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JR. Forasteros
1187 ratings | 72 reviews | avg rating:4.50

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JR. Forasteros

Goodreads Author


Born
in Clarion, PA, The United States
Website

Twitter
jrforasteros

Genre
Nonfiction, Fantasy, Christian

Influences
Stephen R Donaldson, Stephen King, Andy Crouch, George R. R. Martin, J ...more

Member Since
May 2011

URL


JR. Forasteros lives in Dallas, TX with his wife, Amanda. He is the author of Empathy for the Devil as well as multiple essays on preaching, church leadership and culture. He is a columnist at Sojourners and has bylines at Tor.com and Think Christian.

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Popular Answered Questions

How do you deal with writer’s block?
JR. Forasteros If I'm on a deadline, sit down and type words. Even bad words are words. They count. And they're something to work with.

I also hide my phone while I'…moreIf I'm on a deadline, sit down and type words. Even bad words are words. They count. And they're something to work with.

I also hide my phone while I'm writing - no temptations there!

And I give myself permission to take a break. Go for a walk. Get some food. Something to get the juices flowing again. (less)
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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?
JR. Forasteros I preached a sermon on Herod the Great - the guy who ordered the deaths of all the baby boys of Bethlehem when Jesus was born. In drilling down to who…moreI preached a sermon on Herod the Great - the guy who ordered the deaths of all the baby boys of Bethlehem when Jesus was born. In drilling down to who Herod really was, I found he was a lot more like me than I was comfortable admitting.

After preaching that message, for a couple of months afterwards, my congregation kept talking about Herod, about how they were haunted by him. I knew there was something resonating with taking a closer look at these infamous villains. So I began poking at some others...(less)
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Combine Editions

Average rating: 4.45 · 152 ratings · 37 reviews · 1 distinct work • Similar authors
Empathy for the Devil
4.45 avg rating — 152 ratings — 9 editions
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JR. is Currently Reading

Absolute Green Ar...
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Jul 22, 2026 10:33PM
The Library at He...
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Jul 04, 2026 09:28PM
Glyph
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Jun 23, 2026 01:11AM

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JR.’s Recent Updates

JR. Forasteros is currently reading
Absolute Green Arrow (2026-) #3 by Pornsak Pichetshote
Absolute Green Arrow (2026-) #3
by Pornsak Pichetshote
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Jul 22, 2026 10:33PM  · 
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Clayface by Jude Ellison S. Doyle
Clayface: Celebrity Dirt (2026-) #1
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Absolute Batman (2024-) #22 by Scott Snyder
Absolute Batman (2024-) #22
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Jul 22, 2026 10:25PM  · 
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Green & Deadly Things by Jenn Lyons
Green & Deadly Things
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Jul 11, 2026 09:39AM  ·   ·  preview book
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The Butcher of Nazareth by David Scott Hay
The Butcher of Nazareth
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A brutal, bloody reimagining of Herod's decree that takes its impact on Palestine - and a maturing Jesus - seriously.

I'll be thinking about this one for a while. ...more
Jul 08, 2026 02:32PM  · 3 likes ·   · see review
JR. Forasteros is currently reading
Green & Deadly Things by Jenn Lyons
Green & Deadly Things
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Jul 07, 2026 09:29AM  ·   ·  preview book
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The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw
The Library at Hellebore
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Jul 04, 2026 09:28PM  ·   ·  preview book
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The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas
The Paleontologist
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Jul 04, 2026 12:21AM  ·   ·  preview book
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Batman (2025-) #11 by Matt Fraction
Batman (2025-) #11
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Jul 02, 2026 10:10AM  · 
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Absolute Green Lantern (2025-) #16 by Al Ewing
Absolute Green Lantern (2025-) #16
by Al Ewing
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Jul 01, 2026 10:19PM  · 
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Quotes by JR. Forasteros  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“May this journey into the hearts of the Bible’s worst villains ultimately give you a clearer picture of the God in whose image both you and they are made. May we all be quicker to listen and slower to speak. Let us rush to show mercy and be slow to anger. Let us learn to see the full humanity of the other. And as we see, may the Spirit grant understanding, that we may find forgiveness just a breath away.”
― J.R. Forasteros, Empathy for the Devil: Finding Ourselves in the Villains of the Bible
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“We make villains out of what we don’t understand. We insist they could never be like us. But a closer examination reveals we are separated by degrees, not kind. We all have the same sickness. Evil queens and femme fatales, murderous brothers and crazy kings, betrayers and devils live among us—and they are us.”
― J.R. Forasteros, Empathy for the Devil: Finding Ourselves in the Villains of the Bible
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JR.’s Quotes

“When the powers that be have decided that you are guilty of something, it does not matter if you tell the truth. In fact, it offends them.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace
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25x33 Q&A with Ian Morgan Cron — 19 members — last activity Apr 06, 2012 08:58AM
Join author Ian Morgan Cron as he discusses his critically acclaimed memoir Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me: A Memoir...Of Sorts. This group will be ...more

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