Why I wrote about Joe, a clone, when we have one Jesus
“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).” The verse says Jesus Christ. Singular. Solo. Uno. One.
Scripture also tells us of a second coming of Christ, but nowhere does it even allude to a second Christ. This said, some may wonder if am I blasphemous with fictional Jesus in the novel Jesus Cloned. Am I heretical? Sacrilegious? Am I tinkering with theology that should not be touched?
Some may say yes to the questions I raise. Those who may not read my novel because they find my work offensive, trite or unworthy are missing the point of Jesus Cloned. Yes, there is one Christ, one begotten Son of our God. I am not touching this truth. What I am doing is offering an inroad, a path toward seeing, relating, and giving oneself to God in a bold, new way in a bold, new novel.
This is what a remarkable, loveable, passionate and profound evangelical “oh-he-loves-Jesus” minister shared with all at the book launch party on my front lawn. “We are all clones of Christ.”
We are all clones of Jesus, imitations. Built in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), we have God within us (2 Timothy 1:14, Colossians 1:27, John 14:23, 1 Corinthians 3:16). Call us all copies of Jesus, if you will — or we can all be copies of Jesus, if we choose.
The character Joe, who is a Jesus clone, represents who we are through a modern lens. Joe represents our struggles, our successes, and, most importantly, our sins. Joe is a completely relatable character in a completely relatable world, which is the world we live in today.
I am not rewriting scripture or turning us from it. I’m doing the opposite. I’m drawing us toward God by using the gifts God has given me to use. Is someone going to get their dander up over this novel? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. I can name a publishing house who started the process of publishing with me only to turn away months into the process because they found the title of my novel too controversial.
Our God is still speaking. Our God is still reaching us and teaching us of His love by why of our Advocate, the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-20). That’s what this novel is. The character Joe, who we meet as this nineteen-year-old philosophy major at a Bible college, enables all of us to experience Jesus in new, connecting, and refreshing ways.
To introduce, encourage, and enhance one’s relationship with Jesus is my call, my goal. There is one Jesus, yes. I pray the character Joe helps us all find Him.
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved.” — Acts 4:12 NET
That’s too bad, Bill. It always amazes me when someone who is doing something to promote goodness gets attacked in any way, when those who seek to spread negativity are allowed to do so.
Good luck in finding a publishing house that is brave and wise enough to publish your book.