"Matt Mikalatos likes Jesus a lot. In fact, he can't
believe how much they have in common. They share the same likes, dislikes,
beliefs, and opinions. (Though Jesus does have better hair.) So imagine Matt's
astomishment when he finds out that the guy he knows as Jesus…isn't."
So declares the back cover of My
Imaginary Jesus, the spiritual adventures of one man searching for the
real God. The front cover quotes Relevant magazine: "Think Monty
Python meets C.S. Lewis…" After all the heavy duty stuff I'd been reading
lately, I grabbed this up off the Tyndale Blog Network list, figuring I could
use a fresh breath of snark in my life, and snark I did receive.
The book follows Matt on a wild goose chase through the
streets of downtown Portland
in an effort to discover the real Jesus in a sea of imaginary ones… characters
like Magic 8 Ball Jesus, King James Jesus, Testosterone Jesus, Political Power
Jesus, Hippy Jesus, and Pure Reckless Fantasy Jesus. Here's a clip, taken from
page 76:
"Nearby I could see a Jesus with
a gray uniform and no mouth sweeping the floor.
'That's Liberal Social Services
Jesus,' Bargain Jesus said. 'He thinks the best way to tell people about God is
through service, but he never talks about God. He's great to have around because
he keeps the place spotless. […] Sometimes his brother, Conservative
Truth-Telling Jesus comes around. He has no arms. He thinks the only way to
tell people about God is through hard truth, and he never raises a hand to help
people with their physical needs. He's difficult to handle, honestly.'"
What I Liked
I loved that the book was set in downtown Portland, and as
an ex-Portlander, some favorite PDX haunts popped up like unexpected friends
dropping by… places like The Red and Black Café, Highway 26, Sauvie Island, Multnomah
Falls Lodge, and even obscure ones like Pix Patisserie and Muchas Gracias. This
probably accounted for a lot of my positive association with the book – there's
something about Portland 's
comfortable weirdness that makes it the only acceptable city for a story this…
well… comfortably weird.
I think Matt addressed some serious and vitally important issues
in an approachable and humorous way. The book makes you laugh but also makes
you look honestly at your version of Jesus, the biography you've written about
him in your head, and compare it to the real One. It awakens the reality that
we all are biased by a variety of false notions and we allow that to influence our
faith and lifestyle. For this reason alone, I'd recommend it. I also think it's
a perfect text for someone who isn't sure where they stand on the faith issue,
or someone who thinks Christians are hypocritical or legalistic.
Believers and non-believers alike can gain something here
and honestly enjoy themselves in the process. I think that's a tricky thing to
do, and I applaud the author for that. Plus, the questions at the back are
great, and in hindsight, I wish I'd have read this alongside a group of people
and allowed it to open up some group conversations about the issues this book
presents. There are enough philosophical and theological springboards here to
engage a lively discussion that doesn't have to be a debate.
You know those movies you watch and think, "That would
have been so much funnier or so much better if I'd have watched with a bunch of
friends?" That's sort of what I mean. This is a perfect spark, funny and
positive but serious at the same time, to start a discussion in a respectful
way between people with differing viewpoints.
What I Didn't Like
What started out as familiar and fun, snarky and even genuinely
convicting eventually turned daunting. I loved the Imaginary Jesus angle (and
found that his favorite fake Jesus was a lot like mine), but I think Matt
belabored the point a bit and I honestly think the story would have worked just
as well with 50 less pages. Perhaps because it's written in a style I'm not
used to reading (though I read plenty of snark and satire) – the sort-of-true,
half-fiction, half-truth, sort-of-random-absurdity just kind of got old for me
after a dozen chapters. It was a great concept, but I got impatient to be done
with it when it became apparent that the wild goose chase was going to last 225
pages and end rather abruptly with the big question of the book feeling to me like
it wasn't really answered. Perhaps that was the point, but it just felt a
little weak and unsure and I had to actually re-read a bit to make sure I
didn't miss something.
I personally would have liked more truth and less seemingly
inconsequential drop-in characters. I did find myself wanting to know more
about the real stuff he reveals in the story – more about some of his personal
experiences that he half-shares, but were genuinely intriguing and interesting.
It sort of felt like he wasn't completely committed to sharing his story, and
so he made up some and filled some in, leaving the reader wondering what is true
and what is made up, and it kind of killed the credibility of some otherwise
powerful testimony.
Ultimately, I think it's a book a lot of people will enjoy,
especially those who like (or need) to challenge their perceptions on faith and
life and Scripture. It presents a huge and heavy spiritual challenge in a totally
approachable and relatable way, and because of that, it's worth the read.
Disclaimer: Tyndale House Publishers provided a free copy of
this book for me to review. All opinions are always my own. Product links above
include my personal affiliate links.
