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Surprised by JesusHis agenda for changing everything in AD30 and todayTaken off guardSURPRISED BY JESUS This book works through the life of Jesus in 16 short chapters, aiming to ‘unearth the specific historical and cultural situation of Jesus’ day’. The style of writing has a contemporary, readable feel, with a good balance between scriptural reference and anecdote, also providing points of application. At first, the book might seem most appropriate for a new Christian, as it works as a short chronological compilation and exploration of the major events in the gospels, such as Jesus’s baptism and temptation, the Sermon on the Mount, miracles and healing, the Last Supper, and Gethsemane. However, the book could also be a refreshing read for an established Christian, with its challenges (‘Will you leave the cosy environment of your own circle of friends, your own ethnic group, your own social class, your own country…?’), surprising insights (‘Look for an occasion when Jesus had anything like an altar call, and you will look in vain’), and certain points I found rather brave to make: ‘They had become like Christians who attend Christian schools, not because they value a Christian education, but because they fear contamination of non-Christians’. There are certain elements which the average conservative evangelical wouldn’t quite associate with: the recommendation by Eugene Peterson for one, and Stafford’s assertion that, ‘If they (televangelists, mean-spirited fundamentalists, and liberals who repackage the spirit of the age as progressive Christianity) bear the name of Christ… I belong to them and they to me’, for another (cf. Matthew 7.16!). Ultimately, though, these things don’t detract from the book’s thought-provoking points, such as: ‘The trouble comes when we’re incapable of finding glory in other people’s worship. Some older Christians find themselves incapable of listening to younger people’s praise music without scorn. Scorn for other people’s worship of God! Younger people may be equally scornful of older Christians’ love of hymns. [Yet]… they must sing with these people eternally!’ All in all, an interesting read, which traces the historical life of Jesus, and how it impacts us today. YR, © Evangelicals Now - May 2007 |