No one sin is greater than the nextSimon Jackson, pastor of Zion Hill located in Houston, Texas is a regal and revered man. Well that is at church at least. His home life is complicated. He can't seem to understand his oldest son, and only daughter. He's turned them over to God. His concern now is his middle child. The one he refers to as his prodigal child. His wife has been the only woman he's been with. It wasn't like he didn't have opportunities, but he honored God. He just wished that Loretta could see that there grown children needed to sink or swim. Loretta Jackson, first lady and school teacher. She's been called a many names. Mainly she was devoted to her husband and her family. Though she didn't have much to say Loretta is the glue that holds her dysfunctional family together. She didn't dare argue with Simon about the children. Instead she tries to make up for him. It is Loretta's hope that her family eventually realize that they need one another. And no matter how they may feel they are all the others have. David the oldest child had always been a problem child. Nothing major, he was a C student fun loving kid. Only problem David couldn't seem to adjust to, was not having his father's acceptance. Once he had a college scholarship and played football. Now things were so different. His family at times tried to help him. Jonathan the middle child has always done precisely what it was his father wanted. A college graduate with a Divinity degree. Jonathan is struggling with the weight of the world on his shoulders. There is no easy way for Jon to divulge his secrets to his father. Not if he wants to maintain Daddy's love. Rachel this baby girl gives new meaning to what it is to be a preacher's kid, as well as a drama filled baby mama. She doesn't have just one child out of wedlock, but two children, with two different men. Sister girl is still a partier! Yet she wonders why she can't make it to praise God on time! This is a VERY BOLD story. It promises to keep you perched on the edge of your seat trying to read what is going to happen next. I tell you at times I was like this is some crap. At other times I was laughing aloud. It's filled with a family struggling with demons and as they bond the burden appears to get lighter. Those of you who haven't opened this book from fear that it's "religion" TRUST this book has a lot to offer. God is an awesome God! AMEN... We may not understand God's motives, but He knows what's best for us!
I thought this was Christian fiction but it's not, it's way too sexually explicit. The theme is not bad though, even though God doesn't solve the problems of this minister and his family, they do learn that work--even for the church--shouldn't come at the cost of neglecting the ones you love. Rev. Simon Jackson has one messed up family--a wife who's afraid to stand up to him, a son who while he looks like he has it all together is secretly gay, another son who he has written off as a drug addict, and a daughter with 2 kids out of wedlock who is stalking her ex-boyfriend. Like I said, by the end the Rev. learns how his obsession with his church work has fed into all these problems, but along the way the reader gets to experience all the craziness as this family lashes out, acts out, and freaks out.
What do You think about Let The Church Say Amen (2004)?
I picked up this book at the library on a whim. Most Christian fiction I've [attempted to] read has been awful- really poorly written, bad plot, flat characters. I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It follows the pastor of an African -American church, the struggles within his family and its inevitably effect on his parish. So much Christian fiction is fluff, but this covered the realities of life including drugs, infidelity, kids having kids, etc. As some readers have mentioned, there is one particularly 'graphic' sex scene and some swearing but hey, that's Real Life. I will definitely pick up another book by this author, when I'm looking for a well-written, Christian beach read!
—Trailhoundz
I really enjoyed this book. It's about a family with it's own set of problems that the father of this family just wants to turn his back to these problems instead of facing them. The weight of the family falls onto the wife who noone knows is severly ill. It brings you through their problems and then into the light. This is a series and i can't wait to read what else this family could possibly get into or out of. They are just your average american family and they have problems like anyone else.
—Robin
This is my first RTB novel. I wanted to read this prior to the debut of the movie on August 29th. I'm glad that I did! I loved the characters - Pastor Simon Jackson and First Lady Loretta and their three adult children, David, Jonathan, and Rachel. The drug-addicted outcast, the promiscuous daughter and the seemingly prodigal son all favor their mother over a father who would rather be taking care of church business than the business of raising a family. Loretta tries to hold it all together until a tragedy tears the family apart. Ms. Billingsley was able to create the perfect combination of drama and praising the Lord to build the perfect story-line of Let the Church Say Amen. By the end of the novel, I was shedding tears - some of sadness and some joy. I am looking forward to Say Amen 2, Everybody Say Amen.
—Amanda
