Jesus: Why the World Is Still Fascinated by Him [Print] [Hardcover]

Tim LaHaye (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2009

Jesus. Love Him or hate Him, He's everywhere. On our T-shirts, bumper stickers, and even the covers of leading news magazines, year after year. We see Him on the silver screen, in the headline crawl on the TV news, and on the homemade signs held up at ball games. Hotly debated, He remains the most conspicuous figure of all time, even twenty decades after His inglorious death.

Best-selling author Tim LaHaye, together with coauthor David Minasian, looks back through history and peers into the prophetic future to show us why the world's "Jesus Fascination" should come as no surprise; every generation since Christ has grappled with the question, Who was He? What does He mean to us here, today?

After reading about Jesus' life, legacy, and pervasive influence, you may find yourself connecting the dots of your own spiritual journey and answering the timeless question that came from the lips of Jesus Himself: Who do you say that I am?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author, speaker, and minister Dr. Tim LaHaye has written or coauthored more than sixty books, including the New York Times best-selling Left Behind series. A pastor for thirty-nine years, there’s nothing Dr. LaHaye likes to talk about more than Jesus. Dr. LaHaye and his wife, Beverly, reside in Southern California. You can learn more about Dr. LaHaye and his work at TimLaHaye.com.

David Minasian is a motion-picture writer, producer, and director with twenty-five years of experience in the film industry. Since 2002, he has worked closely with Tim LaHaye as a cowriter and researcher. David lives with his wife, Erin, and their children in Southern California.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 143476625X
• ISBN-13: 978-1434766250
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 0.9 x 6.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #729,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Tim LaHaye (www.timlahaye.com), who conceived the idea of fictionalizing an account of the Rapture and the Tribulation, is a noted author, minister, and nationally recognized speaker on Bible prophecy. He is the founder of both Tim LaHaye Ministries and The PreTrib Research Center. He also recently cofounded the Tim LaHaye School of Prophecy at Liberty University. Presently Dr. LaHaye speaks at many Bible prophecy conferences in the U.S. and Canada, where his current prophecy books are very popular.

Dr. LaHaye holds a doctor of ministry degree from Western Theological Seminary and a doctor of literature degree from Liberty University. For 25 years he pastored one of the nation's outstanding churches in San Diego, which grew to three locations. It was during that time that he founded two accredited Christian high schools, a Christian school system of ten schools, and San Diego Christian College (formerly known as Christian Heritage College).

Dr. LaHaye has written over 50 non-fiction books and co-authored 25 fiction books, many of which have been translated into 34 languages. He has written books on a wide variety of subjects, such as family life, temperaments, and Bible prophecy. His most popular fiction works, the Left Behind series, written with Jerry B. Jenkins, continue to appear on the best-seller lists of the Christian Booksellers Association, "Publishers Weekly," the "Wall Street Journal," "USA Today," and the "New York Times."

Another popular series by LaHaye and Jenkins is The Jesus Chronicles. This four-book fiction series gives readers a rich first century experience as John, Mark, Luke, and Matthew recount thrilling accounts of the life of Jesus. Dr. LaHaye is co-author of another fiction series, Babylon Rising. Each of the four titles in this series have debuted in the top 10 on the New York Times best seller list. These are suspense thrillers with thought-provoking messages.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#24 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

#28 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#24 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

#28 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Most Impressive Book September 30, 2009

By bookandmusicfan7

Format:Hardcover

Just finished reading Tim LaHaye's latest offering and I must say I am impressed. I haven't always been a fan of LaHaye's. With someone as prolific as LaHaye you're bound to have clunkers here and there. I did enjoy some of his Left Behind novels but found his previous non-fiction work Global Warning to be poorly executed. However, `Jesus' is another story. It is very well written, covers a lot of ground, and moves at a fast pace. There is a lot of information here that should appeal to both believers and non-believers in my opinion. As others have said, the book is not preachy (except for the final paragraph). There are even touches of humor which I found refreshing (LaHaye's wife's reaction to the Applebees waitress is hilarious as are several chapter subheadings - Hold the Mao, The Dog-Ate-It Theory).

But I must take exception to a few comments from my fellow Amazon critics. To point out LaHaye's use of Wikipedia as a reference thereby implying that his information must be inaccurate is a cheap shot. Of the hundreds of footnotes listed, only a handful list Wikipedia as a source, and those Wikipedia subjects (Mark Twain, David Strauss, Elaine Pagels) are cross referenced with additional listings of those authors' works. Also, those who accessed the book through the Amazon Vine program apparently must have received an early version with footnote and other errors. My copy of the book has no errors, so those criticisms are invalid. Finally, I notice that some who gave a one or two star rating to this book recommend the works of Bart Ehrman instead. As LaHaye points out, Ehrman has publicly stated he believes Judas Iscariot is `the greatest of all the apostles' since his betrayal resulted in Jesus being released from his `evil earthly body.' Hmm....

In my opinion, LaHaye succeeds in making his case for why we still find Jesus fascinating after 2000 years by touching on the high points of Jesus' legacy and the impact he's had on our modern culture. I wouldn't hesitate to give this book out to friends or relatives who may be on the fence about Jesus. It's that good. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I was expecting something different August 18, 2009

By Craig

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I guess I was expecting to learn something else based on the title of the book. Instead LaHaye shows us that the world is still fascinated by Jesus because He is the Saviour of the world. The book is devoted to showing that Jesus is the Saviour and not just some ordinary man that showed up in history. I did find several different tidbits in the book that helped give me some extra knowledge about Jesus than I had previously. I was disappointed with LaHaye's sources for many of his citations. A number of items he cites were very interesting, and I was looking forward to finding a helpful citation. However, the citation is too often some article or other source that doesn't really give the original source I had hoped for. For example, when LaHaye says that Islam teaches that it is legal to kill your wife, I want to have a citation that takes me to the Quran. I don't want the citation to take me to an article from some conservative writer. The book is OK, but I wish LaHaye would have provided more than what is a sermon.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Such a Disappointment September 17, 2009

By Elisabeth Forrest VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

The description of this book makes it sound like it is going to be an academic look at Jesus and his impact on Western society. Instead it is a Conservative Christian sales pitch - like there aren't enough books on that subject already out there. This book will only appeal to people who are already conservative Christians that want further proof that they are right.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Jesus doesn't need a P.R. man June 18, 2009

By Shannon Freeman VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Tim LeHay, author of the well known "Left Behind" series, brings with him a bit of baggage. While I can only speak for myself, I like to think that a writer is open to listening to other points of view, perspectives which may inform his/her writing. Tim LeHay is not that guy, a fact we know before page one is turned.

As a Christian I appreciate any reflection on the continued "popularity" of Jesus. However, any REAL spiritual pursuit is not defined as a popularity contest. Rather, it is a sincere exploration of spiritual principles, with a well versed understanding of the "top" messangers in one's studies. Jesus is definitely Christianity's lead model, which by virtue of the role, excludes any references to "popularity."

Mr. LeHay writes in a manner that leaves the reader no room for interpretation; his leading questions are a sure-fire tip as to what his personal views are. He discredits opposing views by attacking their scholarly merit, a technique used to great effect by those who might challenge his positions. It works so far as to answer his critics; however, it lacks any real foundation for adopting his creed. Indeed, he doesn't properly use this method, for if he did he would provide some concrete, scholar based proof to support his argument. He fails to do this.

I'm a believer, so I'm not Mr. LeHay's target audience. I'm afaid, though, that those he might speak to, the uncommitted, would not find his arguments very persuasive. One of the biggest criticisms we face as Christians is our lack of rigor in formulating and supporting our beliefs. Mr. LeHay attempts to remedy this, yet falls incredibly short.

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Book Written to Reinforce Fundamentalists Beliefs April 18, 2010

By Frederick S. Goethel VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

A lot has already been written about this book, some pro and a lot con. The title would suggest one to believe that it is actually a work designed to look at why Jesus is still so prevalent today after more than 2,000 years, however the book does nothing to actually explore or examine the very question it proposes to answer. This is a very basic work that states, in essence, that Jesus is still popular because nobody can explain away why he isn't popular. As a Christian looking for more information, I was sorely disappointed to discover the shallowness of this book.