In His Image (book)

infobox Book |
name = In His Image
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Cover of "In His Image"
author = James BeauSeigneur
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series = Christ Clone Trilogy
genre = Christian, Science fiction novel
publisher = Warner Books
release_date = 1998
english_release_date = 06/2003
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages =
isbn = 0446613274
preceded_by =
followed_by = Birth of an Age

"In His Image" is the first third of the Christ Clone Trilogy, by James BeauSeigneur.

Plot

On a trip to Turin to analyse the Shroud of Turin, journalist Decker Hawthorne and professor Goodman discover living human cells remaining. After the trip, Goodman takes some samples back to his laboratory, in the United States, and discovers that they are still alive. He then invites Decker to show him his discoveries. Once Decker arrives, Goodman explains several of his theories about the cells, and how they could be implemented to insert into ones body to cure disease, due to their strange properties and signs of immortality. Then the professor proposes to Decker the idea of cloning the cells, but Decker does not support this idea.

Some years pass and Decker visits professor Goodman with one of his two daughters. While Hawthorne and Goodman talk for some time, Deckers daughter meets and interacts with the Goodmans adopted son, Christopher. A while passes and then the Hawthornes head back home.

In the way back home, Decker suddenly realises who Christopher truly was: A clone of the cells of Christ. So he heads back immediately and talks with Goodman, quite concerned about the professors decision. Goodman explains that Christopther is like any usual boy, but that he shows a high degree of intelligence and has never suffered from disease of any kind. Before leaving, Decker assumes out loud that Goodman named the child "Christopher" because of Jesus Christ, of whom he was cloned; but the professor rapidly corrects him, claiming that he named him in name of Christopher Colombus, since he believed that the child would lead the world into a new era.

Then, the years pass and pass, with Decker wandering through Israel and its surroundings, because of his job, a journalist. There he learns lots of things about the historical place and its notable culture.

One day, Decker receives an anonymous phone call saying that "The dogs will suffer but will have no place to cry". He immediately calls the police and they tell him that the call must have come from Muslim terrorists, making a threat of some kind of massacre or attack against the Jews (to which the callers referred to as "the dogs"), but they remain uncertain about where they plan to attack.

Some time after, Decker realises that the terrorists who called him were referring to The Wailing Wall when they said that the Jews would have "no place to cry". He rushes to the historical site, just in time to watch it blow up entirely.

He then is kidnapped by Muslims, along with his companion journalist Tom, and is held captured at some unknown location. He and Tom remain imprisoned for several years, until one day he wakes up and sees Christopher telling him to follow through the door. Decker argues that the door is locked, but Christopther responds that the door is indeed unlocked. After opening the door, he guides Decker through the stairs. On their way, Decker reminds Christopher of Tom, but Christopher tells him that he doesn't really matter, and once they both open the final door, Decker finally sees once again the brightness of the sun...

All of a sudden, Decker wakes up of his dream, but realises that the door is open. He gets Tom out of his cell and both escape. After walking away for some time, they cross a road and are stopped by the secretary general of the United Nations, Jon Hansen. Hansen offers Decker and his friend a trip back to the U.S.

Once back, Decker and Christopher join the United Nations. After working for some time there, Jon Hansen tragically dies when his helicopter falls in Pakistan. After that, the voting phase initiates to elect a new candidate. Christopher and Albert Moore remain the two final candidates. Albert Moore and his secretary, Gerald Poupardin, together plan a way to succeed through illegal acts. They start killing ambassadors and make it all look like accidents, all to make Moore Secretary General. Christopher, tired of such evil and power hunger, grabs Moore and commands him to reveal the truth: That he is a liar involved in the assassination of several embassadors. Moore at first negates all this, but after feeling intense pain from some mysterious forces inside him, coming from Christopher, he finally admits the truth, with the hope of having his life spared. Christopher then release him and Moore immediately dies. After the death of Moore, Christopher is elected Secretary General, with Decker as his assistant.

References

*cite journal|last=Duncan|first=Melanie C.|date=2002-02-01|title=In His Image/Birth of an Age/Acts of God (Book)|journal=Library Journal|volume=Vol. 127|issue=Issue 2|pages=p84|issn=03630277