Christian author G P Taylor has hit out at Philip Pullman’s new fictional biography of Jesus Christ and branded the atheist writer a “dangerous theologian”.

In his latest book, 'The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ', Pullman re-imagines the life of Jesus by him into two twin boys, one growing up as Jesus the virtuous teacher who dies on the cross, and the other as Christ, who reinvents his brother as the Son of God.

In an interview with Premier Christian Radio, Taylor warned that the book could be damaging to children.

He said it was “highly inflammatory” and described Pullman as a “very, very dangerous theologian in regards to Christianity”.

He said he would not give the book to a child because “I wouldn’t want those ideas going in their heads”.

“I wouldn’t want those sort of misshapen, twisted, sort of Gospel ideas being placed in there, putting seeds of doubt,” he said.

“Children of a certain age are not equipped emotionally to deal with the things that Pullman is talking about.”

Pullman is best known for his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, a thinly veiled attack on the Catholic Church. The Golden Compass, the 2007 film based on the first of the trilogy, was criticised by the Vatican when it was released in 2007 for its depiction of a godless world where there is no hope of salvation.

Pullman has been accused by Christian groups including Catholic League of pursuing an “anti-Christian” agenda and promoting atheism.