A Sounding Brass
Author: Shelley Bates
Paperback
ISBN: 0446694924
Pub. Date: June 2006

I really loved this book! I suppose part of the reason I liked it so much is because of the subject matter, the effects of cults. I’ve never read another Christian fiction book that dealt with cults, although I’m sure there are others out there. Claire Montoya’s ‘church’ the Elect, is despondent because one of their senior members has been accused of rape. The strict church is left leaderless, until handsome and charismatic Luke Fisher steps on the scene. Luke orchestrates changes in a fast-paced manner, and Claire and the rest of the Elect’s heads are spinning because of these abrupt changes. Luke is not a part of the Elect, however, even though he is an Outsider, one of the church leaders, Owen, allows Luke to help lead the church since the Elect’s Shepherd(Leader) has been convicted of rape.

Allowing an Outsider to speak at an Elect Gathering is unheard of, however, soon the congregation is placing all of their faith and trust into Luke Fisher. One of the biggest changes that takes place is that the women can now wear colors. Before their Shepherd was arrested, the Elect women could only wear black, and they had to wear their hair in a severe bun.

Since the trial of the Elect’s Shepherd makes headline news, Claire finds herself under scrutiny at the bank where she works. People have suspicious opinions about the Elect’s strict religion because of the rape trial, and bank customers start leaving, because of Claire’s association with the Elect. She’s asked to go against her religion and change her hair and clothing. Not used to going against the rules of the Elect, Claire refuses, causing her to get fired from her job.

However, she finds herself a job an hour later at a local Christian radio station. Luke Fisher is her new boss, and she’s drawn to his good looks and charismatic nature. However, a love triangle ensues when Ray Harper, an investigator for the rape case appears. He’s drawn to Claire, and he’s suspicious about Luke, so he has Luke investigated. Claire tells Ray that she can’t have a relationship with him because he is not a part of the Elect and because he doesn’t believe in God.

However, as the story unfolds, Claire is wrongly blamed for Luke’s crimes and she gets arrested. Together, she and Ray are able to find Luke and bring the whole matter to justice. Claire does finally admit that the Elect way is not the only way to salvation, and Ray does learn to trust and lean on God.

There were a lot of things about the Elect that I’ve noticed are similiar among some cults I’ve read about over the years. The cultish characteristics of the Elect were:

1. They believe that their way is the only way to Heaven. All other churches are worldly.
2. They place their entire interpretation of the scriptures into the hands of governing members of their organization. (I’ve even heard of cults that change their interpretation of scriptures, and their members are expected to embrace the new interpretation.)
3. They don’t call themselves a church. They call themselves the Elect.(Church is a wordly term.)
4. They don’t call their building a church. Their building is called a Mission Hall.(Again, calling their building a church is worldly.)
5. There are no accounting records available to them about the financial aspects of their group. Giving is totally secret, and how the congregation spends their money, and how much is taken in, is only known to a few select senior individuals.(I think the act of giving can be secret. I don’t have a problem with that. I just think that a church owes it to its members to let them know how much they collected and how those funds have been allocated. Some cults tend to not do this.)
5. Their meeting times were not called church services, they were called Gatherings. (Again, use of the word church is considered worldly.)
6. It is a requirement for them to meet several times a week.
7. It is a sin marry somebody outside of the Elect. You can only marry someone within your organization since all other churches are worldly.
8. If you openly go against their ‘rules’ then you are shunned, and nobody within the organization can talk to you.
9. Some cults don’t give to charities. I noticed in one part of the book, Claire was talking to Luke about how to distribute the funds that had been pouring into the radio station(this was before she knew that Luke was a con-artist and was sending money to fake charities). She had thought about the fact that giving was new to her, and the only ‘charity’ they did in the Elect was invite people to their Gathering.

I’d be interested in reading more books by this author.

Cecelia Dowdy
www.ceceliadowdy.com