This story is spoiling, like milk that has gone bad but is left in the refrigerator. As each chapter passes, the evil gets more sour, more toxic. If there is anything that Stephen King knows how to do, it is tell a story that can turn your stomach. He tells them well, almost too well. That is NOT to say I dislike the story. I simply want to note that so far there is more depravity and sin than there is redemption and resolution. I prefer the latter since Jesus is my King and I long for the world to be made right. What makes this story unique is that the evil I am wanting to see stopped is emanating from people who claim to follow Him. I guess upon some reflection, this is not so much a surprise. Jesus had His most severe critiques for the Pharisees, the “spiritual leaders” of Israel. Religious people always seem to have the hardest time with grace and the true gospel. What saddens me is that people like Stephen King and most others in the culture today cannot tell the difference between those who claim to love Jesus and those who actually do. Maybe it is because even those of us to love Him deeply struggle with sinful desires. We are different, as I spoke about in our first post on this book, but we still have to fight against some of our impulses. Then again, it could be that people are looking for reasons not to believe in God. Whatever the case, it is sad that people do not see the truth of God.

In the book we are finally seeing the evil actions getting some confrontation, but that is squashed quickly. Characters we like are making some “minor” mistakes, but those mistakes are costing them right now. Barbie, probably the most likable character in the story, is in jail and seems to be at the mercy of all the evil characters. Rusty has stepped up in the story and presented himself as trustworthy too, but he does not have much pull right now. I think what is a struggle for me with the story right now and why the “religious” people frustrate me so is that King has purposely written it that way. Think about it. He could have made it a mystery what was really going on and how 4 people had been murdered. Since we know who has murdered these people and that it was not Barbie, we are outraged. He wants us to feel these things even as we are reading. It is a godly response for us to hate injustice. We should long for things to be made right. That pleases God even if the justice must strike those who claim His name.

I am fascinated to find out how the story ends. I want to see how King wraps it all up. What is his point? Usually you cannot know such things until after the whole story has been told. 600 pages in and I still don’t know what he is doing. Some people would be frustrated with that. For me, this means intrigue. I am used to knowing the storyline and being able to guess where things are going. King is keeping me on my toes. That is a good thing. I have been pulled in. I will go along with King on the ride. In some ways this is like LOST. I have stuck it out for the last 5 seasons because I was hooked at the beginning. There have been some rocky parts in both storylines, but I believe the overall story will be worth it.

What do you think at this point? Anything so far that is pulling out a response from you? I would love to hear how you are holding up. See you in a week with the next 200 pages under our belts.

A Bit of Summary

Murder, rape and all things evil are happening as the town of Chester’s Mill swirls deeper and deeper into despair, circling down the drain as we watch in horror. There was a moment of hope in this section as the military tries to blow up the dome, but that ends with a whimper. We are left feeling the hopelessness that the people in the town feel. All of them, that is, except Big Jim. He seems to relish the fact that there is no hope from the outside. It means more power for him and that is what he wants most.

We learn more about Barbie, and like him even more than before. Here is a man of principle that we can believe in. He desires nothing but the ability to leave this town, and yet there is so much more pain that comes to him. There is something that reminds me of Joseph (Genesis 37-50) in his story.

We are forced to come along with Junior and his buddies as they sink into depravity we would rather not know about. But we also learn about the murderous anger of Big Jim. The young people in the town do not own all the sin in this town. There is even a meth lab run by a pastor, the drug store owner, Big Jim and a man called the Chef.

What became clear in this section is that human depravity is dark. The cultural reference that appeared here is The Lord of the Flies. It is a great reference and one that rings true with what we are learning. What would man do if all trappings of normalcy and accountability are taken away? To me, it sounds like the refrain from Judges:

“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

That sure sounds like Chester’s Mill.

For all the evil we are hearing about, there is still hope—somewhere. We still cling to the possibility that Dale Barbara and his buddies will win out over Big Jim. I guess we will have to wait for the next section to see if things get better or worse. My guess is worse before better.

My Meditations:

Have we lost our ability to have compassion today? Sure, we will contribute aid for natural disaster (Haiti), but do we really care about the people or just want to appease our conscious? As I was reading the book, I was horrified, but probably not as much as I should be. I am safeguarded from much of the seedy side of humanity that this book is showing us. Either I ignore what I do see or I avoid the places I would even see it. Either way, I have been protected. I guess it is a telltale of a good novel that I actually start to care about the characters. Not many of them appeal to me, but I don’t want them to be hurt all the same. When I read about these atrocities or see them on TV, how does it actually affect me? Do I need to turn my head and entertain myself with my life so that I will not think about what really happens out there? Have I grown too accustomed to hearing about these things in movies and television so that they are not even real to me anymore? On one show I was watching last night, there was a murder, but it was the vehicle so that I would be able to see the resolution at the end. The murder was not the focus, since it is the other characters that I really care about. I didn’t even meet the murdered character. This can lead to disinterest or complacency—no compassion in the face of suffering. Don’t miss hear what I am saying. I am not blaming the television show. We are so good at blaming our sins on other things. No! I am saying that we let exposure deaden our feelings toward other human beings. We stop caring. Sure we will throw money at issues so that our consciences feel better, but we don’t care like we should. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Would we?

In the book we do get an abrupt example of compassion. It hits us like a ton of bricks because it comes from Junior and his buddies. A few orphaned kids strip all bravado away and pull pity and compassion out of these hardened young men who have no difficulty with murder and rape. What are we to think of this?

As we prepare for the rest of the story, I pray we stop and reflect on our own compassion. It is just a story. That is true. But I fear that the way we react to simple stories trains us to react the same way when the atrocities are real.

Join me next week as we catch up with the children of the story who seem to know more than they should through their “seizures.” If nothing else, the ride should be interesting. Thanks for reading.

Wow! What a start. (Sorry woodchuck!) We are pulled right into the story. No playing around here. This is an ambitious book. I am intrigued and want to know where we are going. The characters are believable, for the most part. Right now in the book it has the feel of the beginning of The Stand; we are meeting the characters and sizing them up. Who is on the “right” side and who is on the “wrong” side. Personally, I like the book. I have my issues with it, of course, but the overall story I think is good to contemplate. It really does bring out the “real” attitudes of people when they are placed in a situation like this. It is at these moments when we find out what kind of fruit we will produce; the fruit of the Spirit or the fruit of the flesh. Galatians 5 lays this out for us.

Let’s get this out of the way early…

I think Christians everywhere would be bothered by the way people who claim the name of Jesus are acting. I agree, but I also find that professing Christians do act in the ways described here. If Stephen King is going for realism, he is doing it pretty well. I pray that these descriptions do not describe me or people around me, but I will leave that to others to decide.

Honestly, this is an issue that seems to come up all the time. People constantly claim that the reason they don’t accept the gospel is because of the way other Christians act. The thought is that since Christians are hypocrites, God can’t be real. It is a weak argument, if you ask me, but it is used all the time. How should we respond?

In a sense, all Christians are hypocrites. We tell people what they “should” do according to God and then we proceed to disobey exactly what we just said. Our problem is not knowledge, it is obedience. In that way, we are all hypocrites. From another point of view, we are being totally consistent with what we say is the gospel. We tell people that the gospel proclaims we are all sinners who cannot make the grade on our own. Even after our conversion, our sin is still too great to appeal to God. What makes us different is not our lives: our knowledge, our passion, our dedication or even our actions. What makes us different is Jesus. He took our sins. That is why we are accepted before a holy God. This means that even on our best days we are totally dependent on the amazing grace of God. When we look at it this way, we see that all Christians are being totally consistent with what they say because we all display our great need of a gracious God who saves us, not because of our own goodness, but purely based on His grace.

Now, this is not to say that Christians don’t have a change that happens to them. I believe at conversion we long to obey God. We just struggle to do it. There is a difference in motivation for Christians; we love because we have been so loved. That changes us. But, we still struggle and are going to act contrary to what we say. We will always be open to the charge of hypocrisy to those who want to avoid Jesus themselves.

Back to the book…

How would you react in this kind of situation? We all like to think that something like this could never happen, but we need to realize that impossible situations happen to people everyday and they bring out our true character. What would this kind of thing bring out of me? How about you?

Would you lead? How? Would you follow? Would you challenge those who are in the wrong? What would be your part to play? It is wonderful to contemplate, but it might be convicting. Are you ready for that?

Well, I would love to hear your thoughts if you are reading along with us. What are your first impressions of the book? Is it one you would continue to read if you were not planning on reading it with us? What do you like or dislike about the book so far? Anyone stand out as far as characters in your mind? For me, Barbie is most likely the stand-out hero right now. It will be interesting to see where we go and who else stands out.

Thanks for joining us on this journey. We have now begun and it will be a fast ride even though the book is long. Make sure you contribute to the discussion if youa re reading along. It is always better to read something like this with others.

I look forward to your thoughts and impressions. Until next time,

michael

This is a continuing series. If you want to read the letters that came before, here is the first letter, the second and the third. Enjoy!

James and Lily,

Thanks so much for the passages and encouragement! The passage that struck me most was 2 Corinthians 1. Why don’t we here more about that book? I started reading it and just wanted to keep reading. Wow! Anyway, it helped me to think about my need for Jesus more every moment. I can see that even these troubles, which I would not wish on anyone, are already helping me to trust in God alone. I’m glad you are seeing the fruit too.

Thanks for the passages and thoughts about the “Papa” question. I am a bit uncomfortable with that kind of closeness to God. It seems like it brings Him too far down to my level. If I am honest, it also makes me uncomfortable because He is so holy. If He is that close to me, it makes me want to watch everything I do and say. I can handle others being that close to me because they don’t know everything about me, but God knows it all. That is a bit scary. I still don’t know what to think about all that.

Also, do I have to call Him “Papa” to recognize how close He is to me? It almost seemed like you were saying this is how we all need to pray and talk to Him. I would love to hear your thoughts.

I don’t have any more questions about chapter 1, but I have been reading ahead. Chapter 2 was more interesting. What is the deal with Mac using this myth to relate to Jesus? It seems like it confuses more that it helps. It made her think that Jesus’ story might be a legend too. And why would he say he thinks the Indian princess story was true too? When I was in college, one of my professors was always calling the stories of the Bible myths. The more I have thought about it since becoming a Christian, the more it bothers me! Myths aren’t true! Isn’t this just another way people try to downplay the Bible?

I have a hard time relating to Mac. He seems so inadequate. He can’t answer simple questions. He is full of despair. He thinks he knows what God will or will not do. The only thing I can relate to is his guilt and regret over whatever happens. After the accident, that was all I could think about. Why couldn’t I have just seen that other car coming a moment sooner? Was I distracted with the music that was playing? Is it my fault they died? Could I have done anything differently? Why didn’t I die too? I still don’t have answers to most of these questions. Anyway, I struggle with Mac except in this one area. Why does the author present him this way? Is this why some people have such a problem with the book from a Christian perspective?

I have nothing else from the book right now. I will be praying for you. It must be so hard being held like that against your will. I don’t understand what you are able to do and what they prevent you from doing. It just seems strange to me.

I love you two and hope to see you soon in God’s timing. I really hope they let you go. I am trying to take every day and turn to God. It is still really hard most days. I find that I can turn to Him when I wake up, but when I actually start into my day, so often I forget and struggle. It is still so painful and hard. Pray for me. I don’t even know what to pray for. I would ask about taking away my pain, but I remember what you said last time about this kind of prayer. Pray whatever you think is best.

Your friend,

Tim

Just a quick note to let you know that we will be starting the book discussion a week later than originally intended. We have had a death in the family and that has taken me away from my normal responsibilities.

We will now start the Dome discussion on January 14th. If you plan on reading the book with us, we will cover just over the first 200 pages in the post for that day. If you want to see the schedule, check out this post to see how much we will cover each week. Thanks for your patience and your prayers.

Michael