Life is never a straight road. There will be bumps and obstacles along the way that will force you to go off course. As mere human beings, when faced with adversity, we often get disheartened. We begin to question God's goodness and feel abandoned. A good narrative example is the landmark Candide, by Voltaire. In his work, Voltaire presents a preponderance of human follies leading to tragedies and a naïve Christian who shallowly rationalizes each of the tragedies as God’s will. AfterLife takes a dive deeper into spiritual and psychological dynamics to present an alternative view that will hopefully resonate with non-theists as much as with theists. Candide was designed to demonstrate the folly of faith; AfterLife was inspired to demonstrate the virtue of faith.

But what if we looked back at life, this time, with a different perspective? Not one in which we infer based on outcomes, but rather one where we infer despite outcomes—faith.

Bearing the torch of hope with the power of the pen, one author presents a life-changing read. E. Vince brings audiences the first instalment of his three-book series, AFTERLIFE; There Will Be Trouble. Let's go behind the scenes and dive deep into his thought process and inspiration.

But before we proceed, what is the Afterlife novel about?

AFTERLIFE

Afterlife is a novel that explores the problem of human pain and suffering juxtaposed to a good God. The exploration of the theodicy problem progresses concurrently on Earth, where people are quick to implicate the Divine when faced with evil, and in Paradise.

The central proposition in the book is that our free will is the direct cause of the problem itself—the foundational theme of the work is spiritual conservation. Spiritual conservation is like the First Law of Thermodynamics, The Conservation Law, that teaches neither matter nor energy may be created or destroyed. Thus, spiritual conservation means that no life, human or otherwise, no matter how tragic in life, is lost to God; God is able to redeem and restore every life. Therefore, even someone who was born and dies with only disadvantage, disability, and disenfranchisement will, in the afterlife, enjoy life. Better than this, Jesus said, “But many who are first will be last, and the last first,” (Matthew 19:30). This is very good news and strong evidence of God’s goodness—that who the world calls the low and unimportant will be first in God’s kingdom. Other premises presented include that God does not ordain our suffering and loves us. The main character is an angel, Janes, who travels between Paradise and Earth to witness the various storylines.

1. Vince kicks off his narrative with There Will Be Trouble, which delves into the gripping story of The Hill Family, who are grieving the impending death of the wife and mother, Karen, due to a congenital heart condition. After Karen's demise, two of the surviving members of her family digress into progressively decompensating behaviors, and the other surviving family member tries to stay on a healthy course.

We all have experienced tragedy and grief at some point in our lives. But in adversity, we are confused and lost about how to walk in faith toward life and wellness. E. Vince cultivates a sense of relatability with the book, helping readers navigate The Hill Family's turmoil and how they cope.

Inspiration

Changing perceptions and facilitating a positive outlook in the face of adversity is a remarkable and ambitious feat. This very idea was the result of witnessing Christians and other people of faith eventually losing their belief in God. E. Vince spent time listening to and understanding atheists and agnostics who expressed their problem of pain and suffering as a legitimate reason to question God's existence. The most frequently asked question among these particular demographics is:

"If God is good, then why does he allow pain and suffering?"

1. Vince's work highlights that even during challenges, there is a lesson to be learned. The lesson is that our response to pain and suffering, no matter how severe, is an indicator of who we are as persons—our inner or fundamental nature. Most of God’s people, from both the Old and New Testaments, suffered greatly, not because God didn’t love them and not because God was unfaithful to them. Yet, these faithful people maintained faith and trust in God despite the severity of their circumstance—the suffering revealed the kind of people they were. Thus, the lesson is for us, and since, according to spiritual conservation, these saints now abide with God eternally in perfect health, safety, and comfort, they themselves would diminish their earthly sufferings and only thank and bless God for His goodness to them and humanity. This same paradigm is true in purely secular and non-Christian domains as well; consider Michelangelo, Mahatma Gandhi, Charles Darwin, Harriet Tubman, and Abraham Lincoln, to name only a few.

The narrative in There Will Be Trouble extensively demonstrates God's goodness against the advent of peoples' free will and its painful consequences. E. Vince hopes and prays for those who are going through suffering and a broken heart that they would trust God and find solace, peace, and comfort in their lives.

An Ode to God's Goodness

When suffering through hardship, it is difficult to walk with God in the presence of pain. Instead of going to Him for help, we choose a different route because we are disheartened and, ultimately, give up. Being persistent in faith will be one of the most demanding things you will do throughout your life.

Remember the saints of old and our contemporary exemplars, they maintained their faith in and trust of God though the data and evidence presented against it. They revealed the quality of persons they were, and they now enjoy, based on the authority of Scripture, abiding in God’s presence. If you lack faith, ask the Lord, as the Scripture says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you,” James 1:5; faith and wisdom are not the same, but I don’t believe we’re stretching the boundaries too far in applying this verse to faith as well, based on God’s goodness.

"The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Deuteronomy 31:8

Remember, God remains good despite our pain; draw near to Him for healing and help, and you shall surely know He is worthy of our trust.

And if your faith dwindles, you can always find solace with the Afterlife book series as your companion.

Stay tuned for AFTERLIFE, There Will Be Trouble, Book 1, available now for pre-order on Amazon.