Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 20, 1994                   TAG: 9403170047
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Cody Lowe
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

CHRISTIAN FICTION MATURES

If we are willing to go back a few decades, we can dig up some nuggets that were pretty satisfying. "Ben Hur," "The Robe," "The Word."

Overall, though, publishers have either thought fictional treatment of religion would be offensive or wouldn't sell.

That has changed in recent years. The Frank Peretti series that began with "This Present Darkness" has been entertaining, if lightweight, and undoubtedly financially successful. The Peretti books - which have included "Piercing the Darkness" and "Prophet" - seem to have revived an interest in writing popular fiction around Christian themes.

A new entry in the field shows some maturing of this type of fiction and is built around an intriguing premise - the purported discovery of the skeleton of Jesus by Christian archaeologists. Published by one of the leading Bible publishers in the country, Thomas Nelson, "A Skeleton in God's Closet" has some flaws but is compelling reading throughout.

Author Paul L. Maier, a professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University, includes convincing detail about archaeological digs, academic approaches to religious claims, Jewish-Christian relations, Protestant in-fighting and Catholic theological politics.

The story revolves around the attempt to verify a discovery in Israel of what seems ALMOST conclusively to be the bones of Jesus Christ.

The book is being marketed as a "theological thriller" exploring how such a discovery might affect Christianity. "Was it the hoax of the century ... or a truth so shattering it would tear the world apart?" asks what amounts to a subtitle on the cover. Maier demonstrates a solid knowledge of the broad strains of Christianity, but his characters insist on validating only its most mainstream evangelical strains. He stereotypes "fundamentalists" as those from "down South," dismisses the charismatic or pentecostal movement as "gibberish," and Catholicism is "simply wrong" on the issue of birth control.

His apologetic for the excesses of Christianity are pretty simple, as well, and the book wraps up a little too neatly.

The greatest weakness, however, is in the almost total collapse of faith Maier assumes would follow even the first news of a purported discovery of the bones of Jesus.

Such a discovery is presumed to negate the validity of the Resurrection - - although, technically, it should only raise questions about the assumption of Christ into heaven after the Resurrection. The evidence of the story, however, points to a gigantic hoax on the part of Jesus' first-century followers.

Despite those drawbacks, the story is entertainingly told, and the suspense is cleverly built to a quick climax. These Christians are real people, devoted to traditional evangelical theology, who face challenges to faith.

The book's conclusion will satisfy similarly orthodox Christians.

"A Skeleton in God's Closet" is published by Thomas Nelson and sells for $19.99. An audiocassette version also is available for $12.99.