Contact: Anthony Horvath, Athanatos Christian Ministry, 202-697-4623, director@athanatosministries.org 
 
FOREST, Va., March 10, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- The American Civil War now seems only a quaint episode in history, but a newly released book by Paul J. Bennett, "A Fall of Sparrows," reminds readers that the battle fought over slavery is not actually over. The battle over the value of a single human life has never ended, and probably never will.

A student of history, Bennett has been particularly interested in the Civil War, including the moral dimensions. While it is easy in hindsight to see slavery for the evil that it is, in "A Fall of Sparrows" Bennett reveals that there were other moral considerations in play during the war.

Bennett explains, "One of the main characters in the book, Will Seymour, is a Confederate soldier, but he is no great fan of slavery. He himself does not own slaves. At the same time, he wants to protect his family. He is loyal to his homeland. In his mind, he is not fighting for slavery."

Or is he? Will Seymour is forced to re-think his position and re-evaluate who he answers to when an escaped slave suddenly falls into his care.

"Slavery is now repudiated," Bennett says, "but we still have situations where we have to weigh our respect for human dignity against other concerns, which are often legitimate. Many of the moral controversies that raged 150 years ago are raging today, although in different ways. Like Will Seymour, we sometimes need to reconsider our priorities."

Before anything else, "A Fall of Sparrows" is a good story. So good, in fact, that it won the grand prize in Athanatos Christian Ministry's annual Christian novel contest. Dr. Anthony Horvath, the Executive Director of ACM said that he was thrilled that Bennett agreed to let them publish the winning book.

"As an apologetics ministry, we focus on defending the faith through the arts. We look for stories that are well-written and don't just preach to the choir. Christians and non-Christians alike will enjoy Bennett's book and find it thought-provoking. It's also interesting to learn about some of the historical details of the Civil War from a new perspective," Horvath says.

The website for "A Fall of Sparrows" is www.fallofsparrows.com.

Paul Bennett can be reached by email at pauljbennett15@yahoo.com. Anthony Horvath can be reached at director@athanatosministries.org or 202-697-4623.