Matt Mikalatos’ Imaginary Jesus is a Christian novel that even non-Christians are raving about, a book that seeks to answer the question, who is Jesus, and where is He in the midst of our suffering? But that book description sounds dry and almost dull, and this surprising, hilarious and deeply touching book is anything but dull!

Matt and I talked about so many subjects, including:

The crossover appeal of Matt’s book and the response of non-Christians to the book.

The dangers of taking oneself too seriously.

The Apostle Peter’s early years following Jesus.

Why Matt believes that most of Jesus’ followers, himself included, may sometimes be following an imaginary Jesus of their own.

The autobiographical nature of this novel.

The universality of pain and suffering as a part of the human condition.

Matt’s early work at a comic book store.

Matt and his wife Krista’s overseas experiences as missionaries in Communist Asia.

How the idea for the novel Imaginary Jesus came about, and how Matt wrote the book in five weeks and found a publisher for it.

How the publisher, George Barna of Barna Books, became a character and a caricature in the book.

The decision to make “Imaginary Jesus” free in ebook format during the month of February, and how this is affecting sales (we also touched on ebook lending).

Matt’s upcoming book, Night of the Living Dead Christian.

Here are links for topics we discussed:

Imaginary Jesus in the Kindle Store (FREE for USA customers until the end of February)

Matt’s Blog

Campus Crusade for Christ

Wes Yoder

Tyndale House Publishers

Barna Books and George Barna

Here’s the book trailer for Imaginary Jesus — fantastic illustrations!