The Debt: The Story of a Past Redeemed [Paperback]

Angela Hunt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 2004

After fleeing a painful and compromising past, Emma Rose Howard settled eagerly into the role of a pastor's wife. She and her husband, Abel, dedicated themselves to parenting a mega-church and influenced thousands of lives through its related ministries.

But when Emma Rose receives a phone call from a living, breathing remnant of her troubled past, she finds herself wondering if something in her life is woefully out of balance. The presence of this unexpected intruder soon threatens everything Emma Rose has believed about her calling, her marriage, and her relationship with God.

The Debt not only invites readers to embrace the painful heartache and incomparable joy that accompany a soul's redemption, but it challenges us to follow Christ to new and unexpected places.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hunt's absorbing look at an insular Christian world-and the well-meaning but flawed people who populate it-will resonate with many evangelical women who have spun cocoons of virtuous activity around themselves, rather than listening to the voice of God. Abel and Emma Rose Howard have taken their ministry to dizzying heights from humble beginnings leading a small church in Wiltshire, Ky., and now spearhead a television ministry with 40 million viewers. But when a young man contacts Emma Rose with the news that he's her son born out of wedlock 28 years ago, her life is turned upside down. Hunt's use of first-person narration helps the reader identify with Emma Rose's internal struggle over her past and how to reconcile it with her future-and with her televangelist husband, Abel. The experienced Hunt (with more than 70 titles to her credit) knows how to keep the story moving and gives the tired plot ideas of an adopted child returning to find his birth mother and the lives of televangelists some fresh zing. She avoids some traps a less talented writer would fall into; the televangelists are misguided but sincere, for example, rather than ridiculous. The ending may be a little pat, but Hunt's story is a wake-up call that should jolt many Christian women out of complacency.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The Debt features Emma Howard, wife of Abel, who's the head of a growing TV ministry. Because the PTL Club remains a vivid memory, the squeaky clean Abel is almost paranoid about scandal. So when Emma gets a call from "Christopher" and then makes a confession, Abel's thinking blackmail. Christopher is the son Emma gave up for adoption long ago in a series of unsavory events, and he does pose a threat. He's a minister himself, called to one-on-one witness in bars and homeless shelters, and a kind of living rebuke not only to Emma's youth but to the remoteness of Abel's TV show. The well-known Hunt's latest may not be of much interest beyond church circles, but she poses her issues--that is, the simple message of Christ versus slick technology--effectively. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (February 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849943191
• ISBN-13: 978-0849943195
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #297,360 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who have learned to expect the unexpected in novels from this versatile author. With nearly four million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling author of more than 100 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to novels.

Now that her two children have reached their twenties, Angie and her youth-pastor husband live in Florida with Very Big Dogs (a direct result of watching Sandlot too many times). This affinity for mastiffs has not been without its rewards--one of their dogs was featured on Live with Regis and Kelly as the second-largest canine in America. Their dog received this dubious honor after an all-expenses-paid trip to Manhattan for the dog and the Hunts, complete with VIP air travel and a stretch limo in which they toured New York City. Afterward, the dog gave out paw-tographs at the airport.

When she's not home writing, Angie often travels to teach writing workshops at schools and writers' conferences. And to talk about her dogs, of course.

Readers may visit her web site at www.angelahuntbooks.com and write her at [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, powerful, should be required reading for all Christians, September 20, 2005

By 

Christina Lockstein "Christy's Book Blog" (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Debt: The Story of a Past Redeemed (Paperback)

This book belongs in every church library and as a part of every church book club. The issues raised between being a Christian and being a follower of Christ are powerful. Hunt does a wonderful job of capturing the quest of perfection that so many Christians are on, only to forget that we are sinners too, and to be surprised by the sin we find in the world. Emma is a true 3-dimensional character who I would love to know in real life, and I will miss her now that the book is done. It's a great inside look at the life of a televangelist and the missteps even they take on the way. But most of all, this is a powerfully moving story of a mother, her son, and what they teach each other about faith and the Lord.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, March 26, 2004

By 

Robin (Meridian, ID, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Debt: The Story of a Past Redeemed (Paperback)

This novel should be required reading for all Christians, especially for people who have been in the faith for many years and may have forgotten that we are called to reach out to those who don't know Christ. Let's not stay insulated in our safe sanctuaries. Let's get out and minister to a hurting culture.

I cannot praise Ms. Hunt's storytelling abilities enough. I've always loved her books, but this one is special. I'll be telling others to read it.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's not sappy., October 8, 2005

By 

H. Cartwright (Nassau, Bahamas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Debt: The Story of a Past Redeemed (Paperback)

I don't like sappy books, but since this was written by Angela Hunt, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I was not disappointed. Ms. Hunt can write about anything, and I'd read it. She's a wonderful story-teller, and her tales touch the heart without being overly sentimental. One of my favourite authors.