When Heroes Fall: Healing from the Aftermath of Sin: Navigating the Aftermath of Disappointment - Softcover

Fields, Lisa Victoria

 
9780593603109: When Heroes Fall: Healing from the Aftermath of Sin: Navigating the Aftermath of Disappointment
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0593603109 ISBN 13: 9780593603109
Verlag: PRH Christian Publishing, 2026

Inhaltsangabe

From Jude 3 Project founder and apologist comes a compassionate and insightful guide to healing, rebuilding trust, and renewing faith after our spiritual heroes fall to sin.

Our faith is built by the people around us—our parents, coaches, leaders, and pastors. We look up to them as they help us build our beliefs one stone at a time. But when those same heroes sin, it shakes the foundation of our faith, leaving us feeling disillusioned, hurt, or even betrayed. Apologist and Jude 3 Project founder Lisa Victoria Fields knows what the fall of a spiritual hero can do to our faith and hearts. She watched her own hero's reputation unravel after his death and spent years processing her disappointment and confusion before finding a way forward toward healing and a stronger faith.

In this thoughtful and relatable book, Lisa expertly walks readers through the complexities that follow the disillusionment of a fallen hero. With empathy and a solid biblical framework, she explores the thin line between admiration and worship, gives grief its proper place, gleans wisdom from a hero’s victories and failures, and refocuses on the only true hero—Jesus. She underscores the importance of community support and provides steps to rebuild trust.

With a grace and tenderness borne from personal experience, Lisa shines a light for those lost in the wake of broken trust. Her book serves as a beacon of hope, leading readers to a place of renewed faith and spiritual resilience.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Renowned Christian apologist Lisa Victoria Fields merges her deep biblical knowledge with a heartfelt mission to share God's love. She has been recognized by Christianity Today for her impactful work in the African American community, and she has produced two documentaries, Unspoken and Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom. The CEO of Jude 3 Project, Lisa holds degrees in communications and religious studies from the University of North Florida and a master of divinity from Liberty University.

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1

The Chosen Hero

Definitions belonged to the definers—­not the defined. —­Toni Morrison, Beloved

“It’s time for offering. It’s time to give to God. Let’s present our sacrifices,” the preacher emphatically exclaimed.

My five-­year-­old ears perked up as I recalled Mrs. Callahan’s Sunday school lesson from the previous week. She had taught us about the prophet Elijah. God had consumed his sacrifice on Mount Carmel by fire. I sat up, clutching the dollar my mom had given me and wondering what would happen to it once I put it in the collection plate. How was it going to make it from my hands to God’s? Would fire come down and take it? Would there be smoke? Would a giant hand snatch it up? Excitement and wonder filled my imagination.

My young brain was trying to reconcile the difference between the offering Mrs. Callahan had talked about in the Bible story and the one we were taking up that Sunday morning. That was the first time I thought critically about what the Bible said. Even though I couldn’t make sense of it, the Bible and its stories were a fact of life for me. I grew up surrounded by the Christian faith. My father, a pastor, and my mom, the first lady, taught me and modeled for me God’s Word. I trusted what I learned and never felt the need to question it.

Fast-­forward to my college years at the University of North Florida. I was an adult now, but the curiosity of five-­year-­old Lisa had returned. This time it wasn’t an offering that sparked my questions; it was a New Testament class. My professor poked holes in the reliability of the Bible. Every new piece of information she shared seemed to contradict what I’d been taught all my life. Every class felt like a current that pushed me further from the shore, and I was drowning in my doubts. Unlike when I was little, when my curiosity led me to excitement and wonder, I was now filled with fear and confusion.

One day, I shared with my father what was happening. He heard my confusion and introduced me to Bruce’s work and ministry. Bruce’s messages were like a life preserver for my floundering soul. His sermons pulled me from doubt to radical belief and kindled my enthusiasm for apologetics. I was inspired.

I spent hours consuming Bruce’s content, working through his books and listening to his lectures like songs on replay. I wanted to be just like him. His vast knowledge motivated me to spend more time reading and studying. I was intrigued by how he communicated complex ideas in relatable snippets and how his answers engaged the mind and the heart. Even more, though, Bruce dignified his questioners through his responses and seemed to see past the question to the person and intent behind it. Later in my career as an apologist, his interactions with others would challenge me to think about the people I interacted with. What kind of pain had they navigated? How had that pain informed their life experience? Could I truly see the person standing before me? In my early years, I felt like Bruce had this down, where I was just beginning. My initial inspiration quickly turned into admiration.

I admired Bruce for his character—­kind, thoughtful, and dignifying. I looked up to him for his achievements—­speaking on stages I could only dream of, spreading God’s truth to people around the world, and writing multiple bestselling books. I appreciated his impact and guidance—­albeit from a distance—­in helping me reclaim my faith. So, naturally, Bruce became my hero.

When you think of your hero, who comes to mind? Is it a coach who helped take your game to the next level? A parent who raised you with love? A mentor who filled the role of an absent parent? A celebrity whom you aspired to be like? Or perhaps you think of a spiritual leader, like Bruce, who helped guide you when you didn’t know what to believe?

Whoever it is, your choice says more about you than about your hero. They are a window to your soul. Your hero has something—­a characteristic, a way of moving through this world, or an achievement—­that you want to emulate. So they become your role model. For example, you may admire someone’s intellect because you want to be seen as smart by the world. Or you may be impressed by a person’s relationships because you desire intimate relationships with others. You may have a strong desire to be seen as successful, so you choose someone to be your hero because you’re enamored by their achievements. Ultimately, who you admire reveals what you value and who you want to become.

Ultimately, who you admire reveals what you value and who you want to become.

For me, I wanted to have a foundation for my faith that no amount of poking and prodding could shake. I wanted to be considerate, humble, and articulate. So I chose a hero who outwardly reflected my hopes and dreams for myself. However, I was so focused on Bruce’s strengths that I didn’t consider the limitations of his understanding.

The Stumble

In March 2017, fifteen years after those early college days, I was invited to an event hosted by Bruce’s organization. I had always hoped I would get the chance to meet him so I could tell him how much his work had changed my life. And now, invitation in hand, I realized my dream was right around the corner.

As I walked into his ministry headquarters, my heart raced faster than Usain Bolt running the hundred-­meter dash. I was full of gratitude and nervous energy. But I had to pull it together fast because I was about to be introduced to my hero.

A mutual friend escorted me to the front of the room. “Bruce, this is Lisa Fields; she leads an apologetics ministry, called Jude 3 Project, focused on engaging the Black community.”

“That’s wonderful,” Bruce replied. “The brightest minds are in the inner city.”

I was taken aback. Bruce’s initial words in response to the mention of the Black community echoed a misconception about my people that I was all too familiar with: equating Black with the inner city. As he continued talking, my heart sank even further. He said things about the need to engage the Black community that made me uneasy—­as if he heard the word Black and immediately jumped to every stereotype he could think of.

How can a man who has traveled the world be this ignorant about engaging my community? I thought. Everything I had planned to say to him went out of the window.

Our mutual friend interrupted my thoughts. “Let me get a photo of you two.”

I posed for the picture, but I was deeply conflicted. On the one hand, Bruce’s ministry had changed my whole life, but on the other, it seemed that he saw people who looked like me as less than. I felt hurt, betrayed, and triggered. Bruce had tripped over stereotypes that I thought he had enough experience to see. As a Black woman who frequently navigated white evangelical spaces, I was constantly dealing with white men and women who assumed things about me because of my skin color and the work I did. I even joked with my friends that when I go to events with white evangelicals, I should start wearing a shirt that says, “I know my dad. I didn’t grow up in the hood. My parents are still together, and by the way, this is my hair.” I had come to expect the assumptions from white evangelicals, but I hadn’t expected them from Bruce. Bruce was supposed to be different.

After we left, my friend asked about my experience. I told him how Bruce’s ignorance annoyed and disappointed me. I explained that I wanted nothing to do with Bruce or...

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Verlag
PRH Christian Publishing
Erscheinungsdatum
2026
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
0593603109
ISBN 13 
9780593603109
Einband
Taschenbuch
Anzahl der Seiten
191
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
gpsr@libri.de
gpsr@libri.de

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Hamburg
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