The zealously religious Ivan Ivanovich imagines he has a rivalry with Silovoy, a prominent citizen of "Holy Town." When Ivan discovers evidence of an embarrassing past, he attempts to abase Silovoy in the eyes of his fellow citizens. Convinced he has God's approval, Ivan is willing to do anything it takes to achieve his aims, even if it means going against the fundamental teachings of his religion.
The array of characters in this work present a fascinating exploration of religious ideas and philosophies, the consciousness of the human mind, mankind's search for meaning and wholeness, and other questions of the soul. In addition to the author's original philosophical concepts, the ideas of Jung, Plato, Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, and others are examined.
Reviewed by Ephantus M for Reader Views (10/2023)
"The Gospel According to Ivan Ivanovich" by Nathaniel Ernest is an essential piece of Christian literature that tells the story of a religious adherent whose experience with an extraordinary event at a young age set in motion a sense of superiority and self-righteousness that would turn out fatal to his blossoming, all-rounded development.
Ivan Ivanovich was born in 1860 and only managed to live for 35 years before his untimely demise. He was a well-known individual who considered himself exceptionally good, influential, wise, and special in the whole town of Svyatogorodok, Russia (now Ukraine). An undeniable feeling of superiority and pride soon bore glaring dishonesty that was visible to everyone around him. He identified himself as one with God, a notion that evolved fast, giving birth to a glorified outlook on religion and traditions. He considered his religious convictions as absolute truth and pure knowledge and constantly held onto his subconscious beliefs as his guiding commandments.
Ivanovich was on a destructive path that saw him delve deeper into selfishness, blasphemy, and hurting other people in his quest for self-righteousness, control, and eminence. He became so good at deception, shrewdness, falsehood, exaggeration, slurring, and flattering to an extent that mature individuals would prefer to let him off their hook instead of being dragged down by his unforgiving fibs. His story is full of shocking details and readers will encounter the diverse events that led him to become a slanderous and murderous zealot, who was always fixated on other people's sins.
This is a seminal work that should be read by every new and mature Christian out there. Ivanovich's story offers a fresh perspective on the results of being overly self-righteous and being fooled by wealth as well as unsound and unsupported beliefs. The author puts up a decent transformation twist that will inspire millions of readers. The story is thoroughly stunning, especially the unimaginable turn of events at the end of the read.
"The Gospel According to Ivan Ivanovich" by Nathaniel Ernest will have you look at life from a different perspective. It is an emotional but highly evocative story that proclaims in detail the atonement and its nature as the highest manifestation of empathy by Jesus Christ to his beloved. The compilation is worthwhile and Christian readers will relate with it better. It is overall a simple, rich, elucidating, and indispensable read that will leave the reader thoughtful.
