Born Again Yesterday

"Hello, my name is John, and I'm a fundamentalist. It has been one week since I last judged someone fit for eternal damnation."

Faith is a journey. This is the story of the long, awkward trip back.

Born Again Yesterday is a crisis of faith story. It's funny, then it's not, then it is. Kinda like life.

John is a Christian, but he has lots of doubts and questions. He confronts everyone from fellow churchgoers to fundamentalist talk radio DJs to God himself and, in the end, comes to a resolution that empowers him to be a good person, no matter what he believes.

Born Again Yesterday is the novelization of a play for one actor. Below are some things critics said about the live show.

From the Urban Tulsa Weekly:

“McKean's play isn't anti-God or anti-spirituality or even anti-religion. It's anti-ignorance and anti-lies churches-tell-people-to-keep-them-fearful-and-control-them. It's about the differences between God and religion, between spirituality and the church.”

“I found Born Again Yesterday to be both entertaining and insightful. There's no doubt that McKean is a skilled actor, who easily and seamlessly slips from one character into another. And his writing is quite good, too, giving the audience plenty to both laugh at and think about.”


From the Tulsa World:

“Through with booths, altars and pulpits, McKean confesses his anger and angst on a stage through 'John' and several other personas to relate his life borne out of a fundamental interpretation of the Bible as a guide to living. But if anything becomes clear during the two hours spent watching him rip pages from the Bible or pace the Nightingale stage, it is that McKean appears to be still curious of this outcome himself, and that makes it interesting for us.”

“How much of 'John' is actually the author? You can never be certain unless you ask, but if the failed relationships, distance from family, guilt and a sharp sense of betrayal are anywhere close, McKean is boldly laying out a lot of himself for the perusal of strangers. The power of his conviction to share this experience makes it notable.”