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An ancient tomb provokes modern controversy

A review of the book A Skeleton in God's Closet

By Eric Seymour

A couple rainy afternoons and a 13-hour trip home from Panama City Beach, Florida to Bloomington, Indiana gave me plenty of time last week to read Paul L. Maier's novel A Skeleton in God's Closet. I throughly enjoyed this book, and due to a combination of its reputation and my own endorsement, my personal copy now has two people in line to read it!

Maier is a professor at Western Michigan University, and has written a number of nonfiction works related to his historical studies of the centuries immediately encompassing the life of Jesus Christ. A Skeleton in God's Closet is a realistic work of fiction that examines the events surrounding an archeological discovery which casts serious doubt on the Biblical account of Christ's Resurrection. It becomes immediately clear that this discovery is either the "hoax of the century" or has the potential to change the course of history, and the lives of 1.8 billion Christians worldwide.

At the beginning, I had my doubts as to whether a book by a college professor could live up to the quality I've enjoyed in books by full-time authors. While Maier's writing style is somewhat different from big-name writers, the detail and authenticity which he brings to the story from his background in archaeology and anthropology make this novel as realistic and engaging as any Tom Clancy novel I've read (though significantly shorter!)

I found A Skeleton in God's Closet not only delightfully entertaining, but also challenging to my personal beliefs. In addressing the Resurrection, Maier hits on issues that will challenge anyone to examine what they truly believe and why they believe it. Through his characters, Maier also clearly articulates the centrality and importance of the Resurrection to the Christian faith. You can likely find A Skeleton in God's Closet in your local Christian bookstore, but you can also follow the link in the first paragraph to purchase it online from The Prodigal Son Christian Bookstore, a part of Books Now virtual bookstore.




Eric Seymour


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