Presumed Guilty by James Scott Bell

This novel came out in 2006...with the events that unfolded recently concerning Ted Haggard, it has an eerie ring to it.

Pastor Ron Hamilton has it all...a beautiful wife and two wonderful children, a growing church, and a well publicized ministry. Now he and his wife are joining forces with their senator to battle pornography.

But the whole world explodes for him one day when he is accused of murdering a known prostitute and porn star. Did he do it? And what secrets from his wife, Dallas's past could come back to haunt them both?

This puts a new twist on the issue of pornography and sin in general. Ron's son, Jared, returns from the war in Iraq a different man. The evil that follows the Hamilton family through Jared's battles and through the pornography/murder scandal seems intense.

James Scott Bell reminds us vividly that sin is tied to evil, which is tied to satan and his demons. I was fascinated by his thoughts, as expressed by the character Roger Vernon, concerning the post traumatic stress disorder suffered by so many of our troops.

We need to diligently pray for our Christian leaders and their families. It is far too easy in our age of privacy to fall victim to sin. And sin takes root and creates far more damage than cancer of the body ever can; sin is a cancer of the soul.

If we as a church are weary of our leaders falling into sin and being ensnared by the devils wiles...then we must pray. It is a simple as that. Not just for the pastors and ministers...but for their entire families.

That message comes through in this novel loud and clear...get this book. Read this book...it is that vital to the health of the American church.

Presumed Guilty gets 4 bookmarks and a bonus tassel from me!

Happy Reading!

Deena