From Keith:
I don't know what I was expecting when I started the book My Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos, but it definitely wasn't what I ended
up reading. Part fiction, part Christian Living, part Allegory, and
even part Theology. The book is a story of one man's quest to find the
real Jesus.
Matt has a picture of Jesus in his mind. At
first, he seems legit. But he soon discovers that the Jesus of his
imagination is not the real Jesus of the Bible. So Matt goes on a quest
(along with other characters) to find the real Jesus. They come across
many other
fake Imaginary Jesuses (what's the plural of Jesus? Jesi?); ones that
we can all relate to believing in at one time or another. Legalist
Jesus, New Age Jesus, Eight Ball Jesus, Masculine Jesus and numerous
others. But none of them are real. None of them are true.
This book was fascinating. It was hilarious (I laughed out loud on many
occasions), and at the same time, it is heartwarming. It makes you
think, makes you question what you believe about Jesus. I'll admit it...I
even nearly teared up at one key moment of the book (I won't give too
much away, as part of the joy of the book is not knowing what to
expect). The past few months for me recently have been very difficult. I
won't go into too much detail, but I have found myself questioning a
lot of God's Plan, and God's sovereignty. While this book didn't take
away all of my doubts, fears, and problems...it did help me to realize
that perhaps I have been praying to,
worshiping and being angry at a false God. A fake Jesus.
In many regards, while the writing style is very different, the content
is similar to Pete Wilson's book Empty Promises. In that book, Wilson
talks about different things that we worship in place of God, whether it
be money, relationships, success or appearance. My Imaginary Jesus
focuses instead on the actual idea of Jesus that we worship, and how,
most of us worship a false picture of Jesus (or at least have at one
time or another). Both books however talk about how, when we don't
worship, idolize or serve the REAL God, we are incomplete, and can never
be filled. Fake Jesus can't answer all of our questions, or make us
whole, just like idolatry of Relationships and Appearance leaves us
feeling empty.
I highly recommend this book. Perhaps the
writing style may turn you off...perhaps you are searching for a deep,
theological book. Maybe you are just
expecting something completely different than what this book gives you.
But I do believe that the underlying content of this book is important,
and it is something we can all relate to. When you discover the REAL
Jesus...he will change you. Give this book a try, and go into it with an
open mind. Not only will it entertain you immensely, but it will more
than likely teach you something too.
