Good News of Jesus: Reintroducing the Gospel [Paperback]

William L. Countryman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1993

At the heart of Christianity stands the figure of Jesus and the message he embodied--the gospel. This book seeks to make what is at the heart of the Christian religion available in a new way in our time. Many of those who read this book will already have some notion of what the Christian faith is about. Professor Countryman therefore writes: "I fear that the reader will bring to the reading of this book all kinds of assumptions that don't belong here; and I have tried to be explicit in rejecting some of these so that I can reintroduce something truer." Within the church and outside of it, people today are in a period of refocusing and rediscovery, asking what is really central to the Christian faith. Some claim that today's church has lost its heart, if not its soul. Countryman sounds a clarion call back to the gospel, the "good news." For in the end, he writes, "we must be prepared to choose the good news over everything else." Here, then, is a fundamental work that has grown out of and been tested in the parish, and that has served as a basic text for seminary courses in "Foundations of Christian Spirituality." L. William Countryman is Professor of New Testament at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, California, and author of The Language of Ordination: Ministry in an Ecumenical Context, also published by Trinity Press.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

New Testament professor and Episcopal priest Countryman writes a marvelous book for theologically unsophisticated lay readers on the meaning of Christian Gospel, or "good news, " about the radically unconditional love of God. In ten chapters told in simple but profound language, he retells biblical stories and develops a theology, from "how God proposes to love you--without the least regard for what you deserve," to God's delight in seeing "you taking care of yourself," to the implications of this good news for Christians' relationships with their neighbors, the world, the Bible, and the Church. Highly recommended for public and seminary libraries.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"With Orthodox doctrines expressed in crystalline language, this book is a provocative argument for undertaking the risk of receiving and sharing the unconditional love of Christ."--Deirdre Good, Professor of New Testament, General Theological Seminary (Deirdre Good )

"This book will have a special value for evangelsim and for new Christians, but will also be a blessing and a challenge to many who are ready for refreshment and reintroduction to the good news."--Frederick H. Borsch, Bishop of Los Angeles (Frederick H. Borsch )

"With Orthodox doctrines expressed in crystalline language, this book is a provocative argument for undertaking the risk of receiving and sharing the unconditional love of Christ."--Deirdre Good, Professor of New Testament, General Theological Seminary (, )

"This book will have a special value for evangelsim and for new Christians, but will also be a blessing and a challenge to many who are ready for refreshment and reintroduction to the good news."--Frederick H. Borsch, Bishop of Los Angeles (, )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Trinity Press Int'l (February 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563380501
• ISBN-13: 978-1563380501
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,515,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING GRACE, May 25, 2000

By 

Charles B. Owen (Jackson, MS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good News of Jesus: Reintroducing the Gospel (Paperback)

How many times have we heard the "good" news that,although God loves us unconditionally and proves that love in thedeath and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we had better "get our act together" or else face the prospect of eternal damnation? Reading between the lines, such "good" news really says: "In the end, God will give you what you deserve, and what you deserve is probably not very nice." Many persons who have thought about becoming Christians - and even many persons who already are Christians - recoil from this message, thinking that if this is good news, then who needs any bad news!

In this brief book, Episcopal priest and New Testament scholar L. William Countryman cuts through the double messages often presented as the good news of Christianity. He shifts the focus away from the self-centered preoccupation with sin to the God and Christ-centered nature of grace. "What God says to you in Jesus," Countryman writes, "is this: You are forgiven. Nothing less. Nothing more" (p. 3). In other words, what God says to us in Christ is that we get God's forgiveness and unconditional love not only when we are penitent, but precisely when we are least deserving (cf. Romans 5:6-8).

Over the next 100 pages, Countryman develops the implications of this message from the perspective of God's astonishing and unfailing generosity. He teases out the implications of the good news of Jesus for each of us as individuals and for our relationships with God and other persons. Countryman also applies the good news to how we should understand the authority of the Bible and the nature of the Church. Lest he be charged with soft peddling the serious nature of sin and evil, Countryman also addresses the profound difference that refusing the good news makes in our lives. Although Countryman fails to do justice to all of the theological and moral terrain he covers in such a short space, the book successfully raises profound questions and ideas for the reader's contemplation.

I found Countryman's shift in perspective from human sinfulness to God's grace profoundly healing, encouraging, and uplifting. In contrast to the many ways we reduce the gospel to a veiled threat of eternal judgment, this book brought to life the surprising and hopeful character of the good news. "God has chosen you in love, just as you are," Countryman assures us (p. 109). His book reaffirmed for me why I am a Christian, it made me want to grow in my faith, and it made me want to share my faith with others. The book also challenged me to let go of my judgmental tendencies by looking at other persons and myself from the perspective of God's graciousness in Christ. This is one of those books I find myself returning to again and again, and every time I reread it I find myself renewed in faith.

I enthusiastically recommend Countryman's book. It's a perfect introduction to Christian faith for persons interested in the possibility of becoming Christians, for Christians who could use a reminder of what the faith is really all about, and for Sunday school teachers looking for a readable text to use for their classes. If you're looking for a theologically sound yet readable introduction to the basic message of Christian faith and its implications for life, this book is for you.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous, healing and redemptive work, August 1, 2000

By 

Sophia (the Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Good News of Jesus: Reintroducing the Gospel (Paperback)

In "Good News of Jesus," Episcopalian priest and scholar L. William Countryman distills two thousand years of Christianity down to its utter essence. "You are loved. God loves you, no matter who you are, no matter what you do, no matter what you believe or don't believe. God loves you." Working from that central premise, he goes on to discuss what that means in terms of the community, the church, the Bible and the world.

Those who espouse a more legalistic view of Christianity will definitely have a problem with this book. But for others, especially those recovering from harm done in the name of religion, or those unsure as to the relevance and meaning of the Christian faith, this book will serve as a healing, refreshing and well-balanced look at some central truths in Christianity. A gentle and very sane book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was first a little impatient with this book, January 14, 2007

By 

Michael Grello (Columbia, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good News of Jesus: Reintroducing the Gospel (Paperback)

Knowing Mr. Countryman to be a scholar I first judged this book to be simplistic, and to be sure it is easy to understand. As I read further, I discovered something else altogether. The prose seem to be singing, there was a lilt and celebration in every line. The learned theologian had written a book of joy, not doctrine, not cold examination but kind of a love poem to Jesus. This book is uplifting and a must read.