In This Moment

by Karen Kingsbury

Overview

Instant New York Times Bestseller

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes a brand-new Baxter Family novel about a beloved high school principal who starts a Bible Study to improve the lives of his struggling students, only to become the national focus of a controversial lawsuit.

Hamilton High Principal Wendell Quinn is tired of the violence, drug abuse, teen pregnancies, and low expectations at his Indianapolis school. A single father of four, Quinn is a Christian and a family man. He wants to see change in his community, so he starts a voluntary after-school Bible Study and prayer program. He knows he is risking his job by leading the program, but the high turnout at every meeting encourages him.

A year later, violence and gang activity are down, test scores are up, and drug use and teen pregnancy have plummeted. The program is clearly working—until one parent calls the press. Now Quinn faces a lawsuit that could ruin everything.

With a storm of national attention and criticism, Quinn is at a crossroads—he must choose whether to cave in and shut down the program or stand up for himself and his students. The battle comes with a high cost, and Quinn wants just one attorney on his side for this fight: Luke Baxter. In This Moment is an inspiring, relevant story about the nuances of religious freedom and how a group of determined people just might restore the meaning of faith in today’s culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781432844349
Publisher:	Wheeler Publishing Large Print
Publication date:	11/07/2017
Series:	Baxter Family Series
Edition description:	Large Print
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Karen Kingsbury, #1 New York Times bestselling novelist, is America’s favorite inspirational storyteller, with more than twenty-five million copies of her award-winning books in print. Her last dozen titles have topped bestseller lists and many of her novels are under development with Hallmark Films and as major motion pictures. Her Baxter Family books are being developed into a TV series slated for major network viewing sometime in the next year. Karen is also an adjunct professor of writing at Liberty University. In 2001 she and her husband, Don, adopted three boys from Haiti, doubling their family in a matter of months. Today the couple has joined the ranks of empty nesters, living in Tennessee near five of their adult children.

Editorial Reviews

09/25/2017
Fans of Kingsbury’s Baxter Family collection will no doubt dive into this syrupy novel focusing on Luke Baxter, a lawyer specializing in religious freedom cases. A year after high school principal Wendell Quinn started a voluntary Bible study program at his troubled, low-performing Indianapolis public high school, test scores have risen and violence has dropped dramatically schoolwide. Cami Nelson, a junior devastated by her parents’ recent separation, begins attending the Bible study under dubious pretenses: she is working covertly with her father to shut it down. He is motivated both by his secularist beliefs and spite toward his Christian wife. But even though Cami’s life unexpectedly begins to improve thanks to her growing relationship with Jesus, her dad sues the school to end the program anyway. Enter Luke, whose dedication to defending the rights of Christians to practice their faith sometimes hampers his home life. Kingsbury provides ample context for the court case, explaining many recent cases concerning religious freedoms. But the legal proceedings often get lost in the froth of overwrought emotions typical of Kingsbury’s love-conquers-all outlook. Readers of Kingsbury’s previous books will be pleased to see recurring characters, including Luke’s sister Ashley and niece Amy. Agent: Rick Christian, Alive Literary Agency. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

An interesting story about the modern climate of religious freedom. . .

Romantic Times Book Reviews

11/01/2017
Indianapolis high school principal Wendell Quinn starts a voluntary after-school Bible study in the hopes of improving the lives of his students. In spite of a lawsuit filed against him, he continues to hold the prayer program, noting that test scores are up and gang violence and drug use have declined. Incensed by the case, lawyer Luke Baxter agrees to defend Quinn's right to hold his study. As Luke's workload increases, his wife Reagan worries that the costs will outweigh the benefits. Can Luke balance his work with his family and keep his faith intact? VERDICT Kingsbury's issues-oriented follow-up to Love Story offers a timely look at the crossroads of public law and religious freedom. Although the topic can be volatile, the author handles it in a sensitive manner, creating room for discourse and not discord.

Library Journal