'Finding God in the Dark' Authors: 'This is for People Who Are Hurting'
Ted Kluck and Ronnie Martin are the authors of "Finding God in the Dark: Faith, Disappointment, and the Struggle to Believe." They spoke with The Christian Post about their own personal struggles with faith and how they hope the book will impact others.
The Christian Post: Why is your book called "Finding God in the Dark"?
Ted Kluck: It was originally called "When Believers Don't Believe," but I think both titles capture the essence of the book. Ronnie and I both make our living working as artists in fields that are very up-and-down. We're both prone to bouts of depression and self-doubt, and we've both gone through some hard things in our family lives. And I think we both have failed at times to trust God and see His goodness in those times. So I guess this book isn't so much about our finding God in the dark as much as it's about God finding and pursuing us.
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CP: Who is this book for, specifically?
Kluck: It's for people in our churches who are hurting, and I think there are more of us than people realize. We've become very adept, as evangelicals, at faking our way through nearly everything, sadly, including going to church and writing our books. This book is an attempt to openly acknowledge that pain and sin exist, and to lead people to the cross of Christ, where we find relief and hope.
CP: Toward the end of the book, you talk about the process of repentance and its role in experiencing the joy and peace of Christ. Tell us more.
Kluck: Ronnie and I both grew up in the '80s, which was the decade of health, wealth, and victorious Christian living, in which God was portrayed as a sort of cosmic wish-granter. So if you were a "good, clean-living kid," it was God's job to bless you by making all of your dreams come true. Of course, living an actual life where this didn't happen was very disillusioning to me, and I'm guessing disillusioning to a lot of people in my generation. That disillusionment led me into a lot of bitterness, cynicism, and sin. By the time I hit my mid-thirties, I had a lot to confess.
Ronnie Martin: In my own life, the sudden death of my father was what the Lord used to drastically reveal His grace and mercy to me. It seems that God uses tragic events to show himself more clearly to us so that we cling to Him more dearly. The Lord used this low point in my life to expose the idols of my heart and reveal the shallowness of my faith.
It's humbling to look back and see the amount of growth I've experienced since that time. Although God can choose to grow and mature us through any circumstance, I can't fathom how else He might have chosen to open my eyes. Although I'd love to have my dad with me today, I rejoice that he's with Christ, and I'm grateful that God chose that event to broaden and deepen me.
"Finding God in the Dark: Faith, Disappointment and the Struggle to Believe" is available now.
