Willis Starcher, who wrote “KINGDOM IGNITED: A Saving Philosophy,” about the teachings of Jesus, said he relied on books and texts not included in the King James Bible. (Photo provided)

Willis Starcher’s son’s death from drugs led to a book dedicated in his memory about the life of Jesus Christ.

“KINGDOM IGNITED: A Saving Philosophy” is about how the teachings of Yeshua of Nazareth, Hebrew for Jesus, in the first century can offer clarity and a way to live with oneself and others, Starcher said. Starcher said he relied on other books and texts about Jesus not included in the King James Bible.

The genesis of the book was the death of his son, Joshua, whom Starcher said he named after Yeshua, in the spring of 2022 at the age of 32.

Joshua was at a bar where a girl gave him what apparently was a fatal dosage of fentanyl, Starcher said.

The girl was never charged, Starcher, a semi-retired resident of Belpre, said.

“That incensed me that she wasn’t,” he said.

The grief from Joshua’s death was incredible, Starcher said.

“It took its toll. It still does,” Starcher said. “It’s just devastating.”

The sorrow was so overwhelming that in 2024 Starcher started research for the book, to learn from the original writings the message of Christ, which he said over the centuries has been misinterpreted from their original meaning and intent, he said.

The purpose of writing was in some way to assuage the death of his son.

Starcher said he offers an interpretation of what Jesus may have done in the “missing years” and what his life may have been like based on other writings about Christ, “not just what was in the King James Bible.” The hope was to offer clarity on the first century teachings and how their original meanings have meaning for today.

“And how we can find our way back to the message,” Starcher said.

While 2024 was spent in research, 2025 was spent writing, Starcher said.

The result is a 350-page book, Starcher’s first. It is available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and other major sellers. The cost is $18.99 for the hardcover, $12.99 for paperback and $6.99 for a Kindle version.