In Lieu of Heaven
Kevin Archer
(Reviewer - Rev. Marie D. Jones)
2004 Xlibris Books
ISBN: 1413421865

Driven by vengeance, one man finally finds God. He swears no one else will: not even the devout young man who has wandered into his camp.

Associate Reviewer Rev. Marie D. Jones writes:

Wow, wow, wow! That was my initial reaction the entire time I read Kevin Archer's In Lieu of Heaven, a powerfully profound & shocking re-examination of Biblical text that proves something most of us won't be prepared for -- that the God of our traditional belief is a God of death, killing, murder, slaughter & bloodshed.

Wow!

Written in novel form, In Lieu of Heaven follows the travels of a man seeking his path in life. Only this man instead stumbles across a lush & beautiful garden amidst a hostile terrain. He enters the garden with some trepidation. Once inside, he meets a reclusive & enigmatic gentleman who offers him water, a bowl of soup, & a story that will change the seeker's entire belief system.

For you see, the gentleman in the garden claims to be the original Adam, & his story is about his quest to destroy the object of his absolute hatred.

Wow!

The story proceeds with this Adam describing his creation in the Garden of Eden to his first meeting with Eve, to their tasting of the forbidden fruits. He chronicles their abrupt exit from their home & their awakening to their own power on the “outside.” But the story takes a strange turn, one that sends our protagonist seeker running for cover several times, only to return to hear more. For the man who calls himself Adam goes on to describe his lifelong vow to seek revenge against the entity responsible for taking his beloved Eve, their children Cain & Abel, & for all of the bloodshed & violence ever perpetrated upon innocent humans.

Adam is after God. Wow!

As this awesome novel progresses, Kevin Archer uses dozens of actual Bible quotes & passages to show how his own belief system was shattered on a trip to India as he began to realize that God, at least the God of the Bible, was not a kind & loving father, but an abusive one who lusted for the blood of humans & animals alike.

Wow!

Kevin Archer, a former Christian missionary & child of fundamentalist parents, unapologetically explores this new idea of God as the villain of the Bible, using the Bible itself as his ammunition, & the results are mind-blowing to say the least. & the fact that he chose to do it in novel form rather than non-fiction adds to the power of the unfolding realization that he is absolutely right. God, the God of the Bible, was not a very nice guy.

Wow!

At the book's end, Kevin Archer provides us with each & every Biblical passage he got his material from, & I actually went back & reread the Bible for the millionth time, & could no longer deny what was in front of me.

Wow!

The God of the Bible was vicious & loved the sight of blood, especially that of innocent humans, including children (his own son, nonetheless). None of what Kevin Archer says is made up, although a few times he does take a little liberty guessing at what might have been meant by some of the passages. But in general, he is just doing what every Christian has been doing, & sometimes forcing non-Christians to do for centuries -- taking the Bible literally. Not a pretty picture when you set aside the demand for blind obedience & faithful denial & really take a look at the stories of genocide, infanticide, mass slaughter, rape, selling of children, child sacrifice, stoning, crucifixion & other lovely little behaviors God seemed to revel in.

Wow!

In the end, justice is done in its own way, only you have to read In Lieu of Heaven to understand what I mean. Man is left with the option of believing what serves his fear, or what serves his life. The path is wide open & our hero sets off from the Garden to find his own way. Isn't that what it's all about anyway?

Wow!

For fundamentalist Christians, this book will cause only fury & rage. For those willing to open their mind & take a chance, In Lieu of Heaven will have your jaw dropping down to the floor. This is a daring & gut-wrenchingly honest book indeed about where heaven really lies, & who alone has the power to find it.

Wow!
(09/26/04)

Rev. Marie D. Jones
2004©Marie D. Jones
A RebeccasReads.Com Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
Marie Jones is a New Thought minister, author of Looking For God In All The Wrong Places & a widely published writer of inspirational essays, gift books, short stories & magazine articles. She is also a screenwriter, & has produced a children's storybook video series for Gigglebug Farms Productions. she holds a Masters Degree in Metaphysical Studies & is a licensed pastoral counsellor.