Who is Roger Ferguson?

Who is Roger Ferguson?

Danger Will Robinson, Creed's writin' his first-ever music review.

What's that? Ain't qualified you say? In most cases you would be right, but shut up and read-on.

I'll have you know I grew up with classic rock. Burned out on it a few years back, but I KNOW classic rock.

I met fellow Christian artist Roger Ferguson on Shoutlife. Roger says to me "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." Wash your mind out with soap—I mailed him a book and he mailed me a CD.

I slipped his CD titled The Mercy Beat into my Subaru's player, wondering what I'd gotten myself into. How am I gonna review music of all things. I ain't no musician! I don't even like gospel—Sweet Lord, don't let it be Gospel Music. Pretty please.

Here's where my musical expertise comes in. Had this guy performed his music in the 1970s, Roger Ferguson would'a been a household name.

Track One, I Need Your Mercy, sounded like Ray Orbison.

Track 2: Electric Light Orchestra.
Mind you, my tastes run to classical baroque and hard hard rock. This guy was playing an accoustic guitar, but I was liking it. That is not supposed to happen.

Track 3 through 8: my hand on a stack of Bibles, you'd swear Paul McCartney wrote this stuff. Around 1980-81, I was a huge Beatles fan.

Track 9: it starts out like Pink Floyd, and then turns into ELO.

The last three tracks on The Mercy Beat are unique. Robert Ferguson's own sound.

If you like the sounds of any of the bands I mentioned above, and what wonder what Christian lyrics would sound like set to that music, you need to listen to Roger Ferguson's The Mercy Beat.

Faith Awakened --a review

An authoritarian government has enslaved Earth's population. A handful of powerful law-giving profiteers have abolished all taxes! Sounds good, until one learns that in exchange, one merely gets food and shelter. In engineering a perfect society, the tyrants won't allow any power higher than themselves. No one's allowed to judge earth's mortal judges, thus, religion may not be openly practised. The Awakened, or believers in the Awakener (God), must meet secretively. Against this backdrop of extreme Social Humanism, rumors of a slave rebellion ripple through the narrator's home town of Belfast, Ireland. This is the day for which everyone's longed. As the celebration begins, a bio-engineered plague is unleashed by the tyrants. Intended to merely kill millions, it spreads out of control and nearly wipes out the global population. Survivors don't know why they've survived. They seek empty streets for signs of human life, and for biological answers.

The tragic tale's told by Mariah, as she journals humanity's terrible fate, recording history in the event that there are future generations left to read her words. Bridges patiently intertwines the lives of two main characters, and one must patiently read-on to discover why Mariah and Faith are on a spiritual sojourn collision-course. Here is where the reviewer must make a confession: the "Faith" chapters were skimmed over quickly to get to the interesting story of Mariah. If the reader is a fan of cyber-punk and sci-fi, the preface of Faith Awakened provides enough information to act as a plot spoiler.

Many Christians believe there will be a tech-breakdown as the end-of-days approaches, and Biblical prophecy unfolds in space and time. Faith Awakened is set in such a world. Even before the plague, the tyrants replace cars with bicycles, and the rebellion is prepared to launch its own agricultural economy. Post-plague, unmanned infrastructures collapse, and rusting technology sits without sources of power.

The main idea Grace Bridges explores—in different ways—is man playing God. Just how badly would we wreck things if global society is governed as though humans were the highest power, the highest law-giver? Can technology apprehend the Divine? How do we wrap our fallen finite minds around the concept of heaven?

Biblical speculative fiction (sc-fi, fantasy, and spiritual thrillers), is the perfect genre with which to explore big ideas. Spec-fic allows for the most creative settings and characters with which to paint realistic social problems that have theological consequences. This reviewer would like to see Bridges continue to write and hone her sci-fi writing skills since she displays real talent.

I Write Biblical Cyberpunk

I write Biblical cyberpunk.

Yes, I said cyberpunk.

You are likely thinking, but how can the two be compatible?

One of my favorite prepublication reviews for Flashpoint came from an unlikely source:

"Confession time. I was quite reluctant to read this book at all because of the name of the genre. "Cyberpunk" sounds like something that would glorify cop-killing and gang-rape. Sorry, that's the image conjured by the word "punk". Adding "cyber" to it doesn't help because I know too many people who use "cyber" as a verb. To "cyber" means "to engage in cybersex". Probably not what everyone thinks when they hear it, and surely not a desired meaning in this case. I know it's not Frank's fault for either root in the compound. He didn't name the genre. I almost let those negative connotations in that word stop me from even trying this book. I'm glad I took the chance. Ignore the word, no matter what it makes you think, and just try the book anyhow." Caprice Hokstad, author of The Duke's Handmaid.

Fiction authors must write with a very specific audience on their frontal lobes. They must write for their niche. I've found the terms Christian science fiction & fantasy and Christian speculative fiction, to be too broad.

I'm tired of the debate surrounding "Christian fiction." One side says you must write subtle or secular, and leave your skill to glorify God. The other side insists Christianity must be included in character and plot. I say, every author's fiction-ministry has a different purpose, voice, style, etc. We're like snowflakes—no two are the same. My fiction purpose is discipleship, not evangelism, so I use the descriptor "Biblical."

Sci-fi invokes visions of spaceships and ray-guns. My own dystopian sci-fi is set only thirty years in the future, and focuses on bionics and cybernetics: the fusion of technology and anatomy. This sub-genre of sci-fi is called cyberpunk, but cyberpunk is, by definition, exclusively anti-religion. I've flirted with using the term faithpunk, but I'm not sure it's meaning would click with readers. So, for lack of a better term, my niche is Biblical cyberpunk.