Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #116072 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

Excellent for anyone looking to christianity or spirituality into practice
I've often puzzled at why the church seems so different from what I read in the Gospels. Church tends to focus on Jesus saving our sins etc. What I'm interested in is what Jesus said about how to live our life - being kind, giving, humble, welcoming to prostitutes etc. The author agrees and is also a vicar and learned man of God so it made an interesting, and at times inspiring, read. I did lose the thread occasionally in the first half but the second half is excellent. If you're not Christian (and I'm not really) then it might be a tad too focused on scripture as the means to get a message across. However the author is a very good writer, which makes it a great read.

From acceptance to understanding
I'm not a Christian. Having said that I do believe that Jesus Christ is the most perfect being to have ever walked on the face of the earth. And I also believe that he died that I may be saved. On a daily basis I do my best to put my trust in God.

However, Christianity for me has always been about being good enough for heaven or being doomed to hell. And I'm sorry but I don't accept that. And that's why I don't call myself a Christian.

This book will take seekers away from the evangelistic portrayal of Christianity to a new and more encompassing understanding of why God sent his only son to pay such an awful price for our sins.

This book is much more than another attempt to get us hooked on religion. Indeed I don't think it would have too much success if that was its aims. Instead Mr McLaren uncovers what Jesus was about, what he stood for and what his vision for the world consisted of. Reading it with acceptance will take you to a new understanding of what it is to be human.

This is a fresh approach and it works.

Not so Secret Secret
I've been fortunate to be able to read a pre-release galley of Brian McLaren's new book, the Secret Message of Jesus.

The title seems a little too like Steve Chalke's 'Lost Message of Jesus', and I'm not keen on the title itself, using the word secret. Having said that, when you read the book, and explore the message of Jesus, historically, theologically, biblically as the book does, you could be left thinking, I wish more people new about this.

It's not an emerging church book, and will lay out for a lot of people what Brian believes about Jesus, the Gospel, and christian mission. I found it greatly inspiring and gave me an understanding of Jesus, his connection to the church, and mission throughout history, and our hope in him for holistic life and mission today.