I have been active on the HBO Big Love message boards recently, and one person who identified himself as a Mormon asked why I wrote the books I have written. I”‘m pretty sure that what he was getting at was an explanation for the books I”‘ve written on Mormonism. But of course, if you read the “about me” section of this Web site you will see that I have written and had published hundreds of articles on many non-religious subjects such as robots, identity theft, retirement, and professional writing.
However, as I promised this LDS man on the HBO boards, here is a brief listing of my completed books (and my reasons for writing them), in approximately chronological order.
The Mormon Mirage (Zondervan, first edition, 1979.) This book was suggested by a professional writer and requested from me by a Christian publisher. See here. I wrote it to explain why I left the Mormon Church that I had deeply loved. With some minor revisions, it stayed in print almost 20 years, and was used as a textbook in some universities.
Open Up Your Life: A Woman”‘s Workshop on Hospitality (Zondervan). As with my other books, before writing this book I read all the way through the Bible looking for examples of the way that people used their homes to serve others. And, as the hundreds of people who have stayed in our home during our 36 years of marriage can attest, I love serving in this way too.
To Love Each Other: A Woman”‘s Workshop on 1 Corinthians 13 (Zondervan.) Written in the same inductive Bible-study format as the previous book, this was my examination of how those attributes of love played out in the lives of people in the Bible. This chapter of 1 Corinthians was important to me and I wanted to study it in depth. When this book went out of print with Zondervan, another company named 21st Century Christian re-released it without revision, where it remains in print.
Time, Talents, Things: A Woman”‘s Workshop on Stewardship (Zondervan.) I wrote this book because I believed that the Bible had a lot to demonstrate regarding the way we use our resources. I wanted to share what I found about this theme in the Bible.
Ex-Mormons: Why We Left (later title, Why We Left Mormonism: Eight People Tell Their Stories, Baker Book House.) One of Baker”‘s sales reps loved The Mormon Mirage and approached me about writing another book about Mormonism. I replied, “Thanks ““ but I wrote everything I know about the subject already!” We developed this idea ““ I would ask seven other people why they left, and have them answer questions about what concepts and approaches by Christians were helpful during that time, how they were treated when they left, and other issues. I wrote it to provide practical, proven help for people who are confused about how to deal with Mormon friends, family, and neighbors.
Why We Left a Cult: Six People Tell Their Stories (Baker Book House.) Using the same format as Ex-Mormons (a brief history of each person, then roundtable discussions) I examined former members of the Jehovah”‘s Witnesses, Christian Science, New Age religion, and witchcraft. I wanted to provide a somewhat standardized non-inflammatory working definition of pseudo-Christian cults and give a forum for ex-cultists to share what they learned.
Crisis: Crucible of Praise (Zondervan, later re-published in the same format by Howard Publishing.) This book chronicles the effect of an eosinophilic granuloma tumor on our 8-year-old daughter”‘s life; as well as the twin events of her closed-head concussion 3 years later that coincided with my mother”‘s stroke. I wanted to explore what a believer in God should do in such overwhelming circumstances, and give others a path to maintaining faith.
After Mormonism, What? Reclaiming the Ex-Mormon”‘s Worldview for Christ (Baker.) At the time I wrote this, there was no hands-on way to help someone coming out of Mormonism learn how to think. I used the five worldview categories of James W. Sire (The Universe Next Door) to formulate lessons.
A Marriage Made in Heaven (Co-written with Glenn Greenwood. Word Publishing.) An editor approached me when a man who had spent his entire life studying the marriage customs of the Bible completed his research. I wrote this book to concretize this good man”‘s life”‘s work and to demonstrate the incredible love of Jesus for His Church.
The Dream Quilt (Waterbrook.) This children”‘s picture book, written under my pen name Celeste Ryan, helps parents and children deal with their youngsters”‘ bad dreams.
The Red Cord of Hope: When History Stopped for One Woman of Faith (Covenant). I have had a longtime fascination with the Biblical woman whose faith was equated with that of Abraham. I wanted to explore her story in depth, and also introduce some of my work in the field of Representational Research.
Shout of the Bridegroom (Covenant) is an expanded version of A Marriage Made in Heaven. It contains revisions and a new section of study questions, some of which incorporate representational thinking.
A Definitional Study Of Biblical Representational Research And Its Current Applications: A Dissertation Submitted To The Faculty Of Trinity Southwest University In Candidacy For The Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy In Biblical And Theological Studies. Representational Research is an emerging, cutting edge reading of the Bible and using a skill called generalizing to access its truths and apply them to everyday life. My dissertation chronicles the beginnings and applications of this branch of theology, under the dissertation committee of Dr. John W. Oller, Dr. Peter Briggs, Dr. Steven Collins and Dr. J. Michael Strawn.
The Mormon Mirage Third Edition: A Former Member Looks at the Mormon Church Today (Zondervan.) At the request of Zondervan”‘s senior editor, I submitted my five years of new research and revisions of my former book. I wrote it because Mormonism is reinventing itself and denying its roots, while trying to appear “more Christian.” In this book, I look at 21st century developments and their implications. It has over 700 footnotes, and will be available in print, electronic, and audiobook formats.
Latter-day Cipher: A Novel (Moody.) I am no Sinclair Lewis nor Dostoyevsky. Yet each of these men used fiction to reach people”‘s minds with important causes and concepts. Many people who would never pick up one of my heavily-documented non-fiction books on Mormonism will read Cipher and come to understand the painful contradictions in today”‘s Mormonism. Though the story is fiction, it is based on history and LDS doctrine. As one reviewer remarked, “It should be read with an open Internet connection.”
Passion, Proxy, Power, Release is a book of communion poetry, scriptures and devotional thoughts. Many of its poems have been published separately elsewhere, most notably in the best-selling Howard Publishing”‘s hymnal, Songs of Faith and Praise.
Just You and Me and God is an informally-published guide for married couples to read through the Bible in a year, with discussion questions.
The Hinge of Your History: The Phases of Faith is another project of representational research, currently being marketed by my agent, Janet Grant of Books & Such Literary Agency. It demonstrates how faith, like many other important concepts, is triadic in nature.
Aftermath of the Whirlwind: Identifying the Real Pharaoh of the Exodus. Co-written with archaeologist Dr. Steven Collins, this book uses representational research and historical synchronisms to postulate the identity of the Pharaoh of the Exodus. I collaborated on this book because of my great interest in Egyptology. It is nearly complete.
Jesus Speaks to Women”‘s Needs: The Parables is an inductive Bible study of the parables of Jesus. I wrote it to emphasize the importance of indepth study of parables, especially in their scriptural settings. It is under consideration by a publisher.
The Thousand, Thousand Years is a full-length manuscript of poetry, unpublished.
As I Was Going to Santa Fe is a children”‘s picture book, unpublished.
I am also currently writing my second novel about the writer of the book of Hebrews, and a prequel to Latter-day Cipher.
All this demonstrates, I believe, that I don't have a single-minded mission against Mormonism, and that my writing explores many areas of interest to me.
