As a Christian author, I am committed to taking both the biblical narrative, and the historical and archeological evidence seriously. When good historical research meets a biblical narrative, everything changes. We would never dream of trying to understand George Washington, Elizabeth I of England, or Julius Caesar outside of the times or culture in which they lived. Why should it be any different with King David? Why would we insist that Abraham and Joseph must think like we do?

"Most aspects of biblical culture differ from modern culture. Everything from why a person is respected, to attitudes about marriage, to the idea of religion were different. To give just one example, back in Bible times there was no separation between sacred and secular. The very idea that such a separation could be made would have been nonsensical and absurd to people. Involvement by the gods was an inescapable part of daily life.

"Proper historical and cultural background makes a tremendous difference for these stories. We should not impose modern thought and attitudes on biblical characters and then try to make sense of the narrative in the Bible. Instead, I strive to take the reader back to the biblical time and place, and give them an understanding of how people lived and thought back then.

"The response has been overwhelming! Understanding 'where the character is coming from' enables the reader to identify with them, to see and feel what they saw and felt, and to grasp what it meant to live their life and see what God did for them. Suddenly, these characters are people just like us, with the same problems and concerns, trying to follow God's leading just like we are, and succeeding and failing about as often as we do.

"Understanding how God met them where they were, thinking as they did, gives us hope that He can meet us where we are, thinking as we do. It gives us a reason to reach out to Him."