Balancing The Christian and Paranormal in Books by S.C. Skillman

My good friend Sheila Robinson, who writes as S.C. Skillman has a brand new book out and I'm fascinated as to how she blends this with her Christian Faith. I was delighted when she agreed to guest post for the blog to talk about this subject, one which I feel needs discussion. Thank you, Sheila. I know this will be good. 

BALANCING THE CHRISTIAN AND THE PARANORMAL IN MY BOOKS

Thank you, Wendy, for offering me this space on your blog to introduce my books to your readers.

I am a Christian, and I write about the paranormal. Some may think it’s a bit odd for a Christian to be doing this, and a few have asked me how I reconcile my Christian faith with writing about the paranormal.

But they are indissolubly linked with one another. In fact, I would argue, who better to write about the paranormal than a Christian?

First let me define paranormal as strange events for which there is no scientific explanation.

For my new book Paranormal Warwickshire (published by Amberley on 15th November 2020), my initial interest was in the history of the places I describe, and what I call spiritual resonance, that is, the emotional atmosphere arising from a building and the sense of presence of some of those who have lived out their lives there. Later my publisher asked me to focus on the paranormal; and since I’ve long loved ghost stories, and the places I’ve described all do have such stories attached to them, I agreed to do so.

The Christian faith is a supernatural faith and rests upon several supernatural events; without them Christianity would fall, and we would never have heard of Jesus.

I am talking about the Annunciation (when the angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her she would have a baby who would be the Son of God); the Incarnation (the Virgin Birth); the Transfiguration (when Jesus’s disciples saw him on the mountain surrounded by intense light); the Resurrection (when he rose from the dead 3 days after being crucified); the Ascension (when the disciples saw him being carried up into heaven) and Pentecost, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, everyone saw tongues of fire appear above them, and they all spoke in different languages, which were understood by the many nationalities present.

Also scripture reports numerous events we would today call paranormal or supernatural – Elijah whisked up to heaven in a whirlwind; Lazarus raised from the dead, fire springing up on an altar soaked with water, numerous angel encounters throughout both the Old and the New Testament, and many other miraculous events.

Christians take the supernatural seriously. They are advised to be wary of having anything to do with the demonic. I understand that. However, I think it is a mistake to identify all paranormal events as demonic – according to the definition I give above. My book, too, is based upon a theme of Shakespeare’s ghosts and spirits, and I include a Shakespeare quote in every chapter. I love Puck and Ariel, who are Shakespeare’s two foremost spirits, servants of Oberon, the Fairy King; and Prospero, the Magician.

Paranormal experiences are a part of life, and I don’t believe Christians do themselves or their Christian witness any favours by ignoring an area of life or by not listening with respect to people who report strange experiences. In fact, a few of the stories I recount are from Christians; I end the book with one of these, and the story does involve prayer.

Regarding my duology of fiction books, psychological thriller Mystical Circles and gothic paranormal thriller A Passionate Spirit, I include elements of the paranormal and the supernatural in both stories, and they also have a Christian priest as a major character, interacting with and informing the action.

During the course of my research for the novels, and for my new non-fiction book, I interviewed a total of five members of the Anglican clergy at different stages of their careers: one ordinand in training for the priesthood; one retired priest; and three currently serving priests.

What they said directly informed my books. In fact, one story I was told during an interview, inspired a significant character and a major scene in A Passionate Spirit.

When it comes to ghosts, however, certainly I find it difficult to believe that the soul and unique identity of a person can remain bound as a restless spirit to the scenes of their earthly life. But an Anglican priest I spoke to believes otherwise. And the whole assumption behind the ministry of deliverance is indeed based upon this.

Vicars have written ghost stories, and reported paranormal experiences, and several ghost story writers have a strong connection to the Christian faith One of the greatest, M.R. James (1862-1936), was the son of Herbert James, an Evangelical Anglican clergyman, and he was born in a clergy house in Goodnestone, Dover, Kent. From the age of three, his home was at The Rectory, Great Livermere, Suffolk. His brother Sydney later became Archdeacon of Dudley. So M.R. James had a close relationship with the Christian Church.

The priest I spoke to about Paranormal Warwickshire, advised me to follow my instincts, to pray for protection, and if I find myself entering areas I feel uncomfortable with, to keep away from them. I have followed that advice, and if I feel something is demonic, I have not included it in my book.

Paranormal Warwickshire was published on 15th November 2020

I hope you will enjoy reading the stories as much as I enjoyed researching them!

Buy Links:

https://www.amberley-books.com/coming-soon/paranormal-warwickshire.html

http://www.warwickbooks.net/preorder

https://www.waterstones.com/book/paranormal-warwickshire/s-c-skillman/9781445698267

https://www.kenilworthbooks.co.uk/


Social Media Links:

Website and blog: https://scskillman.com/

Amazon Author Profile: http://bitly.ws/9SK9

https://www.facebook.com/scskillmanauthor

https://twitter.com/scskillman

https://www.instagram.com/scskillman/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/scskillman/_created/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sc-skillman-42347a47/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4692653.S_C_Skillman