‘There’s nothing reassuring about Jesus. That’s why I stayed away from him for so long’

Mythologist Dr Martin Shaw came back to faith after a night vigil and a supernatural experience of Christ

My father is a preacher and my brother is a pastor, so, Christian faith has been in the oxygen. But my dad would often tell me fairy tales or talk about folklore and, without the pressure to believe, my imagination felt more liberated. By the time I got to 17, in the high drama of the charismatic movement in the early 80s, I thought: I need a major hiatus from this. I didn’t realise that would last till I was almost 50.