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Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile

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In his latest work, Jesus Wants To Save Christians, Rob Bell along with friend Don Golden reflects on the growing differences between the message of the Gospel as found in the Bible, and the message of the gospel as preached in many Western churches each Sunday.

No doubt the criticisms will come that this book is anti-American, or un-Patriotic as Bell portrays America's growing global empire by way of comparison with other global empires of their time. The comparison is chilling and leaves the reader thinking, "what the heck are we doing?? Is this what Jesus wants for our nation??".

Rob Bell is in essence calling for Reformation in the Church. It is a timely and indeed Prophetic book that calls out the mischief of the war-makers and calls the Bride back to its roots and a message of grace and redemption. Something that will no doubt grate painfully with many right-wing pseudo-Conservative "christians" that see foreign enemies as the real cause of our problems, rather that those domestic enemies Thomas Jefferson warned us of.

Calling things as they really are and shining the light of Kingdom truth on where we are headed as a nation is something few men are brave enough to do. This book will challenge you to reflect on your own faith and ask yourself hard questions about your day to day opinions of war and terrorism and what our response as Followers of Christ should be.

A Manifesto For the Church In Exile. The sub title is extremely fitting. This book should go hand in hand with another Manifesto written by a Christian, that of Congressman Dr. Ron Paul; The Revolution: A Manifesto. Both books are in agreement with each other but present the argument from two very different but very solid positions. I recommend both of these books together.

Ending the book, Bell calls the reader to consider their place in the world. To stop waiting for something big to happen and to simply live the example of Christ for the rest of the world, and everything that entails. Buy this book, it will challenge and provoke you to see the world through the eyes of Jesus and not of the "Western Christian faith". And that, can only be a good thing.

I give this book 5 out 5. If this review was helpful to you, please click yes below.

I finished this book last night, and I continue to hold to my stance that even if you do not totally agree with Rob Bell's theology he always brings up some very good points that are worth think about and discussing. This book is a collaborative work of Rob Bell Teaching Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids and the former Lead Pastor of said church Don Golden on the current exile of the Church in America.

The point and ideas that Rob and Don make in this book are clear and simple enough that I do not want to ruin it with a shoddy summary but I do encourage you to read this book. Bell is known to sometimes make links and correlations between New and Old Testament that are sometimes thin at best. And there are a few of those, also in one biblical reference he confuses Philip the Evangelist with the Apostle Philip, but small little things like this do not take away from the fact that Rob Bell & Don Golden bring forth some very interesting ideas that can really make you reevaluate what you think your position in the world is.

There are people who love everything Rob Bell writes or speaks about, they will enjoy this book. There are people who hate everything thing Rob Bell writes or speaks about, they will dislike the book and probably find hundred's of things wrong with it. Then, there are those of us to listen to Bell, and agree with him on some things and disagree with him on others. I get the feeling that is the kind of reader or listener he enjoys the most. Bell & Golden don't ever claim to have everything right, but they do want to ask questions and encourage people to think and do. If you read this book with an open and without preconceived notions this book should deliver that for you.

To be honest, I have tried to like Rob Bell's work many times without much luck. That's probably a bad way to start a review.

I'm not a Bell-basher, but I'm not a fan either; I understand his appeal, but it doesn't appeal to me; I have been to his church, I know some people there, and I like them and have enjoyed worshiping at Mars Hill.

Many who haven't read Rob Bell's books are at least familiar with the phenomenally successful series of short films called Nooma (which are quite good). Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile is the third of his provocatively titled books - the previous two being Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (my review) and Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality.

If you've ever heard Bell speak, it's easy to hear his voice when you read his books - his pacing, pauses, and emphases are communicated well by the format of the text. The size and outside cover designs are clever and appealing, making them nice books to be seen with.

In Jesus Wants to Save Christians Bell uses the motif of exile to illustrate the condition of God's people at present and in times past, drawing parallels between the two. Exile, by Bell's definition, is "when you fail to convert your blessings into blessings for others... [and] when you find yourself a stranger to the purposes of God."

Bell wisely recommends that, "a Christian should get very nervous when the flag and the Bible start holding hands. This is not a romance we want to encourage." And adds: "For a growing number of people in our world, it appears that many Christians support some of the very things Jesus came to set people free from."

He does excel at delivering a concise synopsis of Old Testament Biblical events, but beyond that and into his interpretation of the events, I found little of value. The book does not deliver on it's promise.

In describing the new covenant Bell says: "No more fear, no more terror, no more thunder. That was the old way, the former thing, the first covenant." In this new covenant, "the truth will be so deeply etched into people's consciousness that they will naturally do the right thing." There is a common thread in Bell's work, one that is the cause of some accusations that he favors Universalism. There are certainly overtones of that soteriological view and it would be nice to hear Bell explain his thinking on the matter a bit more.

By challenging Bell's allusions to Universalism, one is put into the position of having to answer questions like "Are you saying you DON'T want everyone to be saved?" That is not the point here. Of course everyone (except the most extreme hyper-Calvinist) DOES hope that all will be saved, but likelihood of this goes against numerous passages of scripture. Some will spend eternity separated from God; Bell would do well to mention this more often in his teaching - not as a gleeful condemnation, but as a plea for repentance.

The text on the back cover says the following:

"There is a church in our area that recently added an addition to their building which cost more than $20 million. Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty. This is a book about those two numbers."

That claim is not substantiated in the pages of JWTSC; it would have been a much better book if it had.

The tone and scope of JWTSC reminds me of two other titles I read. Neither one sold me completely on its thesis and both are secular in orientation, but they challenged my preconceptions more effectively. So if a vibrant screed against the culture of excessive consumption and affluence is what you're after, you're more likely to be inspired by reading Naomi Klein's No Logo. or Kalle Lasn's Culture Jam: How to Reverse America's Suicidal Consumer Binge--And Why We Must.

I stumbled upon Jesus Wants to Save Christians A Manifesto for the Church in Exile just after it came out in October 2008. I purposely didn't buy it then...couldn't get past the thought that Rob Bell was being an elitist blowhard in publishing a book with such a condescending title. The last thing American Evangelicals need is another book to wave in the faces of unbelievers saying "see, He wants to save us." As if the crap fiction of LaHaye and Jenkins that pollutes bookshelves nationwide isn't enough. Gram taught me, though, to never to judge a book by its cover. In the case of Jesus Wants to Save Christians, I should have listened

First a little background. Trashy Pop Culture has perverted Evangelical Christianity. American Christians have, over the past 20 or so years, slowly bought into a Wealth and Health Gospel that says Jesus wants their wallets fat and their waistlines bulging. Preachers who espouse this Pseudo Gospel entice the weak and gullible to give a little money, say a prayer and poof the magic Genie will be at their beck and call. Health and Wealth Power pastors have helped to turn a proactive gospel of bringing the kingdom of heaven down to earth into a commodity, a hotel of comfort, a religion of sit quietly, tithe, and one day you won't be left behind. As this attitude permeates the Evangelical Culture, a Gospel of good news to the poor becomes an impotent, insular self help program led by men and women who've helped to cast their congregations into what the authors call a state of exile.

Exile, the authors state, "isn't just about location; exile is about the state of your soul. Exile is when you fail to convert your blessings into blessings for others. Exile is when you find yourself a stranger to the purposes of God."

As a growing portion of American Evangelicals decide whether to buy a third car or purchase a fourth flat screen, "3.5 billion people in the world live on less than two dollars a day, 100 million children are denied basic education, 4,500 people today will die of aids, and 840 million people will go to bed hungry tonight because they can't afford one meal." Bell & Golden argue that these statistics aren't meant to incite guilt within believers, rather recall a little story/theme of the bible, Exodus.

According to Jewish scriptures, the ancient Jews were in a literal physical exile. Slaves in Egypt whose lives were brutal beyond belief, they cried out for justice like the blood of Abel and in His timing, the story says, God came through Moses. The authors follow the progression of these rescued Jews through their deliverance to Sinai. Their journey continues to Jerusalem where, through Solomon, they again became slaves in their own empire, eventually ending upon the shores of Babylon physically and spiritually lost.
In Babylon the prophets began to speak of a coming son of David who'd lead them on a new exodus, a "Prince of Peace" who'll "reign on David's throne upholding it with justice and righteousness." This messiah, would fulfill the promise of Genesis that one would be born who would crush evil forever. Jesus, Christians believe, was the promised Prince of Peace.

In his first sermon on the scene, Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1 and states clearly the purposes of God He has been sent to fulfill:

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners.
To proclaim the year of the LORD's favor

Why has the church strayed from this, the true Gospel? Amongst other things, the authors reason, because her people have forgotten the various Egypts from which they were rescued. Exodus, they say, plays out not only as a story of a people long ago, but a spiritual reality that echoes in people's lives every single day. All people have their Egypts: "addiction, suicidal thoughts, anger, rage...prejudice, hate, envy, lust, racism, ego, dishonesty." They continue, "at the center of the Christian experience is crying out in our slavery and being heard by God," being redeemed through Jesus, led to Sinai where we find our purpose and identity," being "invited to join the God in doing something about our broken world" which "always involves hearing the cry of the oppressed and then acting on their behalf."

There's a sentence in the book's epilogue that sums up the entire manifesto: "Jesus wants to save our church from a kingdom of comfort, the priority of preservation, an empire of indifference, exile of irrelevance." This isn't a book with which the Church can pat itself on the back. It's a reminder of the spiritual desolation believers once knew. It's a challenge to see how broken the world is and how much God, to those who believe, has blessed their lives. It's a simple yet powerful meditation on bondage and liberation that describes a new exodus by which the Church can again become relevant. It reminds Jesus' modern day followers that the Kingdom is at hand and that it needs revolutionaries of peace and love ready to answer the cries of the oppressed. Ingesting it with an open mind and an open heart is sure to challenge and inspire, if not provide perspective on where the Church find herself and where she's called to be.

I bought it yesterday, and just finished it, i had the day off today. It's not a hard read, and it's incredibly short.

Most of the pages look like this post.

Short.

One line at a time.

Very few paragraphs.

I thought it was interesting, and actually agree with a lot of it, but i was very annoyed with the book. It was exhausting to read and I'm not exactly sure why. Again, I thought it said a lot of good things, but I feel like it was thin. I found myself going to the notations a lot for a deeper look, which was nice that it was there. Overall, I think the book could have been a series of blog posts and not cost 19.99.

Rob Bell's third and most anticipated book(for me at least) hits shelves on October 1st. Fortunately for us, we had the opportunity to see the book before it comes out. Wanting to scan the book led me to read the prologue. After that brief introduction I was hooked.

The book expounds on the journey of God's people from Egypt to Sinai to Jerusalem to Babylon. He then paralles that with the life of Christ, the Early Church, and the situation of the American Chruch today. One of his main points is that God hears the cry of the oppressed, and responds to that whether it is His people being oppressed or his people doing the oppressing. There is an ample amount of political talk that carries over with his descriptions, but they are insightful, relevant, and well thought out. Though Bell has been dogged by a lot of people within the church, the way in which he sees and explains scripture is unlike any of his contemporaries(personal opinion), and I believe this reveals the sincerity of his heart for following God.

Another vital point, that I felt made the book timely, was his comparison to Solomons empire to what he deems the empire of America. The similarities are hard to ride off, and pierce the heart in a way that caused me to hear the cries of those that we(as a nation) are oppressing. He challenges the readers to question the difference between entitlement and blessing. Given the recent naming of my generation as the "Generation of Entitlement," this question must be posed by those who live as though they are entitled and those who are attempting to challenge, minister to, and dare those who are ingrained with the idea that they deserve more than mere grace.

I would rather not give the book away, as I would recommend this book to anyone. But, if you have ever wondered about the connection between the Old and New Testaments, then read this book. Bell's setup reveals a completely new(to me)way of viewing the connection between the Testaments. This is vital since it is something that most Christians have wondered about. As I read, it was as though something clicked, and Bell's insights made me see more clearly God's authorship of Scripture. Not just divine authorship either, but good authorship, foreshadowing and connections like you wouldn't believe. And the lessons one can take away from these fresh ideas are timely and timeless.

If you have ridden Rob Bell off because he is categorized as Emergent, or whatever else they've labeled him, give this book a chance. If you are one searching for a real way to live out your Christian life, this book will challenge you to make some changes. And any book that points out that Revelations is apocolyptic literature and pertained specifically to the people of the day, and not 2000 years later is worth reading(in my book)because it makes us focus on finding hope in what could happen here and now.

Originally posted at:
http://www.scandaloussanity.blogspot.com

First, I want to say that I am a big Rob Bell fan. I thoroughly enjoy all of the Nooma videos and his other two books "Velvet Elvis" and "Sex God", and also the "Everything is Spiritual" video. In those, he consistently captured the Christian message and made it fresh and relevant for today, which challenges each of us to reflect on our personal relationship with our Lord.

With that being said, I was deeply disappointed with this book. I am not sure if it was because it was co-authored or what, but the personal commentary on the state of the United States' "empire" was a little too much for me.

Bell and Golden are great at asking leading questions and causing you to draw your own conclusions. The book is full of such questions. But then there is a major deviation comparing the United States to the `failed empire of Solomon'. For example, the analogies of the armies, chariots & horses, and riches of Solomon's day with the war on terror, homeland security, and accumulating riches of the current United States. There is a clear indictment on the United States living in an "empire" and because of that, we are accused of being oppressive by nature. `Big' equals `oppressive'? The Bible clearly states that the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel. To challenge Americans to examine our hearts because of the blessing bestowed on our nation, which could cause us to forget the Lord is one thing, but to equate that because we are the most prosperous nation in the history of the world and by default we are somehow bad or evil is just peculiar. If America fell, and let's say China was the new "empire" in the world, are they oppressive by nature because of this standing?

Also, the commentary of the book of Revelation was really out of place. An attempt was made to attach participation in the exchange of goods and services in the Roman Empire days with taking a mark, and somehow that is connected to having us not `take part in the animating spirit of empire'. This was just strange. The author(s) conclude in this by saying: "Resist. Rebel. Protest. Revelation is a bold, courageous, politically subversive attack on corrosive empire and its power to oppress people." WOW! It was stated that the book of Revelation was written to the audience of that day, and not prophetic. Where did this come from? Although there are the letters to the churches in the beginning of Revelation (which is also analogous to the church today), the rest is prophetic. The Old Testament is chock full of prophecy regarding the coming of the Messiah. The one prophetic book in the NEW Testament has been now discounted by Bell and Golden as just another message, and written in a "subversive literary style called apocalyptic".

This book delves too much into a political statement on the perceived oppressive state of the current administration. The author rails against the very thing they engage in. It is implied throughout the book that if we make a personal connection with our Lord, live for Him, things will change. Interjecting a personal commentary on an otherwise thoughtful discourse was out of place. If Bell and Golden would have stuck to the redeeming nature of God and NOT of their personal opinions, I would have been much more satisfied with this book.

I tend to be a fan of Rob Bell's whenever I run across his work. Most are familiar with the NOOMA video series, and the many times I have been asked to give my opinion regarding them for use by various churches and small groups I have responded in the affirmative. Further, I think that Rob Bell's previous book efforts have been, though not without fault, very good reads. Having said that, I believe that the content he offers here is a solid statement and challenge for the church. This is by far his best book so far and should be read and discussed by church leaders and laity alike. (And, yes, the blocks on the cover are pretty cool and you should have to figure it out for yourself. . .)

In the opening chapter, Bell/Golden propose a reading of the story of Scripture in such a way that Exodus (the book and event) is understood as the beginning. This does not discount Genesis, but rightly sets forth the notion that the biblical story is one of exodus for the oppressed. Further, he sets forth the story of Israel in the context of four geographical locations: Egypt, Sinai, Jerusalem, Babylon. These four locations work to demonstrate the arc of Israel's storyline as an exodus motif - the enslavement, exodus, empire, exile.

Chapter Two addresses the Babylonian exile and the emerging hope of a return and restoration for Israel. The reading here is faithful to the biblical text and the context of Second Temple Judaism. Much of this chapter is given to the prophetic voice which was present during this time period, emphasizing the hope for those oppressed over and against the imperialism which dominated the political scene. Chapter Three then turns this hope to the fulfillment found in Jesus. Again, I am impressed with the presentation and detail of historical motifs emerging from the Second Temple period in Bell's discussion. This "David's other Son" idea is developed well in the context of messianic expectation.

Of note with these two chapters, however (and this has been mentioned elsewhere and was particularly striking during my read-through) is that Bell barely interacts with any secondary literature on the topic. His perspective has obviously been influenced by perspectives such as N. T. Wright, yet Bell/Golden never acknowledges nor interacts with such writing in his book. This is a major disappointment for me, and almost displays a lack of concern for academic rigor. I'm not asking him to present a doctoral dissertation here, but some credit and interaction would be quite fruitful.

From this point, Bell/Golden covers the movement of the gospel in the early church (Chapter Four). Here he demonstrates the cultural significance of its outward movement, and the radical shift from the Judaism of this period to the universal message of salvation found in the church.

Chapter Five bounces from Revelation's message of kingdom against anti-kingdom (christ against anti-christ) into our modern world. I appreciate his statistics regarding the reality of poverty in the world and the sharp pain that is felt in war. While his biblical reading is quite accurate, his perception of current events demonstrates a few large holes in understanding the nature of recent history. Interestingly, this lack only amounts to a few paragraphs and the book could have easily been written without them. But they are present nonetheless. His provided possible 'american' responses to those who oppose our country (119) are hardly the only perspectives which could be given and are, quite honestly, reductionistic within the context of his argument. But this (believe it or not) is a minor quibble, because Bell/Golden refuse to decry America simply for who it is, yet is honest enough to point out its faults as they are revealed by Scripture.

The final chapter ("Blood on the Doorposts of the Universe") is simply brilliant. Bringing together the themes which have been developed throughout the book, Bell/Golden call the church to be the church in light of the story of Scripture and the kingdom of Christ. Building on the concept of Eucharist, his aim is to show how the church is called to be the presence of Christ into the world by bringing the fulfillment of hope, peace and the new humanity.

Finally: I, too, am tired of overly-used white space in the book. This may have been cool and interesting once (kind of twice), but is really just becoming annoying. The only redemption on this is that I didn't really have much time to read this book and was happy to see pages with ten words where there could have been fifty. But even then, it wasn't redemptive.

[grasshoppersdreaming.blogspot.com]

I identify myself as a compassionate conservative on my FB page. I don't really watch much TV and watch a little FOX and MSNBC business. I am 57 years old and have been a Christian 39 years. My wife and I share teaching duties in a Nazarene Sunday School class for mixed ages. I love this book because it is creating all this dialogue. I just want to suggest that we are really just coming to a point where the Church is opening up to dialogue. Also, America is a young country trying to come to grips with all this power and wealth. I feel this book is going to strike a resonant chord in a nation that has had it all and still is feeling a little empty. With the proliferation of the internet, these ideas are like seeds that will produce an incredible amount of fruit. Francis Schaefer popularized the saying, "Ideas have consequence". It is exciting to see a book like this at a time like this. I have listened to it twice so far and will listen to it several more times to fully grasp it. I downloaded it from itunes and burnt it to CD. Rob and Don just read it out loud into the mike. I am an audio learner and this suites me well. I find that when I loan it out a lot more people will actually listen to it that wouldn't read a book. This way I am creating a group to discuss it with. I am also processing this book in conjunction with the audio book the "World is Flat". They compliment each other well. We have a long way to go, but this is a good start. The only reason I didn't give this book a five star rating is that there are still a lot of unanswered questions to be worked out. I doubt I will agree with everything as time reveals more wisdom. I plan on reading all the reviews and comments pertaining to this book. I think it is important enough book to warrant my effort. Let's all keep the reviews and comments comming. I will actually review the book after I have read all the existing reviews and discussed it with friends and family and also listened to it a few more times. This book could be pivital. I recently caught his Drops Like Stars presentation in Columbus, Ohio in December. It was very good. I hope this helps in some way. Thanks for reading.

No one who has followed Rob Bell's books and "Nooma" films should be surprised that "Jesus Wants to Save Christians" is not quite what it seems. Let's start with the cover. I don't want to spoil the "ah ha" by explaining it, but we're presented with a puzzle before we even open the book. Then, for a book about Jesus, it may seem strange that Jesus doesn't even step out on stage until page 78 of what's basically a 180-page book, if you don't count all the footnotes.

But this is Rob's prophetic gift. He opens doors, throws open windows and leads us to new perspectives on faith. His "Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Cover Image May Vary)" certainly wasn't about American art and music. His "Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality" was about sex and God, but not in any form that you'd expect from an evangelical writer. I mean, who would envision that an inspirational book about sex from an American evangelical would detour through the Holocaust? But that's where Rob took us.

The subtitle for this new book is "A Manifesto for the Church in Exile" -- a clear signal that Rob wants readers to work their way through this volume and then start moving in a new direction. This book is almost a cinematic invitation to see the Bible -- the whole Bible starting with the Hebrew Scriptures -- in a new way.

It's the "new way" that pours the fuel into this manifesto. In fact, Rob is starting to sound a lot like John Dominic Crossan in "God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now" and Marcus Borg in "Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary." Now, there are major differences between Crossan, Borg and Bell in the way the three writers see the figure of Jesus in the gospels and today. But, all three converge in arguing that Jesus came to proclaim a new world order of compassionate concern for the neediest people on the planet.

Deep in his book, Bell begins to drive his arguments home in passages like this: "The Bible has a lot to say about empires. Most of the Bible is a history told by people living in lands occupied by conquering superpowers. It's a book written from the underside of power. It's an oppression narrative. The majority of the Bible was written by a minority people living under the rule and reign of massive, mighty empires ... This can make the Bible a very difficult book to understand if you are reading it as a citizen of the most powerful empire the world has ever seen."

Bell is not alone in issuing such a manifesto. But from the evangelical heartland in the upper Midwest, this is an incendiary epistle from one of America's hottest young voices.