The Second Coming: A Love Story

[AllAboutLove]

Links:

www.secondcomingishere.com
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KT6B3G0

Most books about the Second Coming of Christ focus on it as a theological question. This is the first that poses it as a marketing question: Whose message -- Christ's or Satan's -- will "out-compete" the other?

The story is off-the-charts clever. It's almost hypnotic. If you love "thought experiments" about theology, this book is absolutely worth your time.

The Plot

It's 2014 America. The Red States don't trust the Blue States. Liberals don't trust Conservatives. We're as divided as ever.

One man emerges in Washington, DC claiming to be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. He teaches his disciples that "Satan" has turned Holy Books into modern day idols, because these books are used to justify an agenda that divides us needlessly & isn't moral. Instead, the only true commandment of God is to "Render the world more holy than whence it was found." All else is superfluous

Another man emerges in South Carolina, also claiming to be the Second Coming of Christ. He swears that the Bible is true and preaches the immortal Word of God. His beliefs about who is saved -- and who is damned -- is "old school" and he is an unapologetic advocate of a fire & brimstone Christianity.

Naturally, one Second Coming becomes popular with Liberals (the DC one) and the other becomes the hero of Conservatives (SC one). But here's the caveat -- At no point, is the reader explicitly told who is who!

Another wrinkle: The characters in the story are all thinly veiled caricatures of Bible characters. "David" is a political speechwriter with a lust for violence. "Mary" (Magdalene, not Virgin Mother) is a criminal lawyer who sells her services to bad guys (get it?). And so on.

The disciples use their faith in "God" to justify all kinds of bad behavior. After all, if "God" demands it, the ends must therefore justify the means..... right???

At the same time, there's also a story of crows. It begins with two crows. One turns to evil and becomes the Dragon that preceded the War in Heaven. While the Dragon is terrorizing the heavens, a "special" crow slays the Dragon & is celebrated as a messiah by the other birds.... who begin to favor him over God. It turns out that the "special" crow is an allegory for Satan, and "crow" is an acronym: Christ Rules Our World.

Meanwhile, the campaign between the warring factions on earth has reached a fever pitch. The two Second Comings agree to a globally televised religious debate to settle this once and for all. And then......!!!


The Second Coming: A Love Story by Scott Pinsker is a brave new take on the theological genre. If you enjoy debating religion, this is an unusually savvy book.

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