How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee by Bart D. Ehrman

Another fascinating book by Ehrman who, like me, is agnostic and was once "born again". I love his history and the facts that he garnered as a minister, clergy, educator. His realization that the stories and the God concepts do not hold together has not diminished his curiosity and his search for historical perspective. 

Religion is fascinating because we encounter it everywhere driving behavior or more likely justifying behavior. One religion demonizes the next, but in fact has no stronger claim. In fact religion is simply a belief in god that is expressed through choosing from 100s of options (including 100s within the existing primary religions).

The very Tower of Babel of conflicting views is enough to confuse any earnest believer, but it is through this morass that the author seeks to figure out how the preacher in Galilee became a god and when. Of course the search is thorough and takes us to dates, writings, and people who have disappeared from common knowledge, but in the end the answer is not certain and promises to not be certain in the future either.