Metta Valley Gospel, Book 1

"For anyone healing from fundamentalism, this book feels like freedom."

-Cindy Wang Brandt, author of Parenting Forward

Raised in a world of rules and shame, Jesus has always questioned what others accept. He's sharp, restless, and tired of being told who he's allowed to be. When his defiance finally erupts in a clash with the rabbi who trained him, he is forced to leave his home behind. Angry and unmoored, he wanders the ancient world in search of a new beginning-stumbling instead into a journey that will overturn everything he was taught to believe.

His path leads him east, into a remote Buddhist monastery tucked in the mountains. There, as he faces the voices of shame and fear within him, he begins to unlearn the stories that once held him captive and to imagine a freer, more compassionate way of being.

Metta Valley Gospel is a work of literary, philosophical, and historical fiction about Jesus-an engaging, imaginative retelling for anyone healing from fundamentalism or reconstructing their spirituality.

Perfect for fans of The Book of Longings, The Alchemist, Lamb, and other character-driven, historical and spiritual fiction.

More early praise:

"Helton's engaging adaptation of Jesus's story... opens the imagination to the depths of our shared histories."

-Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Life

"Not since Christopher Moore's Lamb has there been a fictionalized retelling of the Jesus story that had this much imagination, style, and punch."

-Rev. Dr. John R. Mabry, author of The Worship of Mystery

If you're ready for the Jesus story they never taught in Sunday School, this is a good place to start.