Meth, Money, and a BIG FAT Mess

Many of you remember the story of Ashley Smith, the hostage turned hero/instant therapist who helped turn over Brian Nichols who had been on a murder-spree. She has recently come out with a new book. I thought I'd show it with the CBD caption: Unlikely Angel - Ashley Smith Miraculously persuading the alleged Atlanta Courthouse killer to release her by reading passages of The Purpose-Driven Life, Ashley Smith made worldwide headlines - even though the widowed young mother was living a quiet life in the suburbs. Now read the little-known details of her traumatic ordeal, as she explains how her faith helped her survive - and to love her enemy! 288 pages, hardcover from Zondervan. Well, Smith has recently came out sharing that it was not necessarily The Purpose-Driven Life that "miraculously" delivered up Nichols, but a handy little antidote called crystal methamphetamine. Yep. That's right - crystal meth. I guess the story was too good to be true. Maybe it would have been better to call it The Meth-Driven Life. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it appears that Zondervan has been aware of the drug issues (included in the book) but decided to prop her up as a hero (recall "the widowed young mother living a quiet life in the suburbs"). To be fair, from what it sounds, she has been drug-free for some time, and I think that is great; but the whole premise of this book and her testimony was giving credit to her faith and The Purpose-Driven Life, neither of which appears to have been what was the decisive thing that turned Nichols in. Now, she may have witnessed to this man and told him about Jesus and all, but then you say, "Oh, well, I don't have a joint, but I have some ice." That reminds me of a beggar who asked Peter for money. His reply was, "Silver and gold I do not have, but in the name of Jesus, I say, 'Rise and walk.'" (my paraphrase). Now is there a difference here between Smith and Peter? I think so. Now Warren has got his additional millions in book sales because of this mess, and she reportedly has already made thousands. It sounds like a pretty good drug deal to me - and Zondervan is cashing in as well. And oh, Smith did not get arrested for giving him drugs either. I guess she deserves a little leniency. Finally, what makes this more frustrating for me is her describing an instance where a drug-induced psychosis caused her to let go of the steering wheel and heard a voice telling her "Let go and let God." Boy, have I heard that one before. Do you think that was the drugs speaking to her. I don't think it was God. The whole "Let go and let God" is nothing more than modern spirituality without biblical moorings, a New Age ambiguity and abstraction that carries nothing but mystical connotation. Now I know that some may think that I should just let this go and praise God for the change and result of what has taken place, but I can't. I'm sorry. This is too ethically compromising to my conscience and troubling to the testimony of Christ. If she has really changed and God has worked in her life, then the best thing she could do is walk away from the limelight and be truthful about the matter and refuse to be a celebrity about it. And Zondervan needs to consider the implications of publishing not only the book, but the ethic behind the book. To read the Associated Press article by Greg Bluestein, click here. To read the NY Times article by Edward Wyatt, click here.