The Genesis of the story;  The Slant;  Preface

In 1985, Ian and Bill are high-achieving high-school students in an average, Midwestern city when a personal tragedy strikes Ian’s family. The event forces each to closely examine his beliefs and faith traditions, and sets in motion a journey of inquiry that spans a lifetime of cruel and glorious twists. Their sometimes conflicting paths through life’s liturgies and lotteries—its prejudices and paradigms—test and shape their relationship as they struggle to make sense of faith, tragedy, evil, and conventional definitions of morality.

Ian wants answers his faith can’t provide, so he abandons traditional religion and its magic, mysticism, and supernaturalism—turning instead to science and reason. In the late 1990s, Ian and his wealthy employer gather an unlikely group of leading scholars, theologians and scientists, as a result of the pair’s shared thirst for truth and knowledge. When profound revelations lead each friend to uncover shocking historical “secrets” in support of his own worldview, their odyssey plays out on a global stage, with tragic consequences.

In 2009, despite a nation that is mourning a massive terror attack, “The Desoterica” shakes the world by going public with proof of an incendiary discovery that attacks the very core of Christianity. Is the supposed “discovery” just a public-relations stunt, or is it a profound historical realization?

Ian’s best friend, Bill Vanderveen, is among the countless throngs who reject the group’s conclusions, based upon different interpretations of the supposed evidence. Bill’s path has become that of a devoted Christian who sees the bountiful harvest that can be achieved through spirituality and faith.

Only by embracing the inherent mystery and pain of their quest, do Ian and Bill make the discovery that really matters—a genuine secret of the universe.

MORE;   Genesis;   The Slant;   Preface

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