Now Available: I AM SOPHIA by J. F. Alexander (released by Wipf & Stock Publishers):
When a mysterious and charismatic woman insinuates herself into a fringe religious group, its dozen members wonder whether she is a lunatic, a con artist, or a messiah. Sophia quickly upends the routines and expectations of the group—the last Christians in the inhabited solar system—while Peter, their struggling leader, becomes increasingly obsessed with her. Before long, Peter finds himself following Sophia on a perilous interplanetary adventure which may cost both of them their lives.
More than a novel, I Am Sophia is a modern-day mystical treatise. Not for casual readers who merely want to be entertained, it is written for spiritual seekers who ask big questions: Why are we here? Who or what is God? Why is there so much suffering in the world? Does Christianity have a future?
“Beautiful, poignant, and theologically insightful, I Am Sophia grapples with the Christian church’s sins and shortcomings and points toward possibilities for its future. As with important literature in all faith traditions, it uncovers eternal truths by engaging with real life in all its grittiness.”
–MARY GRAY-REEVES, bishop in The Episcopal Church and managing director of The College for Bishops
“Alexander combines the gifts of a compelling storyteller, religious scholar, and visionary. Many theological books, hymns, and litanies have celebrated the biblical divine image of Sophia, but this is the first novel. With vivid descriptions and character portrayals, it invites seekers on a suspense-filled quest for her sacred wisdom.”
–JANN ALDREDGE-CLANTON, author of In Search of the Christ-Sophia and Breaking Free: The Story of a Feminist Baptist Minister
“With skillful characterization and inquisitiveness J. F. Alexander takes us to a future that has almost forgotten its age-old quest for the spiritual. Whether or not that could happen, provocative questions abound.”
–DAVID BRIN, the Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of bestsellers such as The Postman (adapted into a movie starring Kevin Costner) and Startide Rising
“Captivating from the first moment, I Am Sophia takes you on an expansive journey across time and space.”
–LAKSHMI KARAN, space entrepreneur and cofounder of the Future Frontiers Institute
“A mind-bending vision of the near future which traces the outcomes of runaway climate change, income inequality, political collapse, and the decline of religion, I Am Sophia is ultimately a novel offering hope in the possibility of renewal, a gift for us at this time.”
–MARC ANDRUS, bishop of the Episcopal diocese of California and co-author (with Matthew Fox) of Stations of the Cosmic Christ