''Christ Clone Trilogy'' is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part wo ...

by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while othe ...

James BeauSeigneur, dealing with the end of the world by presenting a fictionalized version of

Christian eschatology Christian eschatology, a major branch of study within Christian theology, deals with "last things". Such eschatology – the word derives from two Greek roots meaning "last" () and "study" (-) – involves the study of "end things", whether ...

. BeauSeigneur's writing is compared to much more name recognized contemporaries, such as

Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have ...

, for its attention to detail.From Booklist The series has also been compared to the better-known ''

Left Behind ''Left Behind'' is a multimedia franchise that started with a series of 16 bestselling religious novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. It focuses on a seven-year conflict between the Tribulation Force, an underground network of converts ...

'' series of novels, as both deal with the concepts of the

Rapture The rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurrected believers, will rise "in the c ...

, the

Antichrist In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form)1 John ; . 2 John ...

, and the

Second Coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messi ...

of Jesus.

Components of the trilogy

#''

In His Image "In His Image" is an episode of the American television anthology series '' The Twilight Zone'' aired on January 3, 1963. This was the first episode of the fourth season. Each episode was expanded to an hour (with commercials) from "In His Image" ...

'' #'' Birth of an Age'' #'' Acts of God''

Plot

The trilogy starts with ''In His Image'', where living human cells discovered on the Turin shroud are used to

clone Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to: Places * Clones, County Fermanagh * Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland Biology * Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massive presence of which may indicate a pathologi ...

a child, Christopher Goodman. The book follows Goodman's story by telling the tale of Decker Hawthorne, a journalist and the main character of the series. Among the main events covered in this book are the creation of Christopher, the

rapture The rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurrected believers, will rise "in the c ...

and Christopher's progress to becoming a key figure in the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

. The trilogy continues with the ''Birth of an Age'', in which a series of disasters and plagues assault the earth and its inhabitants. Towards the end of this book, Christopher is killed and then resurrected. Finally in ''Acts of God'', there is coverage of further natural disasters and the realization of Christopher's true identity and motives. This book follows through to the end of the world and life afterwards.

Characters

Major characters

*Decker Hawthorne Decker is the main protagonist in the series. Decker is a

Vietnam veteran A Vietnam veteran is a person who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States Armed Forces, and o ...

who becomes a journalist and world traveler. Good-natured but ambitious Decker grows more and more successful throughout the series, and ends up as Chief of Staff for the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Secretary-General happens to be Christopher Goodman, his foster son, and prophesied Antichrist of the Revelation. *Christopher Goodman Christopher Goodman is the titular Christ Clone within the trilogy. Living dermal cells are obtained from the

Shroud of Turin The Shroud of Turin ( it, Sindone di Torino), also known as the Holy Shroud ( it, Sacra Sindone, links=no or ), is a length of linen cloth bearing the negative image of a man. Some describe the image as depicting Jesus of Nazareth and belie ...

and are cloned by Professor Harry Goodman, who wanted to study cells which are resistant enough to remain healthy after 2000 years. The series, told mostly from Decker Hawthorne's point of view, chronicles the life of Christopher Goodman, his rise to political and spiritual power. *Robert Milner Robert Milner is a former Secretary-General of the United Nations who served as Christopher's spiritual mentor and moral compass during his early adulthood, and remains one of Christopher's closest advisors, confidents and friends. Milner is approaching 100 years of age, however, due to a transfusion of Christopher's blood, he appears as a vital man in his middle years, at the peak of health. He is Christopher's right-hand man in matters of faith and spirituality.

References

External links