The Proving Ground relates a brief interlude in the daily lives of Blake and Amanda Edwards. Blake is the pastor at a small church in an almost exclusively white Midwestern community and Amanda is his wife. At first glance the story appears to be a routine snapshot in the day to day lives of Blake and Amanda. It ends up being about hidden personal prejudices; prejudices against other races, other faiths, other lifestyles. Ultimately, it is a story of self-realization and eventual personal confession of these prejudices as Blake and Amanda independently arrive at the conviction that God’s love is not based on any worldly factors. Rather God’s love is for everyone equally and when that love is genuine, it is blind to worldly influences. Following their respective journeys from self-pride and self-reliance to God-dependence, Blake and Amanda are inspired to do their part—personally and in their community—to break the vicious and subtle cycle of self-elevation in deference to the salvation-offering cycle of true love of all humanity.