355 pages
This book is a project in renewing the imagination of the church in the United States and of those who would seek to know Jesus. We are seeing more and more that the church has fallen in love with the state and that this love affair is killing the church’s imagination. The powerful benefits and temptations of running the world’s largest superpower have bent the church’s identity. Having power at its fingertips, the church often finds “guiding the course of history” a more alluring goal than following the crucified Christ. Too often the patriotic values of pride and strength triumph over the spiritual virtues of humility, gentleness, and sacrificial love. (Page 17, Jesus for President)
This is the basic thesis of the book, and just as wide of a range of topics as it may stir up, is just as many that the authors attempt to tackle. The book is divided up into 4 large sections and a couple of appendixes that cover topics from war to peace, taxes to voting, subverting the empire to submitting to the very empire you are subverting, to political parties and how Jesus fits into the whole mix. It’s a rather fascinating research project intermixed with stories and quotes that seek to spark the imagination towards Kingdom living in the third way of Jesus – a way that is neither right nor left but a way that is gospel centered.
Too often we get caught up in the political game of Republican vs. Democrat believing that one or the other holds all the beliefs of the gospel. Unfortunately this is far from the truth and this book exposes that fallacy with fervor. Perhaps my favorite topic of discussion throughout the book was the pacifistic position that was taken in relation to the War on Terror and any other war that will eventually take place. As a long time pacifist, this certainly helped me to think in imaginative ways around the idea of war as necessity and even as a possibility.
This book is long, and in the length there are times that it feels as if it drones on and on about a topic until it nearly beats the horse to death… but they do a great job of breaking that up with timely stories and new ideas. I would highly recommend this book—but be prepared to be provoked and disagree with the conclusions there within.
Related posts:
- starving jesus (a review)
- Judas and the Gospel of Jesus (a review)
- they like jesus but not the church (a review)
- the great omission (a review)
- divine nobodies (a review)
What is Jesus’ policy on off-shore drilling?
clean energy. i think Jesus would be green.
You stinkin Prius drivin San Fran lib
Seriously though – can someone explain to me what it means to be green. Because all I hear when people use the word “green” is “politically expedient” or “hip” or “better than you while I fly around in my Gulfstream.” Does being green mean that I must have a van instead of an SUV? a car instead of a van? a hybrid instead of a car? a moped instead of a hybrid? a bike instead of a moped? AHHHH! Where does it all end?
Everyone should read State of Fear by Michael Crichton.
Be careful now Rags… we may be getting even more lib and getting rid of the Prius to be “more green” having no car at all!
You know, I’m not really sure I know what it means to be green other than recycling, reducing carbon footprints, etc, etc… even though that sounds great an all, it really isn’t practical for the majority of the country… we’re too spread out… we have to much land. It’s different in an urban environment, but when we lived in the Midwest, it was downright impossible. Maybe we should give some of our land back to the Indians… (how’s that for being lib.)?