Books like The Modern Christ — picked by fans

Hi, I'm Elizabeth Bristol and I’m just a regular person. For a long time, I ran from God because, well, I didn’t want Him telling me what to do. Then something amazing happened. Mary Me: One Woman’s Incredible Adventure with God describes my journey into this wild new relationship with God through Jesus Christ who helped me break free from the lies I’d believed so I could be the me He created me to be. I found out God’s way cooler than I ever imagined and that He has an adventure for everyone. So, I became passionate about wanting to help others find theirs because no matter where you are with God, there's always more!

I am a child of God, an heir to the throne through Jesus Christ, and a living testimony to the great I Am. I have 4 children who keep me young. I have been with my spouse for 20 years (married for 10). I run a Facebook page called “Jesus Loves All of Us,” where I share daily devotionals. I opened a publishing company called Stewardship Press a few years ago, which is linked to this page. I have written over 20 books, journals, coloring books, and devotionals, most of which are Christ-centered. The others that do not have Christian content are still morally and ethically upstanding secular content.

I am adopted. I am a birth mother and also a mother through adoption. I have lived through all ‘three faces’ of adoption and know how each ‘face’ affects millions of people's lives all over the world. I am passionate that conversations around adoption need to come out of the closet and the secrecy surrounding the subject must disappear. By writing my books, I am on a mission to support adoptees, birth mothers, and adoptive parents and help them realise they are not alone. After publication of my first book in the Survival Without Roots trilogy, I am humbled that people are reaching out to say that reading Book One has helped them so much.  

I am a linguist and a Christian (a Catholic), with a lifelong passion for clear understanding. I have spent my life, over many decades, searching for the shared human concepts because I believe these concepts give us the key to open the meaning of what people say (in different languages) and of what Jesus says in the Gospels. In the process, I have published some thirty books engaging many disciplines. Three of them deal directly with Christianity: What Did Jesus Mean? (OUP 2001), What Christians Believe? (OUP 2019); and The Nicene Creed in Minimal English: Why Christianity Needs Universal Human Concepts (Palgrave 2025).

I have been writing for more than a decade specifically in fantasy. My mind was filled with tales of magic, heroes, and mythical creatures for decades. When Christ called me it was like learning how to fit my creativity and imagination into this box. Except, He is the box from which all creativity comes. As for my expertise concerning the Word of God, I have studied the Bible from beginning to end and I have prepared and preached a number of sermons. I will one day be a full-fledged pastor, and writing is a part of the job. I have a unique blend of fantasy and Christ. 

I’m the author of five extremely different novels: Boy A (which was made into an award-winning film), Cham, Genus, The Tongues of Men or Angels, and Under Country. They share almost nothing in subject or setting. Ranging from first-century Judaea to a future London. From ski resort workers in France to young offender prisons in Britain. My latest work - Under Country - is about the 1984 Miners’ Strike and its still lingering scars in the North East pit villages. Yet, I suppose, if there were a unifying theme between them, it would be that each, in its own way, is influenced by and fascinated with Christianity.

I've been writing poetry since second grade, although oddly it took me until after college (where I was Class Poet) to start writing poetry that *gasp* didn't rhyme. (Did I mention I grew up on Ogden Nash and Shel Silverstein?) I started attending local poetry slams and then poetry festivals like WordXWord, and listening and performing there showed me what poetry could be. Poems can crystalize in a few lines a universal truth you've felt for years but been unable to express. I think that's amazing. (I also think it's better with a dash of humor mixed in, because I'm a humor columnist and I'm biased.)

My passion for mythic stories began as early as the age of five, when my father had me tested and found I was reading over two hundred words a minute. He quickly saw the need to feed my thirsty young mind and placed epic fantasy books (most beyond my comprehension) in my tiny hands. As for my absorption with stories that impact the soul, I'd have to say my strongest interest came from my need for it. That need has shaped me and shaped my writing, much more than any list of qualifications, which include being a licensed minister, a professional pianist and cinematic composer, and now a published author.

Barrie is an historian specializing in early Christianity. Today we now know that there were many different movements within the first few centuries, each claiming to be Christian. James’ Jewish group differed from Paul’s Christ religion and both differed from Gnostic Christianity which saw Jesus as a teacher of insight. None was dominant. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Gnostic writings add an intriguing overlay. The books selected are those that open up new ways of understanding the historical development of Christianity. Each in its own way has created a paradigm shift.

Ever since I was 12 years old, I told my mom I would figure out this thing called, “life.” It wasn't until 7 years later that I started my journey to dive deep to find the deep profound truths of this world, our life, and how it all works. I've read over 1,000 books on many topics that span from mindset, psychology, neuroscience, near-death experiences, spirituality, universal laws, and much more. I wanted to find out how this all works so I can help myself which in return, can help the ones I love and help the world. Since then, I've written 3 books that have been the accumulation of this journey so far.