Karma of Jesus, The [Paperback]

Mark Herringshaw (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009

The Karma of Jesus follows the tradition of bold Christian communicators who dare to borrow pop=culture-friendly language to communicate sacred truth. It explains the relevance of Christ's life using the idea of karma, which maintains an exacting payback for one's actions. Using personal vignettes, as well as stories from history, popular culture, and the Bible, pastor Mark Herringshaw walks the reader through a progression of thought. Rather than didactic formulas, he presents questions and conjectures that sensitively reveal how Jesus has reaped the ultimate consequences of our actions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Herringshaw's] subversion of karma is intriguing and his theological rewording faithful. He offers a new kind of apologetic, one based less on rationalistic arguments than on re-inhabiting sacred territory." --Christianity Today, December 2009

From the Back Cover

Are you reaping what you've sown? Whether we call it Karma or not, life seems to be based on cause and effect. If we do something good, we expect (or hope) good will return. Do something bad, and bad will result. Indeed, the ancient idea of Karma--reaping what we sow--is recognized in almost every religion in the world. But this principle sets an inescapable trap: If "what comes around goes around," then every small mistake will haunt us to the bitter end. Is that it, though? Is this our destiny? In this provocative book, Mark Herringshaw boldly explores two mutually exclusive visions of life: Karma and grace. Prompted by a chance-conversation with a spiritually curious young man, he gives us a probing look at the implications of Karma and the relevance of Christ's life.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764207342
• ISBN-13: 978-0764207341
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,228,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Mark Herringshaw, Ph.D., currently serves as a teaching pastor of the 7,000-member North Heights Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. As founder of eEmbassy, he uses out-of-the-box seminars to coach people in the adventure of talking and listening to God. A conference speaker and seminary professor, Mark has written more than 25 articles that have appeared in such publications as "Alive," "In Touch," and "Lutheran Renewal." Mark and his wife, Jill, have four children, who have taught him far more about prayer than he ever learned in seminary.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars The Karma of Being Careful of Your Cultural Context November 1, 2009

By James S. Taylor

Format:Paperback

I am giving this book a middle rating, as whether you think it deserves to be higher or lower will depend on the audience with whom you plan to use the information it contains.

You will want to raise the rating if you are communicating with the typical, Western, twenty-something, semi-postmodern, who has absorbed a simple understanding of karma from sources in popular culture. They will not be aware of the corners that Herringshaw is cutting and will not be phased by the sometimes-adolescent wordings or odd Biblical/theological exegesis in a few instances. They should have no problem following the author through to the real point: that a Personal Being, not an impersonal process, is behind the world and is willing to come to our rescue. If this is your situation, you will find a lot of useful ideas and ways of saying things that will help you connect with such people.

You will want to lower the rating if you are communicating with someone who prefers a more mature level of language or who has an educated understanding of karma, particularly if they are a well informed Hindu or Buddhist. They will notice the incomplete understanding of one of their key beliefs. In fact, if they have an apologetic bent, they could easily take the sin/karma equation in this book and, like they can do with the Jesus/bodhisattva line being picked up by some Christians, turn it around against Christian beliefs in ways you never saw coming. This happens simply because most Christians do not understand these Eastern religions well enough to predict where the logical outcome of these miss-steps lead from the perspective of these worldviews.

Regardless, the second group is not the one at whom this book is aimed, though from the title and descriptions you might think it has a broader target audience. My comments are to inform the potential reader about its real market and help prevent disappointment. I am not trying to criticize the author for not doing something he does not appear to have set out to do, though on a few pages he does raise points about Hinduism and Buddhism. Regarding his comments on the latter, where I can speak with some authority, they do not represent how an informed Buddhist would see it.

You may also wish to adjust the rating depending on your tolerance for stories and illustrations. If you find such things mostly filler and like an author who gets to the point and moves on, lower the rating. The real content in this book could be made in much less space. However, if you love it when narratives illustrate each step, then this won't bother you. In fact, there are some very touching stories that poignantly illustrate what Herringshaw is getting at.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb read October 27, 2009

By John Wingate

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Karma of Jesus is a great, inspired way to explain Jesus, grace and true salvation for the questioning and uncertain among us. We all know people who are always searching but never coming to the true knowledge about Jesus' promise. This book uses the internationally understood concept of karma to do it.

Herringshaw shares some very personal human stories that illuminate those great Divine intersections in life when the Lord is at work. Beautifully written. Tremendously resonant. I think I'll give this book as Christmas gifts this year.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction February 16, 2010

By Jonathan

Format:Paperback

I appreciate Herringshaw's attempt to articulate an apologetic of grace against the Eastern understanding of karma. I found the illustrations helpful in his endeavor to help us, as Westerners, to begin to understand what we have for so long ignored or avoided. Upon further study this book does not completely reflect the full scope of Eastern religious beliefs and how we me might form a helpful dialog, but that is not the intent of this book. I feel the intent is, at the very least, to introduce the conversation and to that end Herringshaw was successful. I did find the book educational, but I would do more study if I wanted to have a well informed discussion with someone from an Eastern Religion. I do appreciate his willingness to help us understand a culture that is by and large defined by beliefs that are pieced together from various religious belief systems. It is a reminder that we need to be careful with our beliefs. We need to understand them and accurately present them.