The Christian life is not a walk in a rose bed; much of the time it is actually a confusing journey of testing which we wrestle through every day. This could be an accurate paraphrase of The Searchers, the latest from author Joseph Loconte. Using the backdrop of Cleopas and his travelling partner as they are making the walk to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-35, Loconte uses a large collection of pop culture references, stories and personal anecdotes, and time-period research to bring to life all the emotional aspects of what the followers of Jesus experienced after witnessing his execution. In doing so, he also shows the reader that many of these same troubling things that the first century Christians experienced are the same ones we experience today; experiences necessary in order to develop our own faith.
In this project, Loconte does a great job of picking apart the emotional dynamics of the time surrounding the Crucifixion. His connections he makes between Century 1 and Century 21 are brilliant and reveal a complex richness in our faith. At times, I felt a little buried in the various references to movies, books, and songs released over the last 50 years which were mixed in throughout in order to deepen the connections.
This is a solid book which will catalyze something in every reader who picks it up. Whether one has been walking with God for decades, months, or not ever, this book is sure to ignite the "Searcher" in all of us.
I received my copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for reviewing it. I was not required to write a positive review; my thoughts and opinions expressed are mine.
