Night of the Living Dead Christian: One Man's Ferociously Funny Quest to Discover What It Means to Be Truly Transformed [Paperback]

Matt Mikalatos (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2011

What does a transformed life actually look like?
In his follow-up to the critically acclaimed Imaginary Jesus, Matt Mikalatos tackles this question in an entertaining and thought-provoking way—with MONSTERS!!! While Christians claim to experience Christ’s resurrection power, we sometimes act like werewolves who can’t control our base desires. Or zombies, experiencing a resurrection that is 90 percent shambling death and 10 percent life. Or vampires, satiating ourselves at the expense of others. But through it all we long to stop being monsters and become truly human—the way Christ intended. We just can’t seem to figure out how.

Night of the Living Dead Christian is the story of Luther, a werewolf on the run, whose inner beast has driven him dangerously close to losing everything that matters. Desperate to conquer his dark side, Luther joins forces with Matt to find someone who can help. Yet their time is running out. A powerful and mysterious man is on their trail, determined to kill the wolf at all costs . . .

By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Night of the Living Dead Christian is a spiritual allegory that boldly explores the monstrous underpinnings of our nature and tackles head-on the question of how we can ever hope to become truly transformed.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale Momentum; Reprint edition (September 16, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414338805
• ISBN-13: 978-1414338804
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #300,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My name is Matt Mikalatos and I am a writer (as is evidenced by the fact that at this very moment you are reading my biography on Amazon). I write fantasy novels suitable for kids and adults (The Sword of Six Worlds) and comedy theology novels (My Imaginary Jesus and Night of the Living Dead Christian).

If you want to come hang out with me online, check out my blog at mikalatos.com. I'm on twitter, too. I guess my claim to fame is that I'm the only Mikalatos on twitter so far.

I live in the Portland, Oregon area with my wife and three children.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Narrative theology at its best! September 20, 2011

By JR. Forasteros

Format:Paperback

Every good monster-movie enthusiast knows that the Christian life is anathema to the undead, at least traditionally. Okay, at least for vampires. In the wake of his stellar breakout book, Imaginary Jesus, Matt Mikalatos decides to take the presence of the undead among us at face value. Christians claim to be the resurrected dead, but what if we've been raised only to a half-life? That sort of Christianity may be exactly what James described: "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? ...Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." (2:14, 17, NRS) Those who follow Jesus want a living, vibrant, exciting faith. So why does Christianity seem to foster so many undead, half-living monsters?

Night of the Living Dead Christian takes the metaphor at face value and dives in head-first: bring on the Zombies! Well, not just zombies. In Night of the Living Dead Christian, Matt teams up with a mad scientist, an android, a vampire and a whole Church-full of zombies to help his neighbor, Luther Ann Martin, find a cure for his lycanthropy (which for you laypersons means that Luther is a werewolf). As in Imaginary Jesus, Matt's non sequitur, real-life-meets-the-fantastic humor keeps you laughing and rolling your eyes. And he handles the metaphor so deftly his point is always clear just below the surface, ready to engage you in some serious self-reflection.

Luther the Werewolf is any of those people who feel that they have a beast living inside them that they can't quite control. Those of us who can relate to Luther when he says, "There are many nights when I crave that sudden infusion of air, that falling away of the higher functions and the sharpness that comes with listening to my instincts, with doing what my body tells me to do." Luther's wrestling with his base nature is truly the core of the book. His voice frequently interrupts the narrative with deep theological musings on the nature of fallen humans crying for redemption.

That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of other monsters. The Zombies are those of us who find it easier to follow an intelligent, charismatic leader, to let his spirituality be ours. Those of us who have found it easier to surrender our brains than to engage our own faith.

The Vampires? The selfish, those who take and take and take from others, who can't stand even a moment of self-reflection, who never give back.

As Matt's team works to help Luther escape the beast within, Matt comes face to face with his own monstrous nature: he's a mad scientist. As the vampire tells him, "You think you're smarter than other people. You have your little knot of henchmen. You're trying to fix the world around you whatever the cost, never thinking of the damage you're doing." Ouch... that one hit a little closer to home than I like to admit.

Monsters have always been a safe way for humanity to explore our inner demons. In Night of the Living Dead Christian, Matt uses them as a mirror for our Christianity and asks how we can be truly, fully transformed. The old stories really are true: the Christian life - the full, true life lived in the freedom Jesus offers - is still anathema to the undead in all of us. A simple concept, but not easy. The how of transformation refuses all formulas and systems. As fun and witty as NotLDC is, it's not a book of neat and tidy answers. Matt allows the messiness of reality to ruin his story, so the resolution is at once less than we want and more honest. NotLDC refuses to offer us cop outs. The deus ex machina at the end of the story truly is the only ending any of us can honestly hope for. So while Matt doesn't give us easy answers (that only work in books and never in real life), he does point the way towards true, transformed life.

Matt's books are love-letters to the Evangelical community in all our broken mess. New believers or those exploring Christianity won't get a lot of the subtle jokes and gags, but the story is sufficiently rich that anyone will enjoy and be challenged by what they find. For those who do pick up on the subtleties, Matt takes shots at everyone across the board, including an honest look at himself. It's a great book to read for fun or as part of a discussion club.

Bottom Line: This book is outstanding. We need more totally silly, totally serious theology like Matt gives us. Not everyone will enjoy the monster metaphor, but if that's your cup of tea, then you need this book. It'll make you take a hard look at the monstrous aspects of your own soul. And you'll ache for the same transformation Matt and his band of monsters discover.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughing and Learning October 13, 2011

By M & S Scales

Format:Paperback

Do you sometimes feel like a monster? After you blow up at your kids for the hundredth time today, do feel like a huge, angry werewolf? Do you feel like a mad scientist-always right, never thinking your wife's opinion matters, always trying to fix your friends? After you've laid a huge guilt trip on your husband for the emergency at work that kept him late, do you feel like a vampire sucking the life out of him and your marriage? Do you feel like a zombie-always following your favorite paster or author, but never checking for yourself what the Bible says? Is there any hope for us? Read on...

The subtitle of Night of the Living Dead Christian is "One man's ferociously funny quest to discover what it means to be truly transformed." That is an excellent description of this book. In this allegory Luther, a werewolf, is trying to discover if he can be different. With the help of Matt (the author), a mad scientist, a robot, a vampire, and a half zombie, quite an adventure ensues! Can they find the truth before the monster hunter kills Luther?

I wasn't sure what to expect, especially since Matt Mikalatos is described on the back on the book as "Monty Python meets C.S. Lewis." An interesting combo, huh?! However, after read it I can totally see how this comparison fits! This is like no other book I've ever read. (Now I look forward to reading his first book, Imaginary Jesus.) I laughed so hard I howled and my mad scientist self even learned things-what a great mixature! There is also a wonderful self-diagnosis guide at the end, if you are wondering if you are a monster. I highly recommend this to all, especially if you have a sense of humor and enjoy learning.

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy for my honest review.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars You Will Find Yourself in Here November 15, 2011

By Stephanie M. Cherry

Format:Paperback

Many people have said that Matt Mikalatos' writing is Monty Python meets CS Lewis. I would definitely have to agree. Perhaps you could throw in the Mystery Machine. This book is hilarious.

There is a werewolf named Luther Martin, a mad scientist, a robot, some zombies, a preacher, a vampire, and a monster killer. The tale is a mad dash to find a cure for the werewolf, save some half zombies from a cult leader, and learn the power of forgiveness. I laughed and laughed my way through the book. The funny part was that I identified with it most of the time. I have felt like a werewolf or a mad scientist trying to fix the world.

The amazing thing is that the story is true. Matt Mikalatos brilliantly crafted an imaginary tale around real life events. Luther was truly a monster because he had beaten his wife. We see zombies from a church that is all about their pastor and their rules trying get Luther all better by getting him to believe some things taught by their cult leader. It is so witty and funny that it catches you off guard and you slowly begin to see yourself erode and realize that you too might need a cure. A great read. It's a book that makes you want to read his other books. If you need a laugh, I highly recommend it.

This book was graciously provided by Tyndale Publishers for review.