Blood Doctrine

by Christian Piatt

Overview

What if, through modern science, we had the power to resurrect Jesus?

First, the dreams came. And then the blood. Young Jacob had always known he was different, but he was beginning to lose control. Unknown to him, Nica, the skeptical New York journalist was beginning to pull the pieces together: the Israeli Antiquities Authority, the Max Planck Institute in Germany, VitaGen labs in Pennsylvania. And then there was the Project, the group rumored to be obsessed with invoking apocalyptic end-times on their own terms. But what role could a teenage boy from Denver, Colorado play in this unfolding story line?

Product Details

BN ID:	2940045915199
Publisher:	Samizdat Creative
Publication date:	04/30/2014
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Christian Piatt is an author, editor, speaker, musician and spoken word artist. He co-founded Milagro Christian Church in Pueblo, Colorado with his wife, Rev. Amy Piatt, in 2004. Currently he serves as the Director of Premium Content for the interfaith website, Patheos, and as the Director of Growth and Development for First Christian Church (DOC) in Portland, OR.

Christian is the creator and editor of the Banned Questions book series, which include Banned Questions About the Bible, Banned Questions About Jesus and Banned Questions About Christians. He co-created and co-edits the WTF: Where's the Faith? young adult series with Chalice Press, for which he also co-edited the book Split Ticket: Independent Faith in a Time of Partisan Politics, and contributed a chapter to Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!: Young Adults Speak Out About Sexuality and Christianity

Christian has a memoir on faith, family and parenting called PregMANcy: A Dad, a Little Dude and a Due Date. His first book for Jericho Books, called postChristian: What's Left? Can We Fix It? Do We Care? comes out in hardback in August, 2014.

Christian's first book, LOST: A Search for Meaning, came out in 2006, followed by MySpace to Sacred Space: God for a New Generation in 2007, which was co-authored with Amy.

Editorial Reviews

2014-07-08
Piatt's (Banned Questions About Christians, 2013, etc.) first foray into fiction is a religious thriller about a secret group aiming to incite the second coming.Jacob is a relatively typical 19-year-old who works at a record store in Denver, plays sax and rides a skateboard. But he also has strange dreams of Jesus, set around the time that he was crucified, and wakes up with his own wrists seeping blood. He finds out about a strange man in black who's been asking others about him and who later breaks into his co-op room. The man works for a group called The Project. New York journalist Nica has previously investigated the group, which crops up again when she's writing an article about the Titulus Crucis, a piece of wood that's reputedly a relic of Jesus' crucifixion. The Project, it seems, is using science to engineer the second coming of Christ, a fact which eventually leads Nica to Jacob. This short novel is rich with detail, and many of Nica's interviews feel like history lessons; at one point, for example, she and Dr. Pavel, who analyzed a sample of the Titulus Crucis, discuss the mutual appreciation between science and religion. But no part of Nica's investigation feels tedious, and most of what she learns becomes important as she closes in on The Project's ultimate goal. The more exciting, modern scenes are offset by the slower scenes of Jesus at the cross and during the days that followed. The two time periods alternate throughout the novel; the placid, engaging tale of the persecution of Jesus' followers nicely counterbalances the tense, contemporary thriller, which later features a kidnapping. The novel also boasts an understated love story between Jacob and Elena and expanding intrigue as Jacob realizes that there's much more to his life than vivid dreams. Readers will likely see where the story's headed, as Piatt does drop quite a few hints as it goes along. He also smoothly sets up a potential sequel.An inspired, stimulating religious thriller.

Kirkus Reviews