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About the Book
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Will faith in America survive?
Years after the financial crash of 2008, America stumbles from crisis to crisis and continues to slog through the mire of the Great Recession.
National healthcare is finally a reality, but has brought with it unintended consequences for the sick, the unwanted, and the growing ranks of the elderly. Political assassinations and bombings have become all too common in the nation’s capital. Elected officials rarely leave the safety of the Green Zone that surrounds the Capitol Complex.
America’s Day of Reckoning – Debt Day – when the U.S. Treasury must borrow just to make the interest payments is less than a year away. Taxes at every level of government continue to rise, further crippling the free market mechanisms of small business and private enterprise.
With the passage of the Tolerance in Religion and Media Acts (TIRMA), churches have been forced to register and submit to content monitors, surrendering their rights to assemble and speak freely. The tea-parties and talk-radio – the last voices of opposition to the expanding powers of Washington D.C. – have been all but silenced from the political process.
The Spirit of America has been broken. For the first time in history, people are leaving her fair shores for better opportunities. And though the light of many churches in America have been extinguished, tiny flames of faith flicker to life and begin to grow.
But on the tenth anniversary of TIRMA, a priest makes final preparations that will extinguish those flames and cut to the heart of the nation.
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From the Author
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This book was born in the midst of the furor over the healthcare debate and enactment in 2009-2010. Since then, the uproar subsided for a time until it was finally pushed through in March of 2010. The desire to nationalize healthcare has been the progressives'/statists' foremost ambition since the late 1890's, because once the State controls the administration of healthcare (or at least the payment of such care), they can control the behavior individuals in that nation on an unprecedented scale.
And though the majority of people opposed the sweeping healthcare legislation, many in talk-radio and churches protested the legislation, along with millions of average Americans. But what will happen in America if and when those voices are silenced? In less than a matter of years, America could become a nation completely foreign to that which we, our parents, and our grandparents have known.
After the churches and talk-radio are silenced, what could America look like? How will faithful American Christians worship once the churches are closed? How will the Body of Christ respond once the Federal government starts applying pressure to conform, as most other governments across the world have done?
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Book Reviews
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The Cell by Chris Hambleton
* * * * (4/5) What is wrong with the world today? I wonder if anyone sits down and really thinks about the state of the world. How many of those people really have the “well I won’t be alive to see it attitude”? Or, if you are like me, you wonder just what one person can really do to change so many things.Hambleton has a way of telling a story. It may not be real today, but it could very well be real on the same day, within another year. What we have is a book, with a spiritual theme, and a Sci-Fi genre. Not many can pull of such a task. I admit it took me a while to actually get in to this book. Once I stopped focusing on the present day and looked at it from a different point of view I was able to read between the lines a little more. “The Cell” is full of colorful characters; John, Najeev Mohammaed, William, the powerful Professor Burkhart who is also the main leading character, who helps John fight the Supreme Court against the Anit-Hate group, FAAHAD, which is completely corrupt.This is a world where Christianity is abolished. A world where Christianity has gone underground and groups rally to try to save it.Every page brought new information. At times I found it hard to follow along, but I was so engrossed I kept reading until there was an easy stopping point and would go back and scan over previous pages.Engaging books can be overwhelming to some, but I found it quite enjoyable because I was reading something outside of my comfort box. I tend to shy away from books regarding religion and other countries. I fear too many rely on past events, such as 9/11 to feed their novels. I did not feel that at all with this one.This is a book within a book. The author mixes fact with fiction, and it is up to you, the reader, to decide what to do with this information. You will see parallels with his Sci-Fi world and the world which you are living right now.What do you do with this information? Share it? Or pack the book away for safe keeping, as sort of a manual in case you should need it?What would happen if Christianity were to be declared a terrorist group in the world today?That choice is yours, but you have to read the book first.
A Look At An All Too Possible Future
* * * * * (5/5) Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” The Cell: Twilight’s Last Gleaming is a fascinating, intriguing, and extremely frightening look at a very plausible future if America does not heed these words. In The Cell: Twilight’s Last Gleaming, Hambleton blends current events with history while employing compelling characters to spin a thought provoking novel that leaves the reader both chilled and challenged. The year is 2020 and the Christian church in the United States has been driven underground by an overzealous government seeking to silence what it views as an extreme religion. Christians are painted as extreme radical fundamentalist bent on assassinations and terrorist activities. They have become the feared and hunted. To survive, the church must meet in small groups of no more than 10 in a cell to avoid detection, persecution, and death. While the novel itself is a fast-paced page-turner, it is the collection of essays and Hambleton's suggested reading list which should truly act as a wake-up call to the Christian reader. If the American evangelical church continues to sacrifice itself on the altar of political correctness, this work of fiction could well become a reality. The Cell: Twilight’s Last Gleaming is a must read! 5 Stars!
The Cell: Twilight's Last Gleaming
* * * * * (5/5) Book Review: The Cell: Twilight’s Last Gleaming by Chris HambletonThis book gives us a chilling glimpse of what life could be like right here in the United States within a few years, if Christianity were outlawed as a terrorist group. It raises issues that have snuck up on us within our own lifetimes, little changes that have accrued to make Christians second-class citizens, to be snickered at and looked down upon. What if Christians were no longer allowed to care about other people? While Jesus walked physically on earth, the Gentiles (such as the Romans and the Greeks, two supposedly “civilized” cultures) routinely discarded the useless, the dead and dying; they abandoned unwanted children to die of exposure or starvation. No one cared about the beggars, the blind or deaf, the crippled or the lepers… except Jesus, and then His followers. Christians routinely rescued unwanted babies, nursed the ill and abandoned back to health, and remained in the cities to nurse the ill when the rest of the populace fled away from plague victims. These Christian ideals have become so much a part of our American culture today that few of us question where they came from. In The Cell, when Christianity is outlawed, it doesn’t take long for the old and useless to be dehumanized, allowed to die so the State’s medical resources can be used elsewhere. The unborn, unless they have powerful protection from their families, are seen merely as a source of tissue to be harvested (and that “unborn” period sometimes extends to as much as three months after birth.) Instead of the source of mercy and humanitarianism, Christians are demonized as war-mongers, intolerant and hateful. The Cell is the story of how Christ’s Body, the Church, is forced to go back underground, as in the 1st century AD. Small groups of 3-10 believers meet secretly and have to be extremely careful, as the power of the US government itself is harnessed to blame the Christians for bombings and killings that are actually performed by Islamic and other terrorists, with the specific aim of exterminating the Church. (Think of Nero and his attempt to blame Christians for burning Rome.) The book is a fascinating read and gives much food for thought. In his extensive Afterword, Chris goes on to explain that many of the pre-conditions that lead up to this possible future are already well-established. We as Americans and as Christians need to wake up and be aware of the forces of evil that constantly seek to undermine us. Definitely recommend - 5 stars!
Remarkable Treasure
* * * * * (5/5) his author was given a gift, a vision which he took and compelled into a sci-fiction, fantasy book with hidden parables of a spiritual nature, one has to read in between the lines to understand the purpose of this book. A true believer reading this book will be enlightened to the possibilities of the future on the horizon and be prepared of actuality of its occurrence. This book is full of impact, it is a reverse of Islamist against Christians. Today's Americans claim Islamic terrorists are enemies doing whatever they can to accomplish their mission of bringing their Allah to the forefront and be the world leader. Except it is not Muslims being prosecuted in this story but Christianity is abolished and outlawed as a fundamentalist religion. The Christians disband or go underground to escape the lies and deceptions of the Arabic world who is trying to sabotage the Christian's institution with attacks and slander. The United States becomes a Socialist and corrupted government. The head agency FAAHAD. against Hate Crimes is a ploy breaking all constitutional laws to go after all Christians and destroy any foundation they have to stand upon. The characters in this book, from William, John, Najeev Mohammed, others and Professor Burkhart are all powerful. BurKhart becomes the leading character, lawyer and helps John fight the Supreme Court against the corrupted Anti-Hate agency, FAAHAD.There are so many elements in this story, one has to have a sticky pad to keep up with all the excitement and possibilities of characters and future events.My conscious as a reader rallying for William and his underground mission . He and others were true Christians until the end of their lives and the sacrifices they gave captures a reader's heart. Leaving one to ask would they be as brave to sacrifice their lives as martyrs for a higher supreme being? I have read one of this author's books, waiting for the suspense, a little disappointed thinking the scene should ended until the most horrifying but plausible scenes came to life, this author is an artist at making the heart race, I had to walk away to get my breathing under control and go back and read it detaching my self from emotions, to get through this part of this magnificent story. The factutal truth in this story touches all aspects of the human soul and ha sthe impact of making one want to redecide their lives choices and to stored away all books for safe keeping. In case fantasy becomes reality.It is filled with vital information and knowledge that Americans and the whole world has forgotten about and put on the back burner for selfish pursuits. The author is remarkable in concluding the book with factual knowledge that ties the ends up nicely. There is a message written among the suspense. A parable to be figured out. This book has to be read more then once to get true enjoyment out of it.
Gripping
* * * * (4/5) Mr. Hambleton not only shocks readers with his graphic diction, but gives a captivating lesson on the history of America. This book shows how horrifying the future of America can be if Christians continue to sit back and watch freedom slip away through their own apathetic behaviors. The end of the book not only gives quotes of our forefathers, but is also a call to action to Believers to take a stand on the Biblical principles that this country was founded. I anxiously await the release of Mr. Hambleton’s next book! It is refreshing to read a book that not only has a great story line, but is also doctrinally sound.
The Cell. It is a great read!
* * * * * (5/5) I am an avid reader and The Cell was certainly a book that captured my attention from the moment I started reading it. You can tell the author has researched his information thoroughly and knows what he talking about. The Cell captivates your thinking and makes you realize how close this is to becoming a reality in our culture today. I am continually amazed at writers and their ability to bring a story to life and make you want more. The Cell is a book I will reread in the future and I hope that Chris will continue this series. I can't wait to read more from Chris Hambleton! Great Work!
Highly plausible and chilling...
* * * * (4/5) Hambleton deftly extrapolates a highly plausible, if chilling, possible future for the expression of evangelical Christianity in America in "The Cell." Through the lives of his characters, we see how historical trends have influenced popular culture and created an environment that grows more intolerant of evangelical Christianity by the day. "The Cell" is an engrossing, interesting story with engaging characters and a "ripped from the headlines" feel.
The presentation of "The Cell" is nicely done - the novel itself presents a fast-moving, engaging story full of characters that the reader can grasp readily. Afterward, the author provides a series of essays and a suggested reading list that show that the scenarios in the novel are not only plausible, but in some ways nearly inevitable. "The Cell" is both an entertaining novel and a call to action - if the church wants to avoid living in that world, Hambleton offers specific suggestions for positive changes that need to be made now.
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