Thursday, October 8, 2026

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome David Mathews!

 

FUGITIVE OF FAITH
by David Mathews
I’m pleased to welcome David Mathews back to my blog. His upcoming release sounds fabulous and I’m anxious to start reading it. Grab a “cuppa” and learn more about David and Fugitive of Faith.

What was your motivation behind this project? In my nearly seven decades of living in the United States, I've witnessed the exponential erosion of religious freedoms. Government authority, according to Romans 13, is supposed to be a force ordained by God for good and a terror and deterrent to evil. However, it is rapidly becoming a means of silencing the voice of truth in our society. The question, “What should be the Christian's response to an authority that no longer protects good but promotes evil?” is at the heart of this novel.

What do you hope readers will gain from this story? By exploring what many believe are the legitimate options available, I hope to steer the reader toward the biblical response to corrupt legislation and governmental control. God has a lot to say about the Christian's responsibility as well as response to those in authority who make demands that often contradict the truths of Scripture and the believer's personal convictions. Our attitudes and responses to such authority say a lot about what we really believe. They also impact our effectiveness as salt and light in this corrupt world as we seek to point people to Christ.

How were you personally impacted by working on this book? The idea came to me as I was
contemplating the life of the Apostle Peter and his reactions to Jesus' arrest in the garden—fighting back and denying he knew the Lord—and I began to wonder what a modern day Simon Peter might look like. I wrote the manuscript in the pandemic months leading up to the contentious 2020 presidential election. During that time, I was challenged to review and evaluate my own attitudes and reactions to the God-given civil authorities in my life, especially when that leadership contradicts God's authority. Do I speak up or remain silent? Do I get involved, and if so, how? Am I only criticizing those in authority, or am I praying for them as commanded by God? I think this will be an on-going work of grace in my life!

Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors/artists? Some of my greatest influences and sources of inspiration are:
  • Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and the other 3 missionaries who lost their lives trying to reach a violent people group with the gospel of Christ;
  • Corrie and Betsy ten Boom, who remained confident in their Savior's love even while in a Nazi concentration camp;
  • Randy Alcorn, whose books Safely Home, If God is Good, and Heaven continue to challenge me to remain faithful to my Lord, no matter what;
  • Ron Hamilton, whose songs "Rejoice in the Lord" and "How Can I Fear With Jesus?" speak to my heart each time I hear them.
What else would you like readers to know: Set in contemporary post-modern California, and witnessed through the eyes of a San Francisco pastor, this novel explores the Christian's reaction and responsibility to bad legislation and ungodly authority as defined by the eternal truths of God's Word. Hang on to your seats! Once you begin reading, you're in for the roller coaster action-packed adventure of a lifetime. Follow Pastor Pete Holloway as he explores different ways of responding to the crisis, some with near-fatal results, but all with lasting consequences. You'll find yourself saying, “Just one more chapter!”

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BOOK BLURB: What happens when speaking the truth becomes illegal?

EXCERPT FROM FUGITIVE OF FAITH:
“Suddenly, from somewhere behind him, the faint sound of a helicopter assaulted his ears. He instinctively turned and looked up-stream. The police were apparently conducting an air search as well as a ground search. And here he was fully exposed in the middle of the river!

Swimming with all his might, he made for the bank and dragged himself out of the water. He sprinted across the rocks and threw himself into the undergrowth just as the bird rounded the bend above the distant tree line. As the chuka-chuka-chuka-chuka of the blades grew louder, Pete looked around, desperate for a hiding place. His military training told him there was probably a thermal-imaging camera on board, so he needed some deep cover fast. Scrambling up the slope, he spied a large, standing sequoia about forty feet away with a small gap at the base. He raced toward the tree and squeezed through the opening. The space inside was barely large enough for his six-foot frame. Lord, You once made blind eyes see. Now would You please make seeing eyes blind?”


Photo Credits:
Author and book cover images: Courtesy David Mathews
Ballot Box: Pixabay/Planet Fox
San Francisco Houses: Pixabay

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Location: New York, NY, USA

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