Christopher Malinger

The Atheist and the Preacher's Daughter Christopher Malinger

Carl Webster, twenty-five and a sax player, meets Rachel Hanson, seventeen. The two fall in love. There's only one problem: he's a NY atheist and she's a NJ evangelical. Rachel is the second of twelve children. Her older sister Tamar (one year older) is identical in looks to Rachel. Their father is a pastor, while their down-to-Earth mother, Leah, runs a dairy farm. Carl and Rachel meet while she is out witnessing. When Rachel asks, "Do you believe God cares for you?" his reply of, "No!" startles her. She trips and sprains her ankle. That starts a bevy of comic scenes especially when the two families meet. Officer Larry Wydell is a redneck policeman who follows Rachel in her adventure to New York convinced that Carl is trying to kidnap her, or worse. We follow them all through a series of misadventures toward the hilarious ending.