Customer Reviews

Living the Sermon on the Mount: A Practical Hope for Grace and Deliverance (Enduring Questions in Christian Life)

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The author provides the reader with two very important tools: First, an understanding that the Sermon on the Mount is not a moral code or legal requirements for those who follow Christ, but is rather a portrait of those who have experience 'new life' in Christ and as John 15 indicates "abide" in Him. Second, a method by which Matthew 5-7 can come alive in individual or small group study that focuses on "living" the truth found in Jesus' words on the "mountain". It is an excellent grasp of the material and presented clearly with appropriate commentary and illustrations.

Living the Sermon on the Mount: A Practical Hope for Grace and Deliverance (Enduring Questions in Christian Life)
Stassen's lovely little book does exactly what the title suggests: provides a practical reading of Jesus' most famous sermon. As such it represents the obvious conclusion to his (I think) ground-breaking exegetical work on Matt 5-7, which has countered the tendency to idealise Jesus' teaching. The triadic pattern he argues that Matthew uses, forms the basic thesis of the book which amounts to Jesus calling his followers to adopt "transformative initiatives" in the way they live out key aspects of their lives. Such life style transformations really are possible because the prophesied Kingdom has drawn near in Jesus, gifting disciples with faith to break the old cycles of sinful failure and begin experiencing the joyful life of the coming kingdom. Embracing Jesus' teaching in the SOM, argues Stassen, isn't heroic as with the Catholic tradition or impossible as often characterised in the wake of Luther. It's practical, wise stuff Jesus is teaching - given that the Kingdom has now drawn near to us through Jesus.
I've found Stassen's diagrams of the triadic structures in this book very helpful in trying to re-cast (often unconscious) understandings of the SOM held by folk in my Presbyterian tradition. It's a practical, readable but very serious wee book which should be a breath of fresh air for those longing to see more authentic discipleship take root in their Christian community.

Dr. Stassen takes a deep subject and presents it in a way that lay people can easily understand and relate to in their everyday life. I participate in an Episcopal Bible study group and we find the subject matter leads us in a lively and holistic discussion that we can connect with and apply to our daily lives. The book is very readable, offers diagnostic tools on how to break out of vicious cycles and provides reference notes for further study. Each person can then decide how deeply he or she wants to continue their study.

A. Webster

I don't agree with everything in this book, but it is well worth the time to read it.

The most memorable thing about this book is how he breaks the "You have heard it said... but I say" parts of The Sermon on the Mount into:
1) Traditional Teaching
2) Diagnosis of a Vicious Cycle
3) Tranforming Initiative
I'm not sure I agree with him, but it gave me plenty to think about.

For example, the author says that Matthew 5:38 (You have heard it said "An eye for an eye....) is the traditional teaching. Then he goes on to say that 5:39 is the vicious cycle. (The author translates 5:39 as "But I say to you, not to retaliate revengefully by evil means.") The transforming initiative is found in Matthew 5:40-42. (Turn the other cheek etc.)

In arguing this way, the author emphasizes works and active resistantce to evil. He talks alot about Martin Luther King Jr. and Dietrich Bonhoeffer and uses them as examples of people who lived the Sermon on the Mount.

Maybe it's me, but found this book mediocre despite rave review in Christianity Today that prompted my purchase. Seems author approached subject with pre-conceived ideas and then went in search of supporting material. Analogous to "shooting first and drawing the target later." Somewhat conversational and rambling in writing approach as I found many sections difficult to put in outline format. Lack of footnotes on controverial statements left something to be desired. This book is in my recycling bin, not my library.