(8 votes, average: 3.75 out of 5)
Loading ...Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos
What if Kurt Vonnegut wrote a novel (thinly disguised as memoir – or perhaps vice-versa) about a man’s interaction with hallucinations of Jesus? This is quite nearly what Matt Mikalatos accomplishes in Imaginary Jesus. A tame, predictable ‘Christian novel’ this ain’t.
When Jesus gets punched in the face after wrestling with the Apostle Peter in a 21st century Portland diner, readers may question whether it would be blasphemous to keep on reading. But after a scene like that who would be able to keep from reading just one more page? As Jesus runs off, Mikalatos, being both author and main character, demands an explanation from Peter. After all, that is his own personal Jesus Peter just hit, interrupting the awkward lunch they were having. Peter justifies himself by saying that was not the real Jesus at all, only (wait for it…) an imaginary Jesus.
The rest of the story unfolds in the same sharp-witted, mind-bending, faith-challenging excursion. Matt and Peter chase after this imaginary Jesus in Peter’s valiant attempt to show Matt the lies he has believed about his faith all along – for only by seeing the lies will Matt ever come to know the real Jesus.
Though styled as a live documentary from real life writer Matt Mikalatos, do not expect to find typical reality in this very fictional novel. Reality flies out of the book as soon as Jesus steps into the diner with his sandaled feet and iPod. Think iconoclasm and theological suspense – this very different novel has both in spades!
lucasland
bring it, mike morrell!! send me some blasphemy!
May 21st, 2010
frank_turk
Send me one. Whether we should punch all fake Jesuses (jesi?) in the face or not is a discussion I’d love to have …
May 21st, 2010
jeffcampbell7
I finished the book “Imaginary Jesus” in about 2 days flat. I’m genereally a slow reader and this book wasn’t super small or intellectually light weight. I read it in two days because it just sucked me in.
The author –Matt Mikalatos– he’s created something almost new. Inside this novel that the cover describes as a “not-quite-true story” there is this fascinating alternation of surreal wackiness and profound spiritual insight. There are times I laugh out loud. And I’m not just saying that, the way, when you chat online with somebody you might type “lol”. I actually did laugh out loud. It’s hard to imagine somebody not laughing as three imaginary Jesuses decide they will settle the question of “Where is God when we are in pain” by having a sled race. The original plan is whoever makes it down the mountain first will represent the winning answer to the question. However, on the way down, one Jesus’ inner tube runs off the side of a mountain and another Jesus’ inner tube runs right into a bear which apparently is going to eat the imaginary Jesus.
And perhaps then, when I least expect it “Thwack!” I’m hit with something real, and deep. Mikalatos’ Monty Pythonesque humor is almost the exact oppposite of spiritual insight. And so when they come, it’s like the heart’s equivalent to staring at one color on a color wheel for a long time and then being confronted with the opposite color… by contrast, the newer experience seems more striking, richer.
On the level of plot, the story is the tale of the author discovering that the figure in his mind that he always took to be the real Jesus is in fact an imaginary Jesus. On his journey to find the real Jesus, he discovers a series of other imaginary Jesuses, many of which were quite convicting in that I’m sure I’ve spent some quality time with these imaginary Jesuses myself.
I think that a certain… sensibility is required to appreciate this book. If you have an instant negative reaction to chapters with titles like, “Jesus Will Never Leave You (If You tie the Knots Tight Enough” and “Craft Time with The Apostle John” then this is probably a book to steer clear of. As for myself, I found it pretty amazing.
May 31st, 2010
Dan
I have read the first 10 chapters of this book and I can’t put it down (well just long enough to write this). In fact, I can “wholeheartedly” recommend it without even finishing it! I realized early on that this is like no other book I have ever read. The author has a creative way of touching on serious issues with the hilarity of a stand-up comedian.
Though some may think it is an irreverent book, I think it is deeply reverent. Exposing our imaginary Jesus’s may hurt and feel as though we are not respecting the Lord, but this book reminds us that our imaginary Jesus’s deserve… no respect. Read and enjoy this book… I am.
http://edan0889.blogspot.com/2010/05/imaginary-jesus.html
May 31st, 2010
Keith
Not to long ago I got a note in my email box. Viral Bloggers had a new book available for me to review. Cool! I like getting free books. When I saw the title and read the write-up I thought “that should be a fun book to read.” Immediately Legalist Jesus said, “Yes but you have two books on prayer you are halfway through, and that book on basic foundations of faith by your dear friend, Doug. Didn’t you tell him you would finish read it?” As I clicked the button that said send me the book. I banished my Legalist Jesus (for the moment) and decided to push this book to the top of my list. (Doug, I promise I will finish your book next and write you the review you deserve. Brian, your book on ancient spiritual practices can wait to b e finished a little longer. And Shane, well all your books are kind of the same, so I’ll get to it when I can. Sorry guys.)
“Imaginary Jesus” arrived the other day. It took me less than 3 days to finish it. It was a hoot. It was a romp through almost Vonegut-like wackiness of Matt Mikalatos’ mind. The book opens with Matt having a lite lunch with Jesus in his favorite Portland cafe. Jesus is pretty much enjoying himself listening to his Ipod. Eventually the Apostle Pete confront’s Jesus, a fight ensues and Jesus runs off. The chase is on as Pete leads Matt to confront his own personal Imaginary Jesus. (The real Jesus wouldn’t run from a fight, would he?) As Matt searches for his Imaginary Jesus he runs into many other Imaginary Jesuses like Political Power Jesus, King James Jesus, and Magic Eight Ball Jesus. They run into them and a whole host of Imaginary Jesuses at The Secret Society of Imaginary Jesuses of course. Add to all this a talking donkey, a trip to 1st century Israel, an Imaginary Jesus sled race, doing hadicrafts with the Apostle John, Elders Laurel and Hardy (Mormon missionaries) and a Bible toting Atheist and you have a hilarious book. While you are gasping for air between fits of laughter some spiritual truth often hits you square in the face.
There were so many times I couldn’t help laughing out loud, repeatedly and loudly. It was a very funny book. Several lessons that I heard clearly are these. 1. We tend to create a picture of Jesus we are comfortable with. He gives us the answers we want. 2. We tend to have a personal Jesus we can easily control. So many of the Imaginary Jesuses in the book are easily controlled by Matt. 3. We also tend to create ones that charged with who keep us in line, or at least we try to use him to keep us in line. 4. These imaginary Jesuses keep us from experiencing the real one in our life because we call out to them and they come. They comfort us and keep us in line, to some degree. But they have no real power, and can not change our lives or empower us to live in the way of the real Jesus.
One of the main motivators for Matt’s creation of his imaginary Jesuses is a real experience in his life that he, quite frankly, has a beef with God about. So his imaginary Jesus makes excuses for God and for Himself. When he meets the real Jesus … well, I will leave that for you to discover.
http://mynotesalongtheway.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/book-review-im…matt-mikalatos/
Jun 2nd, 2010
Doc Whitehouse
We all have our ideas of what Jesus looked like, how he behaved, what he did. We bring him to life in our own biased imaginations in order to better understand and get to know Jesus. Over time, though, our imagination–and our Jesus–becomes overtaken by our beliefs, doubts, perceptions, misconceptions, what we’ve seen or heard–things that come from others who imagine Jesus in their own way–overtaken by their beliefs, doubts, perceptions, misconceptions, what they’ve seen and heard…and…well…you get the idea.
In Imaginary Jesus, Mikalatos contends that in order to see the real Jesus, you must first get rid of your imaginary Jesus. This not-quite-true-probably-spiritual-memoir gives us laugh out loud story-telling and a frolicking journey around Portland, Oregon and first century Judea as Matt himself chases after his imaginary Jesus in order to let him go. In the process, Matt encounters many other Jesuses that are in the world, conjured up by all kinds of different people. We meet Testosterone Jesus, Magic 8 Ball Jesus (my personal fave), King James Jesus (always quoting scripture), Bargain Jesus, Liberal Social Services Jesus (who has no mouth, constantly doing kingdom work but never talking about God), Conservative Truth Telling Jesus (who thinks the only way to tell people about God is through hard truth and never raises a hand to help with physical needs–so he has no arms), and many others. As Matt encounters these other Jesuses, the reader is bound to see Jesuses he or she recognizes–either because they’ve met people who imagine Jesus these ways or because they are meeting their own imaginary Jesus.
With the help of the Apostle Peter, a reformed prostitute and a talking donkey, Matt works to get rid of his imaginary Jesus in order to start over with the real Jesus. What he finds is better than what he expected.
I appreciated Mikalatos’ way of describing his experiences with Jesus–imagined and real–and his fantastic sense of humor along the way. Even in the midst of personal grief, Matt maintains his sense of humor–and renews his search for who Jesus really is.
Perhaps it’s because I can relate to Matt’s story in many ways personally. Perhaps it’s because I, too, have been searching for the real Jesus. Whatever it was, this book was a fantastic read that prompted me to consider my own imaginations and thinking about who Jesus is and what Jesus does–and what it means to be a follower–and I’m starting to really like the conclusions to which I’m coming. Even if “the real Jesus is inconvenient” (p. 79).
Mikalatos should have another book coming out next year–and I look forward to reading that one, too.
Jun 3rd, 2010
ahswan
I decided to read Imaginary Jesus after reading the sample chapter, which starts out with the author and Jesus in a Portland vegan cafe. Then, Jesus gets punched out. How could I resist a book like this?
The book is actually not sacrilegious or irreverent. It is, however, a great deal of fun, making a point while poking fun at Marxists, Portland, Mormons, vegans, and a whole lot more (the author lives in Vancouver, WA, just across the river from Portland). As I live in the Salem area, I enjoyed the local humor immensely.
The point of the book is that we tend to remake Jesus in any number of ways, depending upon our own tastes and culture, resulting in the creation of imaginary Jesuses. In fact, you’ll never dream of how many there are until you read the scene that takes place in Powells Books, the largest bookstore on the planet. As Matt travels around Portland (and 1st century Israel) with the Apostle Peter and a talking donkey named Daisy, he meets many imaginary Jesuses, an ex-prostitute, an atheist Bible Study at Portland State, and 2 Mormon missionaries named Elders Laurel and Hardy. Along the way, he deals with some personal issues and finds that no imaginary Jesus is quite good enough.
A few reviews compared Mikalatos to C.S. Lewis; I’m assuming only because they both use fiction to make a point. However, I wouldn’t go that far; he’s got a ways to go before he’s in Lewis’ league. Mikalatos is, perhaps, what Terry Pratchett would be like if Pratchett were a Christian.
The only negative comment I have is that the book suddenly becomes serious, and it’s a bit difficult to make that shift. For a few pages I wondered if Mikalatos would just create a new, improved imaginary Jesus for us to believe in, but I think he stops short of that. The last chapter picks the pace back up again, so it ends on a good note.
As I was reading through the more serious chapter, it occurred to me that no matter what we try to do in representing who Jesus “really is,” we always end up creating somewhat of an imaginary Jesus. We simply can’t recreate the same emotions that Peter or Mary had about him, as we’ve never known the flesh-and-blood Jesus. It’s not a fault of ours, it’s just the truth. To try to manufacture or replicate the emotions of others is simply to create imaginary feelings.
But, I think it’s good to be self-aware of our own tendencies to create false Jesuses for our own purposes, and in this regard, I think Matt Mikalatos has succeeded. I can’t wait for his next book, Night of the Living Dead Christians.
Jun 4th, 2010
Cameron
Matt Mikalatos makes a provocative, and frequently hilarious debut with Imaginary Jesus. A welcome breath of unconventional air, the narrative begins with Matt’s “imaginary” Jesus coming to fisticuffs with the apostle, Peter. Jesus absconds, and further mayhem ensues as Matt and Pete take to the Portland streets in hot pursuit.
The book creatively indicts all of us who call ourselves Christ’s followers, pointing to our inveterate tendency to remake Jesus in our own image, using him as a convenient badge to our identity, or as a helpful sidekick. It is fitting that Mikalatos treats this practice with a great deal of severity. This accounts for the author’s habit of rapidly shifting from slapstick to ideas of great gravity. The results can sometimes be disorienting, or even a bit unfocused.
The prose is highly accessible and bereft of any ornamentation. The book moves too fast to lavish the reader in details. Mikalatos does display a rather deft grasp of Portland culture, and the pretension of hipsters in general. At any rate, laughter will abound as you navigate the story.
Why read Imaginary Jesus? Stated most baldly, the book is an invitation to dispense with your own imagination, and to come into the real presence of God, a noble purpose indeed.
For the original review, visit: http://yourcruelly.blogspot.com/
Jun 7th, 2010
mhasty
What if Kurt Vonnegut wrote a novel (thinly disguised as memoir – or perhaps vice-versa) about a man’s interaction with hallucinations of Jesus? This is quite nearly what Matt Mikalatos accomplishes in Imaginary Jesus. A tame, predictable ‘Christian novel’ this ain’t.
When Jesus gets punched in the face after wrestling with the Apostle Peter in a 21st century Portland diner, readers may question whether it would be blasphemous to keep on reading. But after a scene like that who would be able to keep from reading just one more page? As Jesus runs off, Mikalatos, being both author and main character, demands an explanation from Peter. After all, that is his own personal Jesus Peter just hit, interrupting the awkward lunch they were having. Peter justifies himself by saying that was not the real Jesus at all, only (wait for it…) an imaginary Jesus.
The rest of the story unfolds in the same sharp-witted, mind-bending, faith-challenging excursion. Matt and Peter chase after this imaginary Jesus in Peter’s valiant attempt to show Matt the lies he has believed about his faith all along – for only by seeing the lies will Matt ever come to know the real Jesus.
Though styled as a live documentary from real life writer Matt Mikalatos, do not expect to find typical reality in this very fictional novel. Reality flies out of the book as soon as Jesus steps into the diner with his sandaled feet and iPod. Think iconoclasm and theological suspense – this very different novel has both in spades!
Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos is an interesting story to say the least… I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and may even reread it at some point in my life. Matt writes with a quick whit and great sense of humor. While I’m not sure I fall on the same grounds across the board with some things pertaining to the theological claims of this “not-quite-true-story” I’m not one to throw the baby out with the bath water. Matt uses metaphor and non-metaphor/metaphor (depending on the passage) to bring out the “Jesus” we all know and love and desperately need to destroy in order to return to a right understand of the REAL JESUS. Bottom line this book is great but if you’re easily offended you may want to steer clear or proceed with caution. Looking forward to future works from Matt.
http://thecommoncup.tumblr.com/post/685640504/imaginary-jesus-by-matt-mikalatos-a-book-review
Jun 10th, 2010
camelbo
Imaginary Jesus is a gem of a book. Above it is described as something similar to Vonnegut, but It felt a lot more like Christopher Moore’s “Lamb”, just not as edgy!
As a matter of fact, if I had to come up with a complaint against this book it would be that I wish it had been more edgy. However, I also didn’t thing “The Shack” was that edgy either, but we saw the ruckus that that stirred up.
Either way, this is simply a good tale. Matt has a good sense of humor and tales a tale of a tale! He catches the reader off-guard from the first scene. Yes I knew that Jesus was going to be punched in the face, but you’ll never guess by whom the punch was thrown. I won’t spoil it here, but for that alone one should pick up the book!
However, amidst Matt’s fun road-trip through the variety of Jesus’ we make up, we find something deep yet so simple: WE ALL MAKE UP OUR OWN JESUS(ES)! we find the Jesus that fits our beliefs and our own experiences, knowledge and circumstances.
What I love about this is that for Matt there is no “sacred cows”. He has his own particular imaginary Jesus, but also throws in every thinkable stereotype one can imagine. Yes he presents the typical (and that is the key word in appreciating this book) conservative/evangelical Jesus, along with the political Jesus. But before you can get upset with him for picking on YOUR Jesus, he will throw in the liberal hippie Jesus and the emergent Jesus. (and these may be your Jesus, if so put that sentence in reverse).
And that is the point of the book. It doesn’t matter where you are on the spectrum, what denomination you lean towards, what your political agendas are… we ALL have an imaginary Jesus. Thus the point of the book: when we stop seeking the REAL Jesus, then we automatically SETTLE for an imaginary one. And that’s not because Christ is changing, it’s simply because we always are.
A very simple, yet beautiful and challenging point. And what a fun way Matt has of making his point. Using humor and outlandish situations, he disarms his reader into considering what imaginary construct she or he is settling for.
This book gets a MUST READ from me. I love what Matt has done here, and I hope that people will take the meaning of this book seriously while not taking the story or themselves too seriously at the same time!
Jun 11th, 2010
expastor
Matt Mikalatos, author of Imaginary Jesus, is probably a nice guy, and I hope, since he’s a Christian who has apparently met the “real” Jesus, he’ll forgive me for the tirade that follows. Not since Donald Miller’s utterly innocuous Blue Like Jazz have I read a book that so egregiously pretends to be what it’s not. (What Miller and Mikalatos have in common I’ll get to.) Let me say up front that much of my reaction to the book was probably not Mikalatos’s fault. The blurb sent to me from Viral Bloggers–and I sincerely hope my friend Michael didn’t write it–said:
What if Kurt Vonnegut wrote a novel (thinly disguised as memoir – or perhaps vice-versa) about a man’s interaction with hallucinations of Jesus? This is quite nearly what Matt Mikalatos accomplishes in Imaginary Jesus.
I’d like to answer that question. If he did, it would be equal parts hilarious, insightful, critical, cutting, redemptive, painful, and fucking awesome. I sincerely hope some publicist who never actually read Vonnegut wrote that, and I’ll charitably assume Mikalatos lacks the necessary hubris to write that on his own. The second irritant was a blurb on the back of the book by Gary Thomas (yeah, I don’t know him either):
Take the theological forcefulness of Bonhoeffer, combine it with the imaginative whimsy of C.S. Lewis and the wit of Charles Spurgeon, and you get Matt Mikalatos.
Again, putting aside the reality that Bonhoeffer’s theological forcefulness was shaped inside a concentration camp and that Spurgeon never wrote anything very funny, you’re still left with a hyperbolic blurb that attempts to turn one of the un-funniest things I’ve ever read into a brilliant, funny, whimsical, theological tour de force. And it’s not. It’s not even funny. It’s painfully not funny. I wanted to quit reading after the second chapter. I persevered like a good Calvinist though, and found myself more bored and irritated than challenged or amused or pleasantly surprised.
The book is simply bad. I’d like to offer a serious, insightful critique that goes beyond that, and I will attempt some below, but it’s easiest to sum it up as just plain bad writing. Mikalatos is self-referential throughout, and no quote is more telling than this one, addressed to an atheist who is of course on his way to being saved: “Wouldn’t it be great if someone wrote a sort of semi-autobiographical novel comedy thing instead of a Sunday school lesson for once?” Indeed. Unfortunately, Mikalatos is not funny, and he can’t resist placing sermons in the mouths of his fictional creatures, thereby crafting a sort of non-comedic, inane story that ends up being a Sunday school lesson. This is a consistent and grating flaw in Christian fiction.
A book that is only imaginarily funny about imaginary Jesus is only the first irony though. The second is that Mikalatos writes an entire book about the imaginary saviors who populate Western Christianity with the intent of leading the reader to the real Jesus. I won’t spoil the ending (ha!), but suffice it to say that the means whereby Mikalatos meets this real Jesus are just as likely to lead to another imaginary Jesus. It all comes down to some sort of mystical, evangelical theologizing about knowing him when we meet him. Along the way the reader is treated to a talking donkey, the Apostles Peter and John, a cast of imaginary messiahs, and some of the absolute worst philosophical theology I’ve ever had the displeasure to read.
I was left to wonder if Western Seminary where Mikalatos did his graduate theological work uses C.S. Lewis and George Barna in theology classes. The book pretends to be a cutting edge deconstruction of what’s wrong with evangelical, emergent, liberal, and fundamentalist Christian theology, but it never rises above the level of apologetics with Barna-like Christianity in mind. This is where the book parallels Donald Miller’s awful apologetic; neither can eliminate the evangelical categories that give shape to their assumptions, so they end up re-visioning Christianity in ways that take them back to mystical evangelicalism. That’s somehow an improvement?
Another instance of glaring sophistry has Mikalatos confronting Mormons and Islam. While he tries to be respectful, he finds some sort of epiphany in realizing the transmission of their sacred books is strangely similar. In this instance (and a few others throughout) Mikalatos seems blissfully unaware that the same criticisms can be turned against his own sacred text, which by the way, he proof-texts from liberally throughout. Yes, Muhammad and Joseph Smith received revelations from God that were then dictated, revelations meant to purify faith in God. Is he unaware that his own text has Abraham suddenly receiving a revelation that there is only one god? In a world of polytheists, Abraham changes the story. And why do people believe him? Oh yeah, because he’s right. Mikalatos also can’t believe that Muslims and Mormons believe that God sends a prophet every 600 years or so to clarify things, because he can’t believe God isn’t consistent in how he deals with people. This one was simply staggering. It’s as if he missed the entire Tanakh. From Adam to Abraham to Moses to Nehemiah to Jonah and into the intertestamental period, the message changed frequently. Jesus doesn’t show up to say, “keep killing them turtledoves y’all.” It’s the classic evangelical error of believing that the bible is univocal.
I could say more about Mikalatos’s treatment of Open Theism, about his oversimplification of hermeneutics, about his complete inability to say anything other than “Jesus is talking; you need to shut out the noise and listen,” and his writing style that assumes all Christians are in junior high youth group, but seriously, why? It’s a bad book. Not funny. Not insightful. Not theologically or philosophically rigorous. Not helpful for true seekers, as he never says how to recognize the real Jesus–shocking as it may seem, real seekers don’t have the Apostle Peter as a tour guide of the maze of saviors. Again, I hope he’s nice and he forgives me if we ever talk, but only if he promises not to try to make the conversation funny.
http://www.theparish.typepad.com
Jun 12th, 2010
ShawnaAtteberry
Radical feminist theologian Mary Daly famously said that “If man is God then God is man.” What Daly said in her terse statement Matt Mikalatos illustrates in his first book, Imaginary Jesus*, except Mikalatos isn’t limiting his statement to the male sex. His point is that all of us make Jesus in our image. We see the Jesus we want to see: the one that challenges us some, but not too much. The Jesus who doesn’t ask too much of us, and is always there being whatever we need at that time. He writes about the Jesuses we imagine up to replace the radical figure in the New Testament, that makes all of us more than a bit uncomfortable.
The book begins with Matt hanging out with his Jesus in a vegan place in Portland when the Apostle Peter walks in and gets into a fight with Jesus, and Jesus runs away. Peter informs Matt that he’s been hanging out with an imaginary Jesus and not the real one. This begins Matt’s wild journey through modern day Portland and first century Palestine for find the real Jesus. In the course of hunting down the real Jesus, Matt finds out there is a whole slew of Imaginary Jesuses including Testosterone Jesus, King James Jesus, Portland Jesus, Magic 8 Ball Jesus and Political Power Jesus. They are all members of The Secret Society of Imaginary Jesuses. From the SSIJ to an atheist Bible study at Portland State to Powells, the largest bookstore in the world, Matt searches for the real Jesus but keeps finding more and more Imaginary Jesuses. Along the way Matt finds the strangest friends: Daisy the talking donkey, Sandy–a reformed prostitute, two Mormon elders: Elder Laurel and Elder Hardy, and Shane the leader of the atheist Bible study. Matt also has to face his own grief and personal issues that he keeps inventing the Imaginary Jesuses to fill, only to find out they can’t take the place of the real thing. It is only in hunting down the Imaginary Jesuses and seeing through their lies can he finally find the real Jesus.
Mikalatos does a great job of making readers take a look at the Jesuses they believe in and how those imaginary Jesuses stack up to the real Jesus. This is a book that could have been campy or just schlock, but Mikalatos’ storytelling ability along with his wit and sarcasm keep this lively “not-quite true story” moving along. To be honest, I never thought I’d live to see a good, well written, Christian urban fantasy published. I agree with Aldenswan, my fellow reviewer’s assessment of Mikalatos: “what Terry Pratchett would be like if Pratchett were a Christian.” (I did have a few flashes of Good Omens* while reading this book.) I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be honest about how most American Christians make Jesus in their own image, but don’t want to be preached at. Mikalatos uses the story and characters to make his points, but this book is not a thinly veiled sermon. He leaves us to examine our own lives and see how our imaginary Jesuses match up to the real thing. I wouldn’t recommend this book to readers who are easily offended. Mikalatos has a healthy dose of irreverent sarcasm running through the book that some more conservative readers might consider over the line.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from The Ooze Viral Bloggers agreeing to post a review on my site.
Jun 24th, 2010
Chad Estes
Imagine having lunch with Jesus at your favorite downtown restaurant. You are discussing Bible passages and the fact that the waiter forgot to bring the side dish to your meal. Jesus tells you he thought that might happen, which annoys you, but you can’t really say anything to him about it since you often feel he is unhappy with you. The scene is interrupted by a new guest to the restaurant, one that you’ve never seen before. Jesus rolls his eyes at the entrance of the newcomer and hurries outside to go plug the parking meter. The new guy comes over and introduces himself as Pete. After getting a glass of water he begins to quiz you about Jesus. You are surprised that he can see him too. Then when Jesus returned to the table you are horrified when Pete and Jesus start bickering. Pete literally punches Jesus in the face who in turn makes a mad dash for the door, picking up his robes and heading for the hills. You knock Pete over with a chair, demanding an explanation for his behavior.
“That was an imaginary Jesus, my friend… and now that we are on to him he is going to run.”
You cross your arms and frown. “I’ve known Jesus for a long time, what makes you think that you know him better than I do?”
“Because,” Pete says, heading for the door, “I’m the Apostle Peter.”
So opens Matt Mikalatos fascinatingly funny and creative story of purging his life of this Imaginary Jesus and the many other fake Jesus characters he finds in his life. Some aren’t that easy to get rid of and others look deceptively like the real thing. In his chapters you will meet Political Jesus, Peacenik Jesus, Testosterone Jesus, 8-ball Jesus, and many others.
With a few important friends along the way, including Peter, a prostitute, two Mormon missionaries (named Laurel and Hardy), George Barna, and a talking donkey, Matt takes trips in both location and history that open up both his mind and heart to see who Jesus really is. And though it is nearly impossible to put this book down simply for the entertainment value you can’t help but recognize some of the false saviors that you’ve been worshipping yourself.
Though this clever parable has a fun literary device it is not difficult to recognize the painful moments in Matt’s life that prompted him to look for Easy-Answer-Saviors. Thankfully for him, and for his readers, he didn’t stay stuck there and is on a journey of following the real deal.
Do yourself a favor and pick up this book and a highlighter or two. It is one of the funniest and thoughtful stories that you will read this year.
http://www.chadestes.com/2010/06/imaginary-jesus/
Jun 30th, 2010
renee altson
I really wanted to like this book.
I’ve heard great things about it, seen the wonderful reviews, and was anticipating the wild ride I’d heard so much about.
It is definitely a wild ride–for some more than others. Conservatives will most likely despise this book. More liberal people might like the book but think, “uh. duh.”
As I read it, I was entertained. Being presented with the many stereotypical Jesus’ at one time was fascinating. Since I have, in my own personal life, also walked with these Jesus’, I resonated with them and their idiosyncrasies. I enjoyed the way Matt created the story(ies). His perspectives were well thought out and fun to read. I did notice at one point that even though Testosterone Jesus had walked out of the room on one page, he sprang from a couch (in the room he had supposedly left) on the next page.
It wasn’t compelling enough to keep me reading consecutively. I had no problem with the content or the supposed blasphemy, but at times I felt tired, and wanted to set it down for awhile. After awhile I felt tired every time I read it, even though I was chuckling along with some of the characters.
I won’t ruin the ending, but I will say that the “answer” is yet another imaginary Jesus… don’t we all, no matter how much we try not to, still make Jesus in our own image? It’s not just the churches problem. As we change, our Jesus changes. As we struggle, it’s about us and the lack of justice or fairness. When we are blessed, our Jesus is a benevolent creation. If we’re especially patriotic (and happen to live in America), this is God’s country. When we work with the homeless, addicted, abused and hurting, Jesus becomes a glorified Mother Teresa.
This book did lead me into some deep thought regarding Jesus. I’ve believed in many “Imaginary Jesus’” — both stereotypical and unusual. The ones presented in the book will likely ruffle some feathers, and that is always a good thing, in my opinion. But the ultimate resolution in this book was too easy.
While I appreciated Matt’s humor, and his pointing out of many stereotypical Jesus’, the book ended too happily and predictably christian-y to me. What was lost was rediscovered and compensated for, and then it’s happily ever after. Life rarely works out that way. What about lifelong victims of abuse or torture or hunger or disaster? While pretending to deal with deeper issues throughout the book, the last few pages cancel it all out and fix everything. “Gold Ticket Jesus” comes through.
Jul 4th, 2010
Justin
So I’ve been doing this Ooze Viral Bloggers thing, and doing it poorly. The first book I forgot to post about, and this one I haven’t posted on yet. But it deserves a review. So here goes.
Here’s the book: You should follow the link and buy it. Now. I like it that much. Doesn’t the cover alone leave you salivating for more?
The book is published by Barna Books, George Barna’s imprint. That, and the cover, should make it worth purchasing. The company did a marketing blitz; most the time I get all uppity about that type of thing, but this title deserves it. Couple links, video trailer, review afterwards…
Imaginary Jesus Site Imaginary Jesus Blog
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FBO0qrxHIw]
So I’ve got the particulars out of the way…what did I think? The book is dead on. Suspend your cries of “HERESY!” and “BLASPHEMY!” long enough to read the thing (it’s a quick read – took me about six hours), and you’ll see yourself in every page of the book.
Similar to The Shack, Matt Mikalatos has crafted a tale that examines our personal relationship with Christ. How do you picture your Saviour? Is yours the one in the white robe, blue sash, brown hair and blue eyes? Is your Jesus a little more hip, with the earbuds and Starbucks cup a permanent fixture? Is yours all about the rules? Mikalatos has those and many more…
I refuse to delve too deep into the contents. Read it yourself. Discover your Imaginary Jesus, and through that discovery unearth the ways in which you limit God in your life, pigeonholing Christ into your sad little view of Him.
We have no idea how powerful the Grace and Love Christ offers us; instead we rely on what we think He is. Isn’t it time you gave up your Imaginary Jesus and got to know the real one?
Jul 12th, 2010
addsalt
I couldn’t resist a book that begins the first chapter with Jesus sitting in a vegan restaurant, listening to his iPod, being approached by the Apostle Paul who promptly punches him in the face.
I can’t remember another book I’ve read that takes a satirical approach on discussing how we follow Jesus. After reading it really makes me wish this form of writing wasn’t so rare in current literature. The humor and absurdity brings us to question who it is we really think Jesus is. We are confronted with the Magic 8 Ball Jesus, Political Jesus, Peacenik Jesus, Televangelist Jesus, King James Jesus, etc. We have all these ideas of who Jesus is, but they all come down to ways we have reduced the real live Jesus into something we can contain and deal comfortably with. The fictional tale is about how we must give up these imaginary Jesuses if we want to ever come in contact with the true living Jesus, and how easy it is to deceive ourselves all over again.
The book, while not exactly short is an extremely quick read and pretty entertaining. In the realm of the Screwtape Letters, talks a lot about what Jesus is not, but has a difficult time when it gets to what Jesus is. Amusingly, this is exactly how we end up with imaginary Jesuses instead of apophatic statements. It points to how we need to reckon the Jesus in our minds, to the Jesus found in the Gospels. The true Jesus is found in the Gospels making the people around Him uncomfortable, challenging social norms, and encouraging others to freely give of themselves; can we expect the true Jesus who lives with us now to be any different with us?
Link to original is here.
Jul 18th, 2010
Jason Bybee
“Imaginary Jesus” — a not-quite-true story from the pen of Matt Mikalatos
Disclosure: This book was provided to me free of charge by The Ooze Viral Bloggers.
Imaginary Jesus is a hilarious, slightly irreverent, wholly challenging work from the pen of Matt Mikalatos. I’ll be the first to admit I’m usually not a big fan of “Christian fiction”, but Mikalatos pretty much had me engrossed by the end of the first chapter. His thesis? All too often, we settle for the constructions of Jesus bequeathed us through culture, religious tradition, or our own selfish projections of him, rather than searching to understand Jesus on his own terms. Before we can come to know the real Jesus, we must deal with our imaginary “Jesuses” and their grip on our lives.
What does Mikalatos mean by “Imaginary Jesuses”? A few examples:
* Televangelist Jesus – Jesus as faith healer / showman (“All you need is greater faith!”)
* Peacenik Jesus – Jesus as “give peace a chance” flower guy, who is always locked in opposition to…
* Political Jesus – Jesus as imperialist, advocating the coming of His Kingdom through the power of the empire, specifically the United States of America.
* Testosterone Jesus – the Jesus we usually encounter at Men’s Retreats who implores us to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps and be better husbands and fathers.
Some of these projections of Jesus are pretty comical; others are more nuanced and require greater reflection and self-honesty. But in the end, Mikalatos is willing to take his readers on a journey of serious contemplation about what it means to follow Jesus in today’s world.
I appreciated Mikalatos’ deft use of scripture throughout his writing. While he rarely cites book, chapter, and verse, his narrative is brimming with Christ’s teachings from the Gospels, particularly the Gospel of John. These references help ground this wild and unpredictable tale.
I would recommend Imaginary Jesus to anyone who is serious about being a disciple of Jesus Christ. This is a great read.
(To learn more about Matt, follow him at imaginaryjesus.com)
Jul 28th, 2010
cfalvo
So I just finished reading Imaginary Jesus by Matt Mikalatos and WOW!, what an awesome book. I’m not a big fan of Christian fiction, but I heard some really great things about this book…so I picked it up and I’m glad I did. It’s a pretty easy read, it only took me four hours total to read the book. It’s funny and witty but still makes you think. I was on the lookout for Lutheran Jesus, but didn’t see him make an appearance in the book…that just proves that nothing is perfect
. (I have it on good authority that there is a Lutheran werewolf in the next book!) Get this book and read it!!! Matt did an excellent job on this book and I can’t wait for his next one.
Aug 16th, 2010
'Seph
From a work of pure fiction, this book is great!
Entertaining and comical with a healthy splash of seriousness and even tears at times!
It was a lighthearted and pleasant read.
…however, I can’t help but wonder to what degree of seriousness is truly intended.
I think, quite a bit. (Spoiler alert) As much fun as it to laugh at the numerous imaginary Jesus’ in mockery of various forms of ridiculous Christian beliefs there are out there, we inevitably come across our imaginary Jesus and our brand of belief… and somehow it just isn’t quite so funny.
I can’t help but wonder if this piece of fiction is meant to be something a lot more serious than it would appear on the surface. I wonder what deeper theological thoughts swim just beneath the calm and comical surface.
It made me ask a question; Exactly how do we know – or know of – Jesus?
After a bit of thought, I’ve come to believe there are only 4 ways to ‘know Jesus’. (And I am not speaking of the Born-Again-Evangelical kind of knowing-Jesus).
1) There is the Jesus we know through historical texts (which is precious little).
2) There is the Jesus we read of in the gospel accounts, each flavoured to a certain degree by its author. (which – interestingly – leaves the ‘real Jesus’ veiled or hidden ‘beneath’ or ‘between’ the gospel accounts. Inaccessible; having become isolated and hidden between the pages of history and gospel).
3) There’s the Jesus that we meet through good Christians – truly embodying the Body of Christ concept,
4) and finally, there is the Jesus of our imaginations. (And it really should be noted that something that is make-believe and something that is imaginary are not necessarily synonymous).
Ultimately how we ‘know’ Jesus is shaped to some degree by all four ‘ways’. I cannot help but believe it is our imaginary Jesus that plays the largest and strongest part.
After all, I doubt many professing Christians really want to ‘meet’ and ‘know’ the real Jesus.
I like when Matt Mikalatos’ protagonist (…or is it really himself?…) voices a concern about the real Jesus:
If we’re honest enough with ourselves, we would have to admit that the Jesus we want will – at least to some degree – bow to our beliefs, and bend towards our philosophies. I honestly believe it is possible to do anything else.
It is when we use and abuse our imaginary Jesus – bending it to our agendas – that the real crime and harm occurs. That is where the danger lies.
~
I’d love to do Matt Mikalatos’ Imaginary Jesus in a group study. I’d love to see if and how biblical literalists struggle with the truths that are present within a piece of pure fiction.
Aug 22nd, 2010
SGill4613
Matt Mikalatos’ book was the first book in a long, long time that I’ve read cover to cover in less than 24 hours. All 225 pages were written well so as to convey a hard to find truth in a world where we have each created our own version of Jesus that it can be quite difficult to know the real Christ when we see him.
Imaginary Jesus: A not-quite true story… does a masterful job of knocking down straw Jesus’ to show the world today what it means to hear the call to discipleship and answer amid a sea of uncertainty.
As a builder of labyrinth’s (with prayer stations), I was both intrigued with his idea’s of building my own stations about the false Jesus’ we deal with in our every day lives, finding the Lord who washes feet and allows his body and blood to be broken for us, and then preparing to be back in the world without the support of the false Jesus’ we have created in our image.
I read the first half of this book in a coffee shop and laughed quite loudly at the idea of a donkey making jokes about people who assume.
Wonderful novel. I whole heartedly recommend it for a good enjoyable afternoon.
Aug 26th, 2010
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