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Mo Thomas: Book Review from a Black Hole

Mo Thomas: Book Review from a Black Hole

Last updated on: September 13, 2026 at 4:50 am by Gregory T. Smith

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Mo Thomas: Book Review from a Black Hole 2026-09-12T19:44:57-08:00 Gregory T. Smith

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’ve learned that some book endorsements are a favor. Mo Thomas’s review of my book felt more like one traveler recognizing another.

Mo Thomas: Book Review from a Black Hole

We were two writers circling the same question, in the same publisher’s orbit. (Image created by Gregory T. Smith on Canva)

I’ve never met Mo Thomas face to face. We met the way most writers encounter one another these days—through publisher’s channels. This is what I’ve learned about the industry as I’ve been working with Quoir to put my new book into the world. I wasn’t just signing with a publishing house. I was joining a community.

Quoir Creates a Community

Quoir isn’t a big house, but it is an important one. When I was a pastor, I said for years, “I’ve got a book idea but I could never get it published while I’m still in ministry. And I could never get it published through a typical Christian press.” This is where Quoir comes in. Once I’d found my voice outside the pulpit, Quoir provided the freedom to publish the kinds of things that most houses won’t touch. I’m grateful to them for that.

More than publishing books, Quoir creates community. Co-owners Keith Giles and Matthew J. Distefano create community by introducing authors to one another through podcasts, opportunities for book reviews, and more. This is how I met Mo Thomas. We were two writers circling the same question, in the same publisher’s orbit.

Every author wants accolades from fellow writers. They help market the book. But when I received Mo’s endorsement, it felt like recognition instead of just praise.

The Anthology Trail

I was first invited into the Quoir circle when Giles and Distefano asked Patheos for suggestions for authors who might want to contribute a chapter to their anthology,** Sitting in the Shade of Another Tree. This book invites readers to consider the wisdom found in other religions. It calls thoughtful believers not to consider other traditions as threats, but as relatives. And it welcomes faithful people to trust others enough to sit in the shade of someone else’s tree, and to be nourished by its branches.

My chapter, “Neo paganismand Taoism,” became the germ for a book, in which I asked myself not, “How can I combine multiple religions into one,” but, “as a Christian, how can I sit at the same campfire with Taoists, Pagans, and others? How can I remain true to my own path while journeying side by side with other pilgrims?” It was from this anthology chapter that I got the idea for Jesus and Lao Tzu: The Way of Love.

And, I jumped at the chance when the folks at Quoir asked me to contribute another chapter to Quantum Theology, Vol. 2. I submitted “Paradox at the Heart of Reality: A Quantum, Taoist, and Christian Vision of the One Who Holds All Things Together.” It’s scheduled for publication in the not-too-distant future.

And, I learned that Mo Thomas, author of Into the Abyss, has contributed to Quoir’s Quantum Theology: Vol. 1. That put us in the same circle. So, when I reached out to Mo to get his opinion on my book, I was excited when he quickly replied.

Into the Abyss

In Into the Abys: Discover Your True identity in the Infinite Depths of Christ, Mo narrates his own mystical experience of being pulled into a black hole, “spaghettified,” and encountering the Godhead before creation.

With Mo’s engineering background, he is able to walk readers through the real physics of black holes and quantum theory without losing any spiritual weight. His book centers on trading the goal of certainty for trust. He gives readers permission to stop needing doctrine to feel whole and resolved.

As someone who embraces uncertainty and recognizes mystery at the core of the universe, this gives Mo credibility as he reviews my book. This is what he said:

Endorsement from Mo Thomas

Gregory T. Smith’s Jesus and Lao Tzu: The Way of Love is a rare and refreshing invitation for the weary soul to step off the treadmill of religious certainty and spiritual performance. By placing the radical, downward mobility of the Nazarene alongside the gentle, non-coercive wisdom of the Tao Te Ching, Smith does not force these two traditions into an awkward theological blender; rather, he sits them comfortably by the campfire as companions in the universal search for Truth. With the tender precision of a spiritual director, the book diagnoses our modern addiction to control, ego, and division, offering instead a path of radical humility, simplicity, and inner freedom that disarms our defensiveness and lets the breath of Love flow through us once again.

In many ways, this text acts as a modern signpost pointing back to the Perennial Tradition – that deep and ancient current of divine wisdom that has always whispered across cultures and centuries, reminding humanity that Reality is best approached not through conflict and conquest, but through participation and surrender. Smith challenges us to embrace a holy emptiness, showing how the quiet paradoxes of wu wei and self-emptying love are entirely at home in the heart of the Gospels. Whether you are a deconstructing Christian, an interfaith seeker, or simply someone aching for a kinder, larger experience of the Divine, this book offers a spacious, unpressured home where you can drop your armor, rest in the Great Mystery, and remember the Way of Love.

Mo’s Spaghettification

I am grateful to Mo Thomas for his thoughtful words. But they are more than kindness—they are resonance. While we come from different backgrounds, we also share similar experiences—including teachers who influenced us, struggles in marriage and parenting, and dogma that stripped away under the strain.

Mo’s spaghettification echoes Christian Kenosis that I discuss in my book. It sounds like Jesus’s becoming like a child, and Lao Tzu’s return to the state of the Uncarved Block. This is what happens when religion gives way and all that remains is Spirit.

When we go through turmoil like this, we recognize that we can do nothing but embrace spaghettification. Let go of our need to manipulate and control. Learn to walk in radical humility.

The Perennial Tradition

Without my mentioning it, Mo makes reference to the Perennial Tradition. This is the idea that Ultimate Truth shines through the many religions and philosophies throughout human history. Religions act like prisms that break white light up into the visible spectrum. This is important, so people can see the light. But we make the mistake of thinking that one particular color, or even the spectrum that human beings can see, is the fulness of that light.

The Perennial Tradition communicates the way that Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Sufism, Taoism, and so many of the world’s great traditions converge on the same light source. When we engage in interreligious dialogue, we do not claim that the differences do not matter. But we do affirm the single source of Ultimate Truth behind the spectrum of beliefs. I’m glad that Mo noticed that in his endorsement.

Release Date – September 22

My book is scheduled for release on Amazon, September 22. You can preorder your Kindle edition now.

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About Gregory T. Smith

I live in the beautiful Fraser Valley of British Columbia and work in northern Washington State as a behavioral health specialist with people experiencing homelessness and those who are overly involved in the criminal justice system. Before that, I spent over a quarter-century as lead pastor of several Virginia churches. My newspaper column, “Spirit and Truth,” ran in Virginia newspapers for fifteen years. I am one of fourteen contributing authors of the Patheos/Quoir Publishing book “Sitting in the Shade of Another Tree: What We Learn by Listening to Other Faiths.” I hold a degree in Religious Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University and also studied at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. My wife Christina and I have seven children between us, and we are still collecting grandchildren. You can read more about the author here.

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