A Quick History

I find myself in quite a predicament with this book, dear reader. Although initially published in 2010, I had been tinkering with it for years. Even as I write this in 2023, I am not so much struggling with the book itself but rather the version of myself who originally penned it.

I vividly recall toiling away at my kitchen table in Northern California long after my wife and daughters had retired for the night. I grappled with stacks of note cards, journals, and scraps of paper, endeavoring to capture all my creative ideas on the blank page. It was my first foray into writing, and the sheer magnitude of the world I attempted to create was overwhelming. Yet, it was also a profoundly thrilling and rewarding experience.

However, while writing this book, I experienced the lowest point of my life. I went through a painful divorce and questioned everything I believed in. At the time, I was involved with a church that deemed divorce an abhorrent sin. I was living the cliché of a broken man, residing in the suburbs with my proverbial tail between my legs and despising every moment of my existence. I feared God's wrath and believed that my divorce would bring a curse upon me. But ultimately, I knew ending my marriage was the right decision, despite the excruciating pain it caused me.

I self-published the book a few years later, which garnered moderate success. I sold over 500 copies and even attracted a literary agent who submitted it to several major publishers. Unfortunately, the feedback was mixed, with some feeling that the book was either too Christian or not Christian enough. Ironically, those were the same feelings I had grappled with during my journey.

Fast forward to the present day, and I find myself revisiting this book. However, I am a vastly different person than I was when I first wrote it. The more I distance myself from that version, the more I realize that my divorce was not solely about ending a toxic relationship. It was also about extricating myself from a toxic religion.

As I delve back into the book, I plan to rewrite it and clarify that it is neither a Christian nor an anti-Christian book. Instead, it is a tale that utilizes many of the parameters outlined in the Bible and then expands upon those stories to explore their deeper meanings. As Christians, we often speak of saving others, but there is significant confusion about what precisely we are saving them from. What is hell? What are demons? What does the end of days look like, and if events unfold precisely as many in the church believe, what will that mean?

The central concept I wish to explore is that if everything transpires according to the Christian faith, God will ultimately be forced to wipe away all of existence at the end of times. In essence, everything the Christian faith teaches will fail. How could that be? Why would that happen? These are the questions I seek to answer.