in punishment. Yet to truth and to truth alone should a Christian adhere. This needs quite a lot of motivation, and that also on a continuous basis. This is where the Christian writer rises to the task. He builds up people by motivating them to be committed to the truth, come what may.

The way in which a Christian writer motivates people to adhere to truth or anything else mentioned in this serious differs from writer to writer, but two things dominate the content. The Word of God, and the example of other Christians who walked this path before. The Word of God supplies the foundation for a balanced outlook. The examples in it illustrate these truths. The examples of other Christians supplies the last factor needed to further illustrate these truths. Using all the available means, the Christian writer builds up people by motivating them to be committed to truth.

BY MOTIVATING THEM TO DO THINGS HELPFUL TO ALL: A Christian lives and grows in his spiritual life not only for his own sake but also for the sake of helping others. Many Christians know this, but have no idea of how they could be of help to others. At the same time, there are many Christians who, surprisingly, do not have the faintest idea that they need to help others. The Christian writer must enlighten both kinds of people.

People who want to help others can do so in numerous ways. Plenty of principles and guidelines are given in the Scriptures. The writer must expound these principles using the idioms of the present generation, and illustrate them using the problems which people face today. It is not sufficient to narrate the story of the good Samaritan these days, but it is also necessary to place the principle and its illustration in the context of every generation.

It is surprising that many Christians are blissfully ignorant of their obligation to help others. They seem to have never noticed passages that speak about ministering to others, to work for the edification of others, and also the passages remind that everyone is in need of receive help from others. Probably none has ever explained these things to them. It is therefore your duty as a Christian writer to explain these things to them. Not only should you explain the need to help others, but you should also show the ways in which they can approach this task.

BY MOTIVATING THEM TO DEVELOP HOBBIES, HABITS, ATTITUDES HELPFUL TO THEM: Every person has certain hobbies, habits, and attitudes whether he is conscious of these or not. Some of these are good while others are harmful. What is common between hobbies, habits and attitudes is that the person possessing or practising these does so unconsciously and without having to force himself to act in that manner.

Consider the hobby of stamp collection. While it might be a bore or a difficult chore for the average person, it is a matter of great joy and excitement for the hobbyist. He does not have to force himself to do it. The interest, enthusiasm, and actions follow automatically from him. The same is the case with every other hobby that people have. It acts as a strong force, overcoming all the barriers of time and tiredness.

A person’s hobby soon becomes a self-generated force. This force, however, can be used in ways that aid the spiritual life and growth of individual believers. This is where a writer can help them.

The writer builds up people first by motivating them to develop hobbies that aid their spiritual life. For example, if a believer can be induced to collect different versions of the Bible for comparative study of each portion that he reads, he might become very good at clarifying passages that are obscure in most translations. Another might become an avid church history fan, a hobby that will help his spiritual insight. Another might be encouraged to become a dedicated listener to taped Bible studies. There are numerous hobbies that might aid the spiritual life. Any hobby that contributes to spiritual growth is better than those that do no such thing, and Christians should be encouraged to pick them up.

In the same way, any habit that contributes positively to Christian life is worth picking up in comparison to others that do not. Take the example of some people who are in the habit of enclosing a gospel tract (or a tract meant for Christians) with all their correspondence. Only eternity will reveal the tremendous fruits of this habit.

Similarly, certain attitudes contribute greatly to spiritual stability and growth. For example, the attitude of LIVE AND LET LIVE is very helpful to every growing Christian. The attitude of firmness in essentials and that of toleration in non essentials is another good example. A Christian writer can contribute greatly to the fostering of these attitudes.

A Christian writer therefore helps to build up people by encouraging them to develop hobbies, habits, and attitudes that are helpful to their growth.

You Help Them by Instilling
Honesty, Objectivity, and Integrity

Honesty, objectivity and integrity seem very good and interesting in theory, but embracing or developing them in our personal lives is not easy in any way. Honesty requires not only that one refrain from speaking lies, but also that one view and evaluate EVERYTHING honestly. This requires one to say "I was wrong", or that "It is the mistake of MY son" when one’s human nature prompts one to blame it on someone else. It requires that once accept one’s weaknesses, foolishness, neglects and blunders to oneself, to God, and also to people when needed.

Objectivity requires that one look and evaluate things not on the basis of emotions, but on the basis of firm norms and standards. Emotion should not be allowed to cloud or colour judgement. Integrity requires that one’s faith, speech, and conduct should match with each other. All aspects of one’s life should fit well with each other and there should be no contradiction.

A life of honesty, objectivity, and integrity is not easy, but such a life is essential for a fruitful Christian life. The Christian writer should write in such a way, and promote such reading material, that these things are encouraged.

THE ULTIMATE AIM OF EVERY WRITER SHOULD BE THE SALVATION OF THE LOST AND THE GROWTH TO MATURITY OF THE SAVED. THIS YOU MUST DO !!

Free Courses | Free Apologetics Courses | Free Seminary Degrees | Knol | Factoid

Let Us Fix The Goals

The previous lessons  introduced you to some of the basics, and now we will put these and many other principles into practice. The intensive training begins now, and I am confident that you will not allow the demands placed upon you to discourage you. Remember, more than a million persons are becoming literate EVERY WEEK and this your greatest opportunity to make a significant contribution in their lives. If you don’t do it, the base people of the society will do it — but you will be held accountable for the loss of their lives !!

In this lesson I will be discussing the following subjects:

I-Why study further
2-Your goals as a writer

Let me explain each subject in some detail.

Why Study Further ??

We covered so much ground in the previous lessons that many will wonder if a second module is needed. The answer is, YES ! Even though you studied several subjects in that module, it still was only an introduction — the groundwork. The real training comes only now.

As an intellectual, you must know the difference between teaching and training. Teaching is mostly passing of information, but training is drilling the student in doing the task. Theoretical subjects are served adequately by classroom teaching, but practical subjects like medicine, engineering, law, and journalism/writing need practical training. This is the reason why many professions require a period of apprenticeship before a person is issued a license to practice independently.

The lessons in this second module take care of the training part. By the time you complete this module, you will already be on your way to success — provided you take this training seriously. Further, you must realize that journalism/writing is such a broad subject that even two modules are not sufficient to exhaust the teaching or training. This explains why many more modules are available for those who are interested in more advanced work.

If you have not already done so, you must very soon find a person in your city who can read your writings and offer helpful comments. It can be a writer, teacher, or anyone who has a genuine interest in writing. (He/she should be free from personal ego problems. This kind of a person can make a great show of help, but at the same time frustrate you and subvert your goal of becoming a successful writer). In case you are unable to find such a help, you can get help from our apprenticeship program AFTER you finish your studies with us.

LIFELONG STUDY NEEDED: since writing is an art, there is nothing here like ultimate perfection. None can say that he has reached the stage where no more improvement is possible. Also, none can ever claim that he has learnt everything that is there to be learnt in this field. Thus, not only should your studies continue beyond the first module, but it should continue even after you finish studying with us. I will give you plenty of guidelines in this matter.

You should not be surprised, therefore, when I tell you that all the teachers who work behind this course continue to sharpen their tools even today even though all of them are accomplished writers — each with hundreds of published articles to his/her credit !! Cultivate the spirit of a student, and you will never regret it. The cost paid always reflects in terms of perfection and achievement.

Your Goals As A Writer !!

Often people view journalism and writing only in the light of name, fame and fortune (money). While all these things might be associated with success in this field, this is not the primary motivation of a Christian writer. He does not have to be averse to any of these things, but he should entertain these things only when they come as the by product of writing that is done for another goal. That goal is building up people.

I–A Christian Writer Writes for Building Up People:  A Christian writes for building up his readers. He does it as part of his spiritual ministry. The Lord has entrusted him the talent of writing for changing the lives of people, and this has to be the primary and ever-consuming passion of every Christian writer. He helps people by offering them valuable insights, guidance, techniques, and fellowship with others.

BY OFFERING VALUABLE INSIGHTS: Life is full of struggles, both for the Christian as well as the non Christian. Interestingly, many of these struggles are repetitive in nature and therefore the insights gained by one generation can be a great help to the other — when the former group shares its discoveries with them.

For example, bringing up children in the present-day society presents a challenge to most young couples. These obstacles are repetitive and have a lot in common for many couples. If a couple shares the ways in which they were able to face and solve some of these problems, it would be a great help to others who might not have foreseen that solution.

The Christian writer has something in addition to what’s mentioned above. He is in a position to evaluate life in the light of the Word of God to offer spiritual insights of lasting value. Reading these things would save a lot of people the pain of reinventing the wheel. Help them by offering valuable insights from your own life, from the life of other children of God, and also from the Word of God.

BY OFFERING GUIDANCE: Animals do a lot of things instinctively, and for this they do not need guidance from parents or peers. Man, however, needs help from others all his life. He needs it both in earthly as well in spiritual matters.

Students would like to know the best methods for studying. Housewives would like to discover the secrets of good house management. Young fathers might want to know how to do justice to their job, family, and spiritual life when time does not seem to be adequate for even a single one of these tasks. This is a good opportunity to you to share the insights you have collected from your own and also from other’s experiences. The spiritual outlook added to these insights makes a lot of difference for the reader.

Plenty of guidance is available on every conceivable and even inconceivable subject, but since they have been developed from a worldly point of view, they do more damage than good to people who give heed to them. The advice of the Christian writer, however, build up people. This is the unique goal that you have. Help them by offering godly and insightful advises.

BY OFFERING TECHNIQUES: Somewhat similar to offering guidance is the subject of offering techniques. When several people try to do the same job, some of them will succeed more than others. They discover techniques that are more efficient than that of others. If they share this secret with others, it would save not only a lot of wear and tear, but will also result in great increase in their productivity.

Consider the art of writing, for an example. Many Christian writers would like to enter the non Christian market with the express purpose of introducing the Christian viewpoint and the Gospel to the non Christian audience. Even the most uninitiated person in this field will immediately accept that this is a tough goal. Yet many Christian writers have discovered methods to infiltrate the non Christian magazines periodically with a Christian message.

If people who have discovered the methods of getting the Christian message into the non Christian publications keep the information to themselves, others interested in doing the same job would have to waste a lot of time and energy to rediscover the same information. However, if the successful writers share their insights, experiences, and best techniques with others, a lot of time and efforts will be saved and that can be used for taking the gospel into many more non Christian publications.

This is the reason why we offer several full-length lessons on this subject (The Christian Writer In The Secular Market) in the more advanced modules. In fact, most of this course you are studying is filled with techniques discovered by other writers who want to share it with you so that you can go one step ahead of them in the field of writing. As a Christian writer, you are obliged to do the same for people who are going to read you.

BY OFFERING FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHERS: Even though the life of each person is unique and different from that of others, people still have a lot of things in common with each other. This is specially so in matters related to problems and pains.

Interestingly, in spite of the common nature of human problems and pains, most people undergoing a trial feel that they are alone in this and that their problem is somehow unique. This misconception only increases their pain and sense of isolation. Introducing others who have faced similar problems, and also the ways in which they faced and overcame them, is a great encouragement to most people. This is why testimonies act as a powerful tool to revive people in pain.

The Christian writer must use his pen to put together people facing similar pains and problems so that they draw strength from such fellowship. This is not to imply that the humans are the source of this comfort. The Lord is the ultimate source, but many people are able to draw it from God only when they see the experience of someone who has already obtained this help.

There is great strength in fellowship, not only for good but also for evil. This is the reason why pornographic magazines and TV programmes succeed in perverting whole generations. People who read these publications and who watch these programmes are put in fellowship with people of perverted minds. They offer mutual fellowships for people of similar thinking, and it takes very little time for more perversion to develop.

This is another reason why the Christian writer must write with a sense of urgency, putting godly people together in fellowship through testimonials, biographies, and inspirational writings. Help people by sharing through your pen what God is doing for common people.

Free Courses | Free Apologetics Courses | Free Seminary Degrees | Knol | Factoid

None in his right mind expects a new-born baby to run the Marathon the next day. Yet there are writers who desire to get their first piece of writing published in the Reader’s Digest. It is not only a stupid wish, but also a self defeating idea.

Whatever the field, every person has to begin from the level that is appropriate for his abilities and from there he has to work his way up to the level that he dreams of. Artists, doctors, lawyers, sportsmen, actors, and even student have to go through this process. Writers are therefore no exception. They have to begin publishing in magazines and periodicals that are appropriate for their level, and have then got to advance to higher levels as their experience increases.

Do not forget that success is not achieved in a day. It takes both time as well as experience. Aim at the level that is not too high for you and work your way up from there. The correct approach for most writers will be to start from the ground level and then work their way up to the top. This approach will ensure that you do not get unnecessary rejection slips.

The less the rejection slips that you get, the higher will be your morale. Even though you will still get several rejection slips, the few manuscripts that are accepted will boost your spirits, motivating you to write more.

What gets published at this stage will help you to evaluate your level of achievement. If more than 80% of the submissions are accepted at the first attempt itself, it is time for you now to aim higher. Focus higher, sharpen your skills, and submit to a publication with higher demands. Build up yourself with each success, and do not stop till you reach your ultimate goal.

LOCAL PUBLICATIONS: the first place for anyone to start publishing is the local newspaper, school or college magazines, hand-written magazines, souvenirs, and magazines that are run by smaller organizations. The competition here is with people of your own level, not with professionals, and therefore your chances of getting published are relatively high. There are even some "co-operative" publications where you will have to pay a small fees to get your articles, stories, or poems published. It is not too bad an idea for a beginner to contribute one or two writings to such publications.

LETTERS TO EDITORS: I mentioned before that the letters column of most newspapers and magazines is a very good place to get published. Since newspapers are published daily, you have thirty opportunities every month compared to a single opportunity per month in magazines.

Do not underestimate the letters columns. Many famous writers and crusaders started their writing career from these columns. What’s more, if you are motivated to write on a controversial subject, this is the only place where you can ever hope to get published at least till you become famous.

If you are able to write brief and sensible letters regularly on important issues, try to get them published as letters in any local newspaper. Your name will soon be embedded in everyone’s memory — and this includes the memory of the editors, publishers, and the readers. This in turn will help you to publish longer articles in the same publication. Since your name is already known to them, you will get quick attention from the editor who will not easily reject your submission. The greatest benefit will be the attention you get from readers because they are already familiar with your name.

It is seen that most readers give a lot of attention to writers whose name is already known to them. This is a part of human nature. Everyone prefers talking to the familiar person in a crowd rather than striking a conversation with a total stranger. The same is the case with published material. People unconsciously read the known writer first and the rest only after that. Just as a courteous "hello" turns eventually into lifelong friendship, this approach can make you a well known and well demanded writer in few years. Further, once these readers start writing to the editor about your articles, stories, or poems, (most of them will be appreciations), your position with that publication will become more firm.

Even in the matter of writing letters to the editor, you should begin with your local newspaper rather than attempting with larger national dailies. The larger papers, obviously, receive a larger number of letters every day. Moreover, many who write to these publications are people with a mature insight into things of national importance. It is not wise to compete with them from the beginning itself.

A beginner in the field should always start with smaller publications, preferably local newspapers and then work his way up to the Letters column of larger publications.

Free Courses | Free Apologetics Courses | Free Seminary Degrees | Factoid

Do Send Query Letters

A query letter is a letter that you send to an editor before you decide to write for that publication. A query is useful in many ways. For example, they might recently have published an article on the topic on which you want to write and it might be unacceptable to them. Even the careful reader is not always able to remember all what the publication has carried in the past months or years. Further, is not possible for a writer to read all issues of all the publications for which he might want to write. In such situations the guidance of the editor becomes important.

Further, since an editor receives hundreds of submissions every month, he might already have received an article on this topic so that another submission on the subject is worthless. On the other hand, if the topic is quite important, it is possible that he has already assigned someone else to write on that subject.

In all the situations mentioned above, the periodical is bound to reject your submission. Your efforts go waste, and you will be forced to look for another publisher. On the other hand, if you send a query letter before writing out the article, you are spared a lot of wear and tear if the editor informs you that such an article is not needed in the near future.

Rejection of long and well researched articles can be quite traumatic and wasteful. Many writers will even become too upset to write anything for quite some time. But they will be spared all this pain if they practice the habit of querying.

A query letter will help not only the writer but also the editor. It will help both the parties to mutually agree upon the format, contents, and depth of the article before it is written. This will ensure that the article satisfies the editor, will be geared towards the needs of the magazine, and will help the writer from wandering off into directions that are not needed.

Once a topic is agreed upon, you should submit it within the time allotted to you. Do keep the time, otherwise you will loose the editor’s trust and good will. Imagine the dilemma of an editor who does not get the manuscript after he makes a commitment about publishing based on your assignment. The magazine or the periodical cannot be delayed for you, but at the same time the space allotted for you is not filled. The situation can be quite frustrating even to the most resourceful editor.

When you submit the completed assignment, be sure to enclose a covering letter and also a copy of the letter in which the editor gave you the assignment. The reasons have already been explained.

So far we have been discussing the query letter that you send before writing an article. There is another type of query also — sent some time after an article is submitted.

Most periodicals will inform you the status of your writing within one month of submission. Some require as much as two to three months. You must send a query letter to inquire about the status of the submitted writing if you do not hear from them within a reasonable period of time. As a writer and as the legal owner of that piece of writing you have every right to make such an inquiry. However, you must make the query sufficiently clearly and specifically to make things convenient for the editor.

Do not just shoot a letter asking "whatever happened to my writing", etc. The editor is a busy person and he does not have time to hunt the files for a person who does not have the courtesy to include more information about his submission. Further, you should not forget that an average editor receives hundreds of pieces of mail every month. Newspaper editors receive hundreds of letters every day. It is just not possible for them to remember about every submission and every author. You must give all the details of your manuscript clearly. Do not expect courtesy from a busy editor if you are not willing to be considerate as well as courteous to him.

Your query letter should contain full information about your submission, including the title and the approximate date when you mailed it. This will help the editor to look into appropriate files or records.

Expect Some Rejection

Many writers have a feeling that editors are some kind of monsters who sit with a bunch of rejection slips, to be sent by next mail to every author who ever submits anything. This is a false and short sighted viewpoint.

Rejection slips are sheets of paper that contain a very polite message to inform you that your submission has not been accepted. It is not a delight to send such slips, and nor do they do it out of habit or compulsion. How are they going to bring out their publication if all what they do is to send these slips to everyone who sends them a manuscript.

Most successful editors are human beings like you and me, and they are there in the office to receive and review manuscripts. Most of them will give serious consideration to every submission that looks premising. However, you must realize that not all submissions are good, promising, or useful. Consequently, he has to reject what is not suitable for his publication. Therefore every writer should expect some of his submissions to be rejected. You should neither be depressed, nor be upset by rejection. EVEN THE MOST EXPERIENCED WRITERS GET REJECTION SLIPS, and in comparison to them you are only a new player in this field.

There are several reasons why submissions are rejected, and if you are willing to look honestly at the reasons for rejection, each rejection will offer you another opportunity to perfect your writing. Some of the most common reasons for rejection are explained below.

All writings, whether technical or creative, are a work of art — the art of writing. No work of art is ever spotlessly perfect. On the contrary, the works of art created by a beginner are bound to contain a lot of imperfections. Most of the times editors return writings submitted to them because they are imperfect. On receiving a rejection slip, do consider whether your submission has been rejected because of its imperfection. If you discover that to be the case, then you should see how the article could be revised to make it more suitable for publication.

Every writer new to this profession should cultivate the habit of listening to criticisms objectively, and should make the necessary corrections in his style of writing. Some writers, on the other hand, feel that whatever they give for publication should be published without any modification whatsoever. Others shudder and revolt at the thought of revision. They cannot stand the thought of revision by themselves or by the editor. This is not only foolishness, but also betrays pride. You will have to abandon this attitude if you want to become a successful writer.

If the article returned to you is technical in nature, then it might not be sufficiently accurate, authoritative, broad, or deep. Or else, the subject might not be suitable for the publication to which you submitted it. It is also possible that your language is too technical or difficult for the average reader to understand. You should reread the article with these things in mind, discover the problem and then rewrite the article.

As mentioned before, another reason why your article was returned could be because it might have already been published. Or, the editor might have already assigned someone else to write on this topic. If so, it is your mistake that you did not send a query before writing it.

It is always advisable to read several issues of the publication for which you want to write. This will give you a "feel" for the style, aims, needs, and readership of that publication. Some standard publications will even give you printed information related to these things. It is a good idea to write and request such information from the publication in which you are interested.

If your writing comes under "creative writing" and if it is rejected by the editor, there could be many reasons for it. For example, your writing might be lacking what the editor is looking for. A new writer might not have sufficient originality, movement of the story, charm, suspense, or even a suitable climax in his creative writing. The best thing is to politely ask the editor to help you out. Editors are very busy people, and they cannot go about helping every person aspiring to be a creative writer, but some of them will be able to help a few of the writers who submit to them.

If you are unable to locate a friendly editor, then the next best is to find a friend who will sympathetically read and offer comments and suggestions. It will be good if he has some writing experience. Even people who have no writing experience but who read a lot will be able sometimes to help in unusual ways.

Creative writers, who write fiction, must be very careful about their subconscious mind. Many a times the stories or other such fiction read by one remains in the subconscious mind even if one is not able to recollect it consciously. This hidden memory can influence your writing to such a degree that your original writing might have too much of a similarity with the work of another person. This will cause an immediate rejection by the editor.

Another reasons why a good piece of writing is rejected is because it was sent into a wrong publication. For example, even if one sends the best story in the world to a publication that does not publish fiction, the manuscript is bound to come back. The mistake is yours. You must always make sure that you are submitting your writings to the correct type of publication.

If an article is returned to you, then you should realize another thing. The article might look very important to you, but that need not be the opinion of the others including the editor who rejected it. In fact most writers consider all their writings very important, but they are mistaken. Not all articles can claim such a distinction even if the most learned writer writes them. Therefore you should learn to look objectively at your writings and their importance.

HOW MUCH REJECTION TO EXPECT: if you are a beginner in this field, you should not be surprised if cent percent of your submissions are rejected for some time. Keep trying, and the results will start improving. Eventually a stage might come when less than 20% are rejected. At that stage you can rejoice that you have reached the middle level of achievement. Rejections less than this can be achieved only with great patience and practice. Also, occasionally one might be able to find a field where the experts are so few that an article submitted by an authority is not easily rejected. But this is possible only if you are an authority in some special field.

WHAT TO DO WITH THE REJECTED MANUSCRIPT: do not throw away the rejected manuscript. As I explained in the foregoing paragraphs, many a times even perfect writings are returned because of other reasons. Further, even if a submission is returned because of imperfections, it might be possible to make it better with a little effort. After all polishing a previously existing writing is easier than writing one from scratch.

IF REJECTIONS CONTINUE: You must keep submitting the rejected manuscripts to other publications, and should not accept defeat quickly. However, if a certain piece of writing is rejected more than five times, it is time for you to re-evaluate that piece of writing.

No writer should be surprised if an article, story, or poem is rejected by a single publication. However, if the same piece of writing is rejected by five or more publishers then you should realize that something is seriously wrong with that piece of writing. When several people judge the writing to be unfit for publication, there might be something seriously wrong with what you have produced. First of all you must evaluate this writing to see if what you have produced has sufficient quality and merit for publication. Also, you should evaluate whether you have been submitting it to the right kind of publications. Also check whether your manuscript quality (paper, typing, etc.) are of acceptable quality. This comprehensive evaluation will surely tell you the reason for non publication.

If even this extensive evaluation does not reveal the problem to you, then obtain the help of another writer. He might be able to discover the problem and give timely advice about how you might be able to improve the work.

If even this approach shows nothing wrong with your writing, you could be the victim of circumstances. Else, your writing might be out of place or too advanced for its time. The best thing to do is to bury it in your files for few years. Once you become famous, or once that subject becomes popular, you might find a ready market for it. DO NOT ever destroy an article, story, poem, or any piece of writing that you have not been able to publish.

Even for the novice, it is foolish to destroy the product of one’s labour. Further, you must always keep in mind that most of the world-famous writers had to face the same problem — that of repeated rejection. But many of them preserved these unpublished writings in their files, and once they became famous, or once they passed away, these found a ready market. Since nobody knows what he will be tomorrow, it is best not to destroy this kind of unpublished writings.

Advance As You Gain Experience

None in his right mind expects a new-born baby to run the Marathon the next day. Yet there are writers who desire to get their first piece of writing published in the Reader’s Digest. It is not only a stupid wish, but also a self defeating idea.

Whatever the field, every person has to begin from the level that is appropriate for his abilities and from there he has to work his way up to the level that he dreams of. Artists, doctors, lawyers, sportsmen, actors, and even student have to go through this process. Writers are therefore no exception. They have to begin publishing in magazines and periodicals that are appropriate for their level, and have then got to advance to higher levels as their experience increases.

Do not forget that success is not achieved in a day. It takes both time as well as experience. Aim at the level that is not too high for you and work your way up from there. The correct approach for most writers will be to start from the ground level and then work their way up to the top. This approach will ensure that you do not get unnecessary rejection slips.

The less the rejection slips that you get, the higher will be your morale. Even though you will still get several rejection slips, the few manuscripts that are accepted will boost your spirits, motivating you to write more.

What gets published at this stage will help you to evaluate your level of achievement. If more than 80% of the submissions are accepted at the first attempt itself, it is time for you now to aim higher. Focus higher, sharpen your skills, and submit to a publication with higher demands. Build up yourself with each success, and do not stop till you reach your ultimate goal.

LOCAL PUBLICATIONS: the first place for anyone to start publishing is the local newspaper, school or college magazines, hand-written magazines, souvenirs, and magazines that are run by smaller organizations. The competition here is with people of your own level, not with professionals, and therefore your chances of getting published are relatively high. There are even some "co-operative" publications where you will have to pay a small fees to get your articles, stories, or poems published. It is not too bad an idea for a beginner to contribute one or two writings to such publications.

LETTERS TO EDITORS: I mentioned before that the letters column of most newspapers and magazines is a very good place to get published. Since newspapers are published daily, you have thirty opportunities every month compared to a single opportunity per month in magazines.

Do not underestimate the letters columns. Many famous writers and crusaders started their writing career from these columns. What’s more, if you are motivated to write on a controversial subject, this is the only place where you can ever hope to get published at least till you become famous.

If you are able to write brief and sensible letters regularly on important issues, try to get them published as letters in any local newspaper. Your name will soon be embedded in everyone’s memory — and this includes the memory of the editors, publishers, and the readers. This in turn will help you to publish longer articles in the same publication. Since your name is already known to them, you will get quick attention from the editor who will not easily reject your submission. The greatest benefit will be the attention you get from readers because they are already familiar with your name.

It is seen that most readers give a lot of attention to writers whose name is already known to them. This is a part of human nature. Everyone prefers talking to the familiar person in a crowd rather than striking a conversation with a total stranger. The same is the case with published material. People unconsciously read the known writer first and the rest only after that. Just as a courteous "hello" turns eventually into lifelong friendship, this approach can make you a well known and well demanded writer in few years. Further, once these readers start writing to the editor about your articles, stories, or poems, (most of them will be appreciations), your position with that publication will become more firm.

Even in the matter of writing letters to the editor, you should begin with your local newspaper rather than attempting with larger national dailies. The larger papers, obviously, receive a larger number of letters every day. Moreover, many who write to these publications are people with a mature insight into things of national importance. It is not wise to compete with them from the beginning itself.

A beginner in the field should always start with smaller publications, preferably local newspapers and then work his way up to the Letters column of larger publications.

Free Courses | Free Apologetics Courses | Free Seminary Degrees | Factoid

Trinity Graduate School has been trying to bring the best Ebooks to its graduate theology students. The latest in this effort is a 256-page Ebook titled Digging Out the Embedded Church.

The book has been authored by John Isherwood  and designed by The Maranatha Community. The author states his purpose in the following words:

In  this  Centenary  year  of  the  World  Missionary  Conference  in  Edinburgh (1910),  this  book  is  dedicated  to  all  those  pioneers  of  Christian  Unity throughout  the  history  of  the  Church  who,  beyond  narrow  interests  and prejudices, glimpsed  the  vision of  the body of Christ worshipping, witnessing and serving together in the Kingdom of God as Christ intended.

Click on the picture to download your free 256-page Ebook with compliments of Maranatha and Trinity Graduate School of Apologetics And Theology. We are confident that this book will be a source of rich blessing to all our gradate theology and apologetics students.

You can download a copy here: Savonarola

• Confirm the faith of people whose belief has been shaken
• Prepare unbelievers for the reception of supernatural enlightenment, 
• Enable the faithful to refute the arguments of non-believers 
• Expose  the  irrationality  of  non-believers’  arguments  so  that  simple  and uneducated people are released from the deception played on them.

Click on the picture to download your 142 page PDF Ebook on this topic. The original book will also be made available this week for download.

(Read the rest of this article to know more about the man)

Girolamo Savonarola (September 21, 1452 – May 23, 1498) was an Italian Dominican priest and leader of Florence from 1494 until his execution in 1498. He was known for his book burning, destruction of what he considered immoral art, and hostility to the Renaissance. He vehemently preached against the moral corruption of much of the clergy at the time, and his main opponent was Rodrigo Borgia, when he served as Pope Alexander VI from 1492 to 1503.

Early years: Savonarola was born in Ferrara, the capital of an independent Duchy in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. According to another source, he was born at Occhiobello, 7 km from Ferrara. He was born into a respected and affluent family that had originally resided in Padua.

In his youth he studied the Bible, St. Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle. Savonarola initially studied at the University of Ferrara, where he appears to have taken an advanced Arts degree. His stance against morally corrupt clergy was initially manifested in his poem on the destruction of the world entitled De Ruina Mundi (On the Downfall of the World), written at the age of 20. It was at this stage that he also began to develop his expression of moral conscience, and in 1475 his poem De Ruina Ecclesiae (On the Downfall of the Church) displayed his contempt of the Roman Curia by terming it ‘a false, proud archaic wench’.

Friar: Savonarola became a Dominican friar in 1475, during the Italian Renaissance, and entered the monastery of San Domenico in Bologna. He immersed himself in theological study, and in 1479 transferred to the monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli. Finally in 1482 the Order dispatched him to Florence, the ‘city of his destiny’. Savonarola was lambasted for being ungainly, as well as being a poor orator. He made no impression on Florence in the 1480s, and his departure in 1487 went unnoticed. He returned to Bologna where he became ‘master of studies’.

Savonarola returned to Florence in 1490 at the behest of Count Pico della Mirandola. There he began to preach passionately about the Last Days, accompanied by testimony about his visions and prophetic announcements of direct communications with God and the saints. Such fiery preaching was not uncommon at the time, but a series of circumstances quickly brought Savonarola great success. The first disaster to give credibility to Savonarola’s apocalyptic message was the Medici family’s weakening grip on power owing to the French-Italian wars. The flowering of expensive Renaissance art and culture paid for by wealthy Italian families now seemed to mock the growing misery in Italy, creating a backlash of resentment among the people. The second disaster was the appearance of syphilis (or the “French pox”). Finally, the year 1500 was approaching, which may have brought about a mood of millennialism. In minds of many, the Last Days were impending and Savonarola was the prophet of the day.

His Church of San Marco was crowded to over-flowing during his celebration of Mass and at his sermons. Savonarola was not an academic theologian. He did not proclaim theological theories or difficult teachings. Instead, he preached that Christian life involved being good, practicing the virtues, rather than carrying out displays of excessive pomp and ceremonies. He did not seek to make war on the Church of Rome. Rather, he wanted to correct the transgressions of worldly popes and secularized members of the Papal Curia.

Lorenzo de Medici, the previous ruler of Florence and patron of many Renaissance artists, was also a former patron of Savonarola. Eventually, Lorenzo and his son Piero de Medici became targets of Savonarola’s preaching.
Leader of Florence

After Charles VIII of France invaded Florence in 1494, the ruling Medici were overthrown and Savonarola emerged as the new leader of the city, combining in himself the role of secular leader and priest. He set up a republic in Florence. Characterizing it as a “Christian and religious Republic,” one of its first acts was to make sodomy, previously punishable by fine, into a capital offence. Homosexuality had previously been tolerated in the city, and many homosexuals from the elite now chose to leave Florence. His chief enemies were the Duke of Milan and Pope Alexander VI, who issued numerous restraints against him, all of which were ignored.

In 1497, he and his followers carried out the Bonfire of the Vanities. They sent boys from door to door collecting items associated with moral laxity: mirrors, cosmetics, lewd pictures, pagan books, immoral sculptures (which he wanted to be transformed into statues of the saints and modest depictions of biblical scenes), gaming tables, chess pieces, lutes and other musical instruments, fine dresses, women’s hats, and the works of immoral and ancient poets, and burnt them all in a large pile in the Piazza della Signoria of Florence. Many fine Florentine Renaissance artworks were lost in Savonarola’s notorious bonfires — including paintings by Sandro Botticelli, which he is alleged to have thrown into the fires himself.

Florence soon became tired of Savonarola because of the city’s continual political and economic miseries partially derived from Savonarola’s opposition to trading and making money. God did not seem to intervene to come to the city’s aid, and the Last Days did not seem to arrive despite the city government’s insistence that the Apocalypse was near to fulfilment. When a Franciscan preacher challenged him to a trial by fire in the city centre and he declined, his following began to dissipate.

During his Ascension Day sermon on May 4, 1497, bands of youths rioted, and the riot became a revolt: dancing and singing taverns reopened, and men again dared to gamble publicly.

Excommunication and execution: On May 13, 1497, the rigorous Father Savonarola was excommunicated by Pope Alexander VI, and in 1498, Alexander demanded his arrest and execution. On April 8, a crowd attacked the Convent of San Marco. A bloody struggle ensued, during which several of Savonarola’s guards and religious supporters were killed. Savonarola surrendered along with Fra Domenico da Pescia and Fra Silvestro, his two closest associates. Savonarola was faced with charges such as heresy, uttering prophecies, sedition, and other crimes, called religious errors by the Borgia pope.

During the next few weeks all three were tortured on the rack, the torturers sparing only Savonarola’s right arm in order that he might be able to sign his confession. All three signed confessions, Savonarola doing so sometime prior to May 8. On that day he completed a written meditation on the Miserere mei, Psalm 50, entitled Infelix ego, in which he pleaded with God for mercy for his physical weakness in confessing to crimes he believed he did not commit. On the day of his execution, May 23, 1498, he was still working on another meditation, this one on Psalm 31, entitled Tristitia obsedit me.

On the day of his execution he was taken out to the Piazza della Signoria along with Fra Silvestro and Fra Domenico da Pescia. The three were ritually stripped of their clerical vestments, degraded as "heretics and schismatics", and given over to the secular authorities to be burned. The three were hanged in chains from a single cross and an enormous fire was lit beneath them. They were thereby executed in the same place where the "Bonfire of the Vanities" had been lit, and in the same manner that Savonarola had condemned other criminals himself during his own reign in Florence. Jacopo Nardi, who recorded the incident in his Istorie della città di Firenze, wrote that his executioner lit the flame exclaiming, “The one who wanted to burn me is now himself put to the flames.” Luca Landucci, who was present, wrote in his diary that the burning took several hours, and that the remains were several times broken apart and mixed with brushwood so that not the slightest piece could be later recovered, as the ecclesiastical authorities did not want Savonarola’s followers to have any relics for a future veneration of the rigorist preacher they considered a saint. The ashes of the three were afterwards thrown in the Arno beside the Ponte Vecchio.

Niccolò Machiavelli, author of The Prince, also witnessed and wrote about the execution. Subsequently, Florence was governed along more traditional republican lines, until the return of the Medici in 1512.

Character and influence: Savonarola’s religious actions have been compared to those of the later 17th and 18th century Jansenists, although theologically many differences exist. Savonarola did not produce a theological doctrine on salvation, and faithfully adhered to even minor theological definitions of the papal Magisterium. However, Savonarola’s call to simplicity in church interior and his rigorous moral stances have been compared to those of Jansenists. Also the insistence on the immediate danger of Hell and the fewness of the elect can be considered to be a similarity.

After Savonarola’s death, a secret Catholic group known as the Piagnoni sprang up in Florence to preserve his memory, organized into a sort of Catholic guild. Franciscan friars were prominent among the Piagnoni, and they briefly re-appeared in 1527 when they once again overthrew the Medici, but through intervention of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation it was brought to an end in 1530 at the Battle of Gavinana and the Medici were restored to power.

Savonarola left many admirers throughout Europe, in particular among religiously pious humanists who valued his deep spiritual convictions. Erasmus, who refused to become a Protestant, is said to have remained Catholic due to reading Savonarola. At the same time, he is considered by Protestants to be a forerunner of the Reformation because of his criticisms of the papacy.

In the twentieth century, a movement for the canonization of Frà Savonarola began to develop within the Roman Catholic Church, particularly among Dominicans, with many judging his excommunication and execution to have been unjust. His potential beatification and canonization is opposed by many Jesuits, who consider Savonarola’s (secular) conflict with the papacy to have been an intolerable crime. [GFDL Source]

Brethren Assembly | Free Bible College | Biblical Archeology
Free Courses | Free Apologetics Courses | Free Seminary Degrees