Cindy Koepp discusses the Christian themes in the Western Steampunk series "The Posse"!

In The Posse, the characters travel around the South during The Reconstruction under the direction of West Point to find those who are afflicting the innocent. With enough evidence, The Posse comes to a verdict and takes care of justice.

Unlike a typical vigilante, these people regard their duties with care and great diligence. These aren't the sorts who swoop in with guns blazing to lay waste to all present. Their purpose is not revenge or wealth or power, but the protection of the innocent and helpless.

The Bible is full of admonitions to take care of the powerless. The first few books of the Old Testament admonish Israel to meet the needs of the widow, the stranger, and the fatherless, three classes of very disadvantaged people during that era. Israel is instructed to rule justly, without regard for someone's wealth or social standing. This gives God's perspective on corruption, but it also gives us responsibility to look after those who can't properly look after themselves. Later on, prophets take Israel to task for failing to do this.

Lest we be tempted to think it was a Old Testament phenomenon that doesn't apply to modern life, Jesus provides us with examples and instructions along those same lines. He told a tale about The Good Samaritan, who tended to a wounded stranger. Two religious sorts walked on by without stopping, and yet the third man stopped, tended to the wounded man's needs, and made sure he would be properly cared for.

If that weren't enough, apparently, there will also be some manner of judgment handed down about how well or how poorly we take care of the weaker members of our society. Jesus speaks of a judgment that separates the "sheep" and the "goats" by how well they took care of those who couldn't care for themselves.

That gives us some responsibilities to go forth and do likewise. Fortunately, we can do it without forming a posse to track down and deal with bad men.

Cindy Koepp is originally from Michigan. She moved to Texas as a child and later received a degree in Wildlife Sciences and teaching certification in Elementary Education from rival universities. Her recently concluded adventures in education involved pursuing a master's degree in Adult Learning with a specialization in Training and Performance Improvement. Cindy has four published science fiction and fantasy novels, a serial published online, short stories in five anthologies, and a few self-published teacher resource books. When she isn't reading or writing, Cindy spends time whistling with a crazy African Grey. Cindy is currently an editor with PDMI Publishing and Barking Rain Press as well as an optician at monster-sized retail store.

The Amazon Kindle link for "The Posse - Volume 1 - Visions": http://www.amazon.com/Posse-1-Visions-C-Q-Scafidi-ebook/dp/B01BWU8KVC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1460061365&sr=1-1&keywords=the+posse+-+volume+1-+visions