Preston Curtis could not have predicted the hint of what awaited him in the name of the city when he accepted the pastorate at Grace Bible Church in Pitfall, Oregon. Being a passionate believer in the Bible’s truth, he has no inkling that he would be prosecuted for a religious hate crime for exercising his religious freedom in preaching the Bible’s words. Judge Roy Sparkman’s A Pastor’s Pit is Preston’s fight against what he considers false religions and politically charged circumstances for a Christian in the U.S., dismissing constitutionally protected religious liberties and, thus, the virtue of the Bible.

A Pastor’s Pit depicts the dilemmas a Pastor has to overcome as a minister and counselor to people as a representative of God. Pastor Curtis is shown to be revered and admired, but he is equally criticized for conduct infringing on the consciences of previous supporters and admirers. He is shown as a devoted husband and father, as well as a true friend, delighted in the love and companionship of friends and family as anyone would, while also determined not to compromise his teachings of word-for-word Bible translation regardless of what the court ultimately determines. On the other hand, R.T. Glassman, his attorney, and best friend, does not retreat when defending his friend from prison, showing a beautiful example of what a loyal friend should be.

With the author being a former judge and practicing attorney, the court hearing with all of the legal terms, rhetoric questions, and cross-examinations by attorneys come across as authentic, without overdramatic and unreal situations. As informative and rhetorical as they are intriguing, the court hearings in the fiction greatly captivated me.

The topic raised in the novel is deserving of attention and explains laws molded for political ends. The novel brings to light the type of interference there is in religious liberties, no matter what the religion is. The book contains three examples of religious liberties being exercised or dismissed: the exercise of religious liberty in Pastor’s teachings and Umran’s choice of faith; dismissal of liberty in the persecution of Pastor and the threat of hell on infidels.

The novel deftly implement legal terminology, court hearings, and political intrigue to great dramatic effect and emerges as an informative work of fiction. A Pastor’s Pit is a riveting legal thriller with provocative questions at its core and an intriguing protagonist that lures you into this riveting novel.

Pages: 237 | ASIN: B08SDYCQ6X