Ruth
Every one of my books touches upon the Christian faith. That thread continues in my newest book, Fire Between Two Skies (coming January 2026; special $2.99 pre-order at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G2YZZ8LG; watch the teaser video at https://youtu.be/Dnwg68QxiKg). Set against the fiery upheaval of the Taiping movement, the story explores a question that has long gripped me: how can the same claim—“I am the Son of God”—ignite such different responses in different cultures?
In first-century Judea, monotheism was the heartbeat of Jewish identity. For a Jew to claim to be the Son of God was to tread on sacred ground with fire. Such a claim was against the social order and also against God Himself. The consequence was predictable: rejection, and ultimately, death.
Now set that alongside nineteenth-century China. Traditional Chinese society, with its richly layered spiritual landscape, offered a different frame. When Hong Xiuquan announced he was God’s son and Jesus’ brother, his message found ready ears. The result was not isolation but the mobilization of multitudes to follow his vision.
That divergence fascinates me. Culture shapes plausibility. What sounds impossible in one context can appear inevitable in another. Yet even acknowledging that, I can’t stop thinking about Jesus’ claim and authority.
When I first read the Bible, I was stunned by how unapologetically Jesus spoke. As a Jew, He knew His words that identified Himself with the very name of God would collide head-on with the traditions of His people. Was He crazy? Only someone unhinged would insist on such things—unless, of course, His claim was true.
I’m a PhD scientist and always keep an open mind. If someone can point me to ancient texts that foretold his coming, and if that person fulfilled those prophecies—particularly through a death in accordance with those texts—then I have to take the claim seriously.
This is where the Dead Sea Scrolls, one of archaeology’s greatest finds, enter my vision. Among the original seven scrolls discovered at Qumran is the Book of Isaiah, dated to around 125 BCE. Nearly complete, remarkably preserved, and consistent with later manuscripts, it stands as a witness to the integrity of the text across centuries. Within Isaiah are passages about Jesus from birth to death. For me, the existence of the Old Testament, centuries older than Jesus’ earthly life, adds weight to the belief that history is not random, that God speaks and then brings His word to fruition.
Fire Between Two Skies is not a theological treatise, but a story that stares at the juncture between faith and culture. Jesus’ claim was not aimed at regime change but at heart change. He refused the sword, embraced the cross, and fulfilled words spoken long before He walked the Galilean hills.
As a writer, I’m drawn to the tension between earth and heaven. As a scientist, I’m compelled by evidence that endures scrutiny. As a believer, I surrender to a story that is bigger than me, yet personal enough to answer my search. If those themes resonate with you, I invite you to explore them with me in Fire Between Two Skies. And whether you come to the book as a skeptic, a seeker, or a fellow traveler in faith, I pray you’ll find, between the two skies of culture and conviction, a fire that illuminates more than it consumes.
