Modernization of the Stories and Teachings of Jesus: ‘The Man and a Boy’

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Tucson, AZ, August 20, 2009 — The basis of Christianity is the teachings of Jesus Christ. This is an undisputed fact. While they have been passed through time in many forms and incarnations, the settings and text have remained unchanged. “The Man and a Boy” (published by iUniverse) by Dr. James McBride employs techniques of academic literary discourse to update the ideals and teachings of Jesus to a modern setting.

“The Man and a Boy” is a portrayal of Jesus as a teacher, friend and spiritual father of the little boy. The story covers approximately twelve years of the boy’s life. As “The Man and a Boy” progresses, the boy grows from a child into a young adult. The boy gains knowledge of the words, ideas, thoughts and language of the heroes and idols that have permeated the modern world and attempts to reconcile them with the teachings of Christianity. According to Dr. McBride, “We learn from their original works. This book is the accumulation of their ideas. I can only say that I trust and believe in the truth of their words and language.”

“Steven Hawking is a theoretical physicist at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He is known for his contributions to the fields of theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes.

“His scientific works included theorems regarding singularities in general relativity, and the theoretical discovery that black holes emit radiation, which is known as Hawking radiation. He’s written some popular best-selling science books about time and other science ideas.”

“What did you think of his ideas?” The Man asked.

“At first, I didn’t understand his words from math and physics. After thinking about them, I got the general idea about theorems, general relativity, black holes, and radiation. Physics makes you think.”

The boy paused before continuing. “He’s a brilliant man confined to a wheelchair. His handicap has not slowed his thinking. He’s disabled by ALS, known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

The Man interjected, “That gives us a good idea about Steven Hawking. Here are some more of his words. Please read them!” The Man handed the boy some papers.

Before he read the words from Steven Hawking, the boy had to brag: “I think I understand how a scientist can be a prophet of God.”

Dr. James McBride was born and raised in St. Louis. After graduating from Emeryville High School he earned bachelor’s degrees from UC Berkley and San Francisco State. McBride earned his Ph.D. from Temple University in Philadelphia. He went on to teach several generations of high school students physics, astronomy, math, biology, psychology, electronics, economics, history and government. Dr McBride has devoted his life to learning and personal understanding so that he may extend that understanding to others. After retiring, Dr and Mrs. McBride relocated to Tucson, Ariz.

iUniverse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors. For more information, please visit http://www.iuniverse.com.