Joshua in a Troubled World: A Story for Our Time Book

The bestselling Joshua series takes an invigorating, timely new turn as Girzone’s beloved hero spreads his message of love and compassion from the streets of our nation’s capital to the blood-soaked lands of the Middle East.

Joseph Girzone possesses a unique ability to make Jesus’ words and actions come to life for contemporary audiences. His fictional depictions of Jesus’ return to the present-day world—the Joshua series—have inspired millions of readers. Joshua in a Troubled World is at once a magnificent continuation of his perennially popular series and an enlightening perspective on the political paranoia and destructive acts of vengeance that fill the front pages of our daily newspapers. Arriving in Washington, D.C., Joshua walks along Pennsylvania Avenue with a cool detachment and determination that sets him apart from the bustling crowds. Under ordinary circumstances, he would no doubt be seen simply as a man wrapped in his own thoughts. But in these security-obsessed times, his Middle Eastern appearance and his spontaneous stops at various churches, temples, and mosques inevitably arouse suspicions. Taken into custody by two government agents, Joshua challenges the legal and moral justness of their actions and they reluctantly release him to continue his mission. It is the most difficult and controversial mission he has ever undertaken—a plan to unite Arab- and Jewish-Americans and to work with them to resolve the bitter wars and religious animosities in the Middle East.

Peopled with prominent figures such as Ariel Sharon, and moving from Washington to Beirut and then to Oslo while the peace accords arebeing hammered out, Joshua in a Troubled World explores the most explosive issues of our day and offers a realistic, compassionate assessment of the things that divide us and the beliefs that can serve as a foundation for a new, more peaceful world.

Publishers Weekly

The latest installment in Girzone's Joshua series finds the titular character-a present-day incarnation of Jesus-roaming around Washington, D.C. As an apparent drifter of Middle Eastern descent, he immediately raises FBI suspicions, is brought in for questioning twice and is followed incessantly. Appearances are deceiving, and before long, Joshua is contacting and organizing prominent Washingtonians of Middle Eastern heritage. Soon he and this band of Jews, Christians and Muslims are traveling to various Middle Eastern countries to bring their power elite (including Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon) on board, and the whole enterprise culminates in a new Oslo Declaration of Peace. The novel expresses strong opposition to U.S. detention of Middle Eastern men and articulates a universalist theology-affirming that Muslims, Jews and Christians all worship Joshua's Father and that they are all cared for by his Mother. While many Christians will appreciate the way Girzone's theology, as well as his view of human nature and the world, contrast to that of the Left Behind series and other popular Christian fiction, his book does not succeed as a novel. The characters are one-dimensional, the dialogue is stilted, the plot is tedious and the conclusion is entirely predictable. The author makes the classic mistake of telling rather than showing and creates a novel that fails to persuade or involve the reader. (Feb. 15) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.