Fourteen years ago, Colorado resident D.K. Maylor found himself wondering what a modern-day interview with Jesus might sound like.
He sat down one afternoon and typed a few lines of dialogue, and it turned into a 14-year endeavor and a 450-page book titled “Wrestling with Jesus,” subtitled “A candid dialogue with the Master on what Christians must know about their religion — but will never hear in church.”
Maylor’s book places him by a river in a secluded forest for a sometimes humorous conversation with Jesus.
It is currently being sold on amazon.com, where it has 5-star reviews.
“I had no idea the book would be so well-received so quickly – especially among Christians,” Maylor said. “The book, after all, is not kind to various aspects of religion in general or to certain parts of literalist Christianity in particular.”
Maylor contends that most religious devotees aren’t encouraged to think much about their faith. Instead, he says, they’re usually urged simply to believe and do as they’re told.
“But it makes no sense,” he said, “that God would give humans such a high level of intelligence and then dissuade us from applying that intelligence to anything connected with our faith.”
Recent surveys show that more and more believers are beginning to question the basic tenets of their religions, and Maylor says “Wrestling with Jesus” seems to resonate deeply with those who read it.
“Like politics, religion is a tough subject to examine objectively because it carries such an emotional charge. And churches have done a pretty effective job of discouraging folks from questioning and doing a little honest investigating. When you read the book, you’ll understand why,” Maylor said in a marketing release.
“I figured that if I could help people laugh at some of the ridiculous assertions put forward by religion over the centuries, it might help them keep turning the page and not feel so threatened or defensive,” he said. “And I have no doubt that an enlightened being like Jesus would have a terrific sense of humor.”
An author and independent book reviewer from Austin writes: “Maylor and his buddy Jesus have a field day ... deconstructing the traditional Christian doctrine of Jesus as the sacrificial scapegoat who saves mankind by appeasing Yahweh’s wrath with his crucifixion. And, of course, the analysis makes great sense and offers a much better interpretation of ‘salvation.’ ... This is a marvelous book.”
“Wrestling with Jesus” is available in both paperback and in Kindle format at Amazon.com.