The good news of Christianity is not about a "business deal."
343008
I learned of Darrell Bock's book, "Recovering the Real Lost Gospel" as I read Scot McKnight's more recent book on the same topic,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-King-Jesus-Gospel-The-Original-Good-News-Revisited/dp/031049298X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited</a>.  Both books assert that modern Protestant churches have altered the good news of Christianity by reducing it to a business transaction between God and his creation.  Both books make a decent argument that the Gospel is bigger than what theologians call "forensic justification," but Bock does a better job describing what the "larger" good news of Christianity really is.  Bock contends that "God has taken the initiative in Jesus Christ to bring us into relationship with Him. At the core of that good news stands a promise to form a new relationship and a new community."  As Bock says elsewhere in the book, the gospel is about "God's pursuit of us in relationship as He restores creation to its intended design."  The author argues that relationship in the Spirit, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and living in a way that is pleasing to God are part and parcel of the good news of Christianity.

I enjoyed "Recovering the Real Lost Gospel" very much; it is well-written, rationally organized, and quotes rather than cites scripture in support of its arguments.  I recommend it highly to all Protestant Christians, especially those who suspect that there might be more to Christianity than the "Four Spiritual Laws."  That being said, I wish that Bock had included a discussion of the significance for the Gospel of the sermon(s) by Jesus commonly called the "Sermon on the Mount."  Nowhere else in the New Testament does Jesus challenge the "easy-believism" or "cheap grace" of modern Christianity so much, and yet Bock nowhere addresses the radical teachings of Matthew 5-7 or Luke 6 as "good news."  Perhaps he will address this issue in the next edition of this fine work!
3850683
From the winning stable of fine Pre-
terist Preacher Don K. Preston of
the Ardmore, Oklahoma Church of Christ
comes a new volume of prophesy proclaim-
ing the really good news of Jesus com-
plete and once and for all delivered to
the saints life in Christ.

This in-depth exegeis of 1 Thessalonians
4:13, Preston shows that a linguistic,
grammatical, contexual anaylisis of Paul's
text actually falisifies all future expec-
tations of 'a bodily return of Jesus' to
earth and "end of the Christian age".

Dispensationalism is a house of cards that
will destroy ones correct interpretation
of the fulfilled prophesy correct view of
the Bible. This is very occultic, people.
Pls. wake up and read the truely good
news!

Revisionistically Yours,

Rich Salzer,
Historical Review Library,
Moyock, North Carolina, USA
391874
this Commentary does not invent weak man-invented ideas that take-away from God all praise and turn it into an author's self-glorification. FrG
4337122
Mark McNees new book The Six Signs of the Gospel is sure to be a conversation starter which makes it a good book for a small group study.  Mark reminds the reader "the Gospel is more than the New Testament, the Four Spiritual Laws, or the teachings of Jesus. The Gospel, the "Good News," is the proclamation of the whole story of God and His creation." This will indeed be good news to those looking to uncover Jesus in every page of the Bible.
4461587
Though this is sold as a "business and economics" book, it has more God in it than a church. I don't need an employment book to tell me to pray for guidance any more than I need a Bible with pop-up ads for pawn shops in the Book of Matthew.
2012739
Reverend Slaughter makes his points regarding Christian giving without subjecting the reader o an onslaught of guilt. He has definite views on the need and extent of giving especially to the church, but expresses those views in a non-judgemental fashion.
523929
Much of Christian thinking today is conversionistic i.e. thinking that says salvation comes ordinarily through the means of a "Damascus Road" experience.

Rich Lusk shows just how far this kind of thinking is from the biblical paradigm. The Bible speaks of God growing His kingdom and Church through the chief means of the family. Because we are in covenant with God, our children also belong to Him. They are His children; and as His children He blesses them with the gift of faith in seed form.

It is then given to us as parent-stewards to nurture this faith in our children so that they might grow in this faith, that it might mature and bring forth fruit in abundance.

As parents, we should treat our children as Christians, not as pagans. This will make a world of difference in how we train and instruct in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
3409784
This spiritual autobiography is not an apologetic for "bad boy" theologians. It's not a treatise on antinomianism. It's not a vain attempt at self-glory or justification. This book honestly portrays the wreckage of sin in the life of the author, who chased after far too many idols in his day, and rightly warns the reader against the same. Consistently Christocentric, the good news of Christ is clearly portrayed in masterful writing. At 148 pages, this book is a very easy read. I recommend this book without reservations.
2563673
The author describes the  Good News  of the true Gospel, and it is that whosoever believes in Jesus will be saved. The God of Calvinism is a god who only desires that those he chose before they were born would go to heaven, the rest he created to go to hell. Not the God of the Bible!
2205492
A great and readable telling of the good news without all the religious jargon. As a child of God I was very encouraged in the reading
1440351
There seem to be far too many Christian books that simply rehash old ideas and fail to admit and demonstrate in practice the crux of The Gospel - we are a screwed-up people in need of The Savior.  I found myself at times asking whether the book improperly lowered the bar for believers.  Upon reflection, I don't think that it does.  We are so impressed with who we are at times measured against other screwed up people.  There is none that does good, no not one. We are people, and God is God.  Brants book recognizes that tenet in a refreshing way.
2906955
Anyone who is the least bit interested in really understanding what Christianity is meant to be should read this book.  Put aside your preconceived notions (negative or neutral) about church and/or Christians and really find out what God's plan for the world was and still is.  Humans are imperfect beings and create 'religions'.  The good news is that God is not religious.......find out what that means for you.
1120346
It seems there have been more apologetic books coming out lately. Not saying that is a bad thing because it is a need for the Body of Christ to have resources to equip them to share their faith. If you asked people in church why they believe what they believe, you might get different answers. Of course, if you ask a new Christian that same question, they are going to have a tough time answering you.

In Reasons For Belief, Norman Geisler and Patty Tunnicliffe address common questions for believers to answer people who ask them some basic questions. These questions address the challenges Christians face especially in the United States where everyone would say they are Christian for other reasons than putting their faith in Jesus. The first chapter serves as an introduction to the book. The remaining chapters serves as answering the challenges people have regarding the Christian faith.

Those challenges are:

1. Real truth does not exist. "Truth" is just truth to you.

2. God does not exist.

3. If God exists, he isn't necessarily the God of the Bible.

4. Miracles don't happen.

5. The New Testament's many errors make it unreliable. It's more like a collection of myths and legends.

6. Jesus never claimed to be God.

7. Jesus didn't prove he is God.

8. Jesus did not rise from the dead.

9. The Bible isn't the only religious book.

10. Christianity is too narrow. There are many ways to God besides Jesus.

This is book is an easy read so those who are new to faith will not feel overwhelmed with a lot of terminology. Plus this is also a good book to give to someone with questions about Christianity. It also might be a good thing to read at a coffee shop with a couple of friends.
2695641
This book is one of a kind, in the sense that it is so honest about the struggles as a Christian. I was born into a Christian family and I could relate to most of the struggles mentioned in this book. But it isn't like a book of rants about being a Christian. It leads us to see what the true meaning of being a Christian is. We get lost trying to be perfect Christians, but the sad truth is that we're not. And that's what is so beautiful about Jesus. We don't need to prove ourselves to be loved by Him and we don't need to be pious to be called a Christian.
Thank you, Donald Miller for writing this honest-to-God book for people like me.
3669931
Those who have written negative reviews appear to be in the mode of traditional orthodoxy, which appeals to those who are right with God but excludes the marginalized. While Christians can be "right with God," we often do so at the risk of neglecting the very people Jesus reached out to during his earthly ministry. Somehow in our quest to "do church," we have forgotten to "be the church." I thank Brian McLaren for helping those of us contemplate what it means to be the kingdom of heaven here on earth.
3285213
The word church can conjure up many ideals and feelings. Some good and some bad. Some hop from church to church and never settle in and be commited to a body of believers. Some see no need for the church and feel that they do better without the church. Since the church is made up of sinners, the church can have a bad name, even a bad taste for some. Others have experienced the love of God thru the church. This book is really not about feelings but about the purpose of the church and our need to be a part of believers in a local church. Jesus loves the church. He is coming back for the church. I was convicted of many things reading this but also it sparked something within me as well. The book gives you a cause for the church and what to look for in a church. A church where scripture is the meat and not the seasoning, where teaching is driven by confidence and the authority of the word, where the gospel is being worked out in relationships and lives thru the church. God has given us a responsibility thru the church. Now what do we do about it.
1215521
A young person heading off to university would do well to spend a few weeks reading The Gospel and the Mind. Actually, someone who has not stepped foot on a campus in decades or one who has no intentions of doing such would do well to read it.

The stigma attached to the modern Christian Church is a stereotype and a caricature. But the thing about stereotypes and caricatures is that we get them for a reason. Are they all legitimate? Certainly not! But we must take into consideration why they exist.

This caricature checks their brain at the church door. If this only misrepresented mere humans, fine. But since this misrepresents the God we serve, we would not be doing ourselves any favors by avoiding this discussion.

The Gospel and the Mind challenges and encourages the believer to be intellectually competent--not for bragging rights, but to instill in us a godly confidence that the Gospel is essential to our morally faulty society and that belief in this Gospel is reasonable.

The unfortunate reality is that many who call themselves Christians shun intellectual pursuits. But as Green says, "We should ultimately see all endeavors of our minds as a subset of discipleship." (p. 99).

At the end of the day, the point this book drives home is that intellectualism apart from God is meaningless. If the greater good to be achieved is knowledge for knowledge sake, we may as well pack up and head home now. But as Christians we know that all of our pursuits (academic or otherwise) are for the glory of God. And thank God for his mercy to us by making Himself known through the Cross.

There is no inconstancy, but rather a beautiful unity between the Gospel and the mind. This book is an excellent place to start in search of that continuity.