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The Commission
If a group of Christians were the only settlers of an unoccupied planet, in a remote solar system, what would their society be like sixty, seventy, or eighty years later? Would their faith flourish through unity or falter through complacency? "The Commission" begins with all the nations of earth united into one nation, Terrapax, and the establishment of a state religion that unites all of earth's religions into a single faith. One group, the Messianists, refused to be absorbed, and spent five years in a reeducation camp before being exiled to a newly discovered planet. The Commission follows a single Messianist family from the founding of Terrapax, through the first eighty years on Eden, their new planet. Although it's classified as science fiction because it involves space travel to an unknown planet, it's a story of how the same faith that prospers in oppression, develops into heresy when seasoned with spiritual laxity. It's a story about how even in the worst unorthodoxy, God always preserves a remnant of true believers. It's a story of hope generated by one man who remains faithful to the true gospel.
244 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2004
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July 30, 2008
The Commission is a work of social science-fiction. The story begins in the second half of the 21st century, where Terrapax, a libertarian's nightmare vision of the United Nations, has taken over the world and established a new universalistic state religion. People are free to worship their own gods, provided they do not teach that their religion is anymore "right" than any other religion, provided they do not proselytize in any way, and provided their churches kick back ten percent to the Spiritual Health Organization. Should one refuse this arrangement and persist in outmoded and "bigoted" beliefs, the "intolerant" will be shipped off to a re-education camp. Eventually, one group of Christians, from a denomination called the Messianists, is exiled to another planet for its persistent refusal to recant. Will members of this all-Christian society continue to maintain their faith, or will a loss of tradition and authority give birth to heresy?
After reading the back cover blurb, I had hoped the novel would focus on examining whether opposition and adversity are essential to the existence of a vibrant faith and whether (true) tolerance of Christianity actually leads to complacency among Christians. But this question really is not much developed in the novel. However, many other intriguing questions are introduced. Indeed, the plot is a clever vehicle for a host of difficult questions, and I found myself repeatedly pausing in my reading to think. The Commission could serve as a real discussion sparker among Christians, and it is likely to inspire the Christian reader to reflect on many things: Where is our nation headed with its emphasis on religious "tolerance"? Could this emphasis on "tolerance" eventually lead to a law against proselytizing? Can publicly recanting your faith while privately maintaining it ever be justified? What might cause you to recant? Would God have us fight back with violence against oppressive tyranny? How long would it take heresy to develop in an all-Christian society, and how might it develop? The author has heresy developing in part because of a lack of access to scriptures, but I think it would have been just as believable to have it developing despite the ready availability of the scriptures. At any rate, the novel reminds us that heresy is always internal and that the true threat to Christian orthodoxy never comes from non-believers, but from professed believers.
The author's writing ability is decent, but not gripping; the narrative tone is often more journalistic than literary. There are also some minor narrative problems; for instance, narration begins in the present tense as Taylor Hudson begins to tell the history of Eden (which is appropriately told in past tense), but when the action returns to the scene we left at the novel's opening, the narration does not return to the present tense. Nevertheless, the characters are realistic, and it is not, ultimately, the style of writing that makes this particular book worth reading; rather, it is the storyline and the thematic content. The Commission is an intriguing book posing intriguing questions. It is well plotted and moves at a reasonable pace. The author has a good story to tell, and he communicates weighty ideas without being overbearing or boring.
After reading the back cover blurb, I had hoped the novel would focus on examining whether opposition and adversity are essential to the existence of a vibrant faith and whether (true) tolerance of Christianity actually leads to complacency among Christians. But this question really is not much developed in the novel. However, many other intriguing questions are introduced. Indeed, the plot is a clever vehicle for a host of difficult questions, and I found myself repeatedly pausing in my reading to think. The Commission could serve as a real discussion sparker among Christians, and it is likely to inspire the Christian reader to reflect on many things: Where is our nation headed with its emphasis on religious "tolerance"? Could this emphasis on "tolerance" eventually lead to a law against proselytizing? Can publicly recanting your faith while privately maintaining it ever be justified? What might cause you to recant? Would God have us fight back with violence against oppressive tyranny? How long would it take heresy to develop in an all-Christian society, and how might it develop? The author has heresy developing in part because of a lack of access to scriptures, but I think it would have been just as believable to have it developing despite the ready availability of the scriptures. At any rate, the novel reminds us that heresy is always internal and that the true threat to Christian orthodoxy never comes from non-believers, but from professed believers.
The author's writing ability is decent, but not gripping; the narrative tone is often more journalistic than literary. There are also some minor narrative problems; for instance, narration begins in the present tense as Taylor Hudson begins to tell the history of Eden (which is appropriately told in past tense), but when the action returns to the scene we left at the novel's opening, the narration does not return to the present tense. Nevertheless, the characters are realistic, and it is not, ultimately, the style of writing that makes this particular book worth reading; rather, it is the storyline and the thematic content. The Commission is an intriguing book posing intriguing questions. It is well plotted and moves at a reasonable pace. The author has a good story to tell, and he communicates weighty ideas without being overbearing or boring.
Displaying 1 of 1 review