Jesus returns to visit his church, but his chosen followers are skeptical. Is this really Jesus? Or a talented con artist? Or worse? How will they decide? Take him to a psychiatrist? Consult the bishop? Funny and uplifting fantasy.
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
After a long career (too long) in academic psychiatry, I am now enjoying retirement, traveling, and writing fiction. At least, I hope it's fiction.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An easy but thought-provoking story,
By
This review is from: Jay: A Spiritual Fantasy (Paperback)
Louis N. Gruber's novel asks one important question: If Jesus came back, would you believe? What makes this question so difficult to answer is the fact that Gruber's version of Jesus wears a suit and eats ice cream -- no robes and sandals for this guy! So is this modern-day Jesus for real or just another crazy guy claiming he is? Read along to find out!Jay: A Spiritual Fantasy is a very quick read and displays Jesus, his personality, and his teachings as the author perceives them. A very imaginative work that poses thought-provoking questions about religion, prayer, sin, healing, miracles and faith. Short and to the point, this novel is mostly made up of dialogue -- description-lovers, beware! However, if you like to read stories that are quick, light and different, I would suggest this one with confidence. I would be interested in reading a second book by this author.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Be Prepared To Think,
By D. Mikels "It's always Happy Hour here" (Skunk Holler) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jay: A Spiritual Fantasy (Paperback)
Christianity is predicated upon the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It is the hallmark of several faiths, the subject of countless sermons. But what would happen if Christ returned to our hopelessly divided society as a quiet, softspoken man? Louis N. Gruber provides an intriguing answer to this question in his novel, JAY: A SPIRITUAL FANTASY.Suffice it to say that today's theological world is as intolerant and inflexible as the scowling Pharises of 2,000 years ago. Gruber explores this intolerance in his book. When Jay Sonneman calls together a diverse group of clergy to preach love and inclusion--of all faiths, lifestyles, viewpoints--the religious "establishment" is shook to its very foundation. How could this man be tolerant of any faith other than Christianity? How dare he reach out to gays? To not condemn sin strongly enough? How dare he minimalize the many denominations that worship in his name? And the stage is set, history is repeated. Persecution: of Jay, and his followers. This book is unique; it reads more like a dialogue between Jay and his followers, less like a conventional novel. That, I think, was the author's intent. There is little character development, and Gruber should work on weaving more detail into his writing. That said, JAY: A SPIRITUAL FANTASY is recommended for its ability to move the reader to think. I give five stars for the story, three for the writing.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Throwing Christ to the Christians,
By
This review is from: Jay: A Spiritual Fantasy (Paperback)
"Louis N. Gruber, MD," we are told about its author on the back cover of this book, "is a psychiatrist practicing in a state mental health system." We're also told he's "a communicant of the Episcopal Church." So the author is a psychiatrist working in a state mental health system who believes in Jesus. That convergence is enough to explain the story line of Jay: A Spiritual Fantasy. Suppose a man comes to you and tells you that he's Jesus Christ, returned to earth. How would you know that he's not a mental patient ... or should be? That's the thought experiment that Dr. Gruber sets before us. If the man's teachings appear at variance with the orthodox interpretations of the gospels, do we then regard him as a demon meant to draw Christians away from the real, historical Christ? Is the man's refusal to endorse any religion, or condemn any, to be taken as heretical to Christian theology and undermining preaching the gospel? What if he includes a homosexual in his circle of close followers? Does loving all mankind mean that you actually have to tolerate them? What if Jesus came back and you didn't recognize him or, worse, that you didn't like him or agree with him? Is Jesus only Jesus if he's safely in Heaven and not in your face, if he shows up in slacks and an open shirt on your favorite TV talk show? Do you turn ice cream into the stuff of communion because it's pretty much all he eats? How would you choose if he could cure the sick and walk on water, but your church condemned him as a fraud because he told his followers not to pray in words but in silent meditation? This delightful short novel is full of provocative questions for Christians who aren't afraid that provocative questioning is damaging to their faith. reviewed by J. Neil Schulman,
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
