Customer Reviews

The Lost Message of Jesus

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The Lost Message of Jesus (TLMOJ) was assigned as a text for a seminary course I am taking on "Kingdom, Church and World."

This book earns a rating of 4 stars because of its straightforward content and overall approachability. Throughout the book Chalke focuses on the biblical concept of the Kingdom of God, which is the dominant message in the life and teaching of Jesus. In doing so, as other reviewers have noted, the tone of the text emphasizes action, love and justice. Readers who might find this book to be "liberal" are probably approaching the TLMOJ from a different angle than the author and this may result in some discomfort. Chalke focuses on Jesus and the message he brings as is recorded in the Gospels. This message is comprised of his words, but perhaps more importantly his actions. Readers looking for the sinner's prayer or emphasis on personal salvation wont find it in TLMOJ because this idea is largely absent from the Gospels. I can't help but think that most of the objections raised by this book will largely be prompted by an American Evangelical reading of the Bible, rather than an honest assessment of Jesus as he lived and taught in the first century world.

As I read the book I kept thinking to myself "I have heard this before" and in most cases I had. A reader searching for a wealth of "original" material in TLMOJ may be disappointed as most of the content and ideas can be found more fleshed out in other sources; the influence of NT Wright is especially noticeable. That being said, the strength of the book is not its originality, rather it is its presentation. Chalke does a marvelous job of presenting a holistic understanding of the Kingdom of God in a book that is easy to read and easy to recommend. He effectively introduces a variety of insights on the Kingdom and the message and ministry of Jesus. The book perhaps could have been improved if the author had credited his sources so those interested could further investigate the concepts he introduces; however, that desire could admittedly come from my own academic reading of the text.

Overall I would recommend Chalke's The Lost Message of Jesus, especially to those looking for a high-altitude overview of the Kingdom of God. The book is also exemplary of an easy to read introduction into the theology behind the emerging church movement - it would be a great "first read" for someone interested in these topics.

-bk

Steve Chalke and Alan Mann, The Lost Message of Jesus (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003)

This was a controversial book when it came out in the UK. It is a fresh exploration of the radical, life-changing, world-shaping message Jesus brought. Putting aside our cultural lenses, the writers follow N T Wright in inviting us to see Jesus through first-century eyes to see the revolutionary power of the gospel. `What Would Jesus Do' paraphernalia is popular today, but useless without a grasp of how Jesus acted and related. His cultural vandalism, boundary-crossing and party-going nature undermines a lot of legalistic Christian practice today. Chalke and Mann question starting evangelism with a focus on sin; an important doctrine but not as important nor as inviting as God's unconditional love and his plan and destiny for people. And they critique a narrow gospel that saves people for heaven instead of inviting them also to live for the Kingdom now. Instead of `don't do this and that' or `repent and go to heaven' they suggest starting with `if you could know what God is doing and be part of it, would you want to?' They comment: `The world is full of people who have been told, time and again by the Church, what not to do. What they long to hear about is what God wants them to do. People are desperate for a message that they can buy into, that they can see will make a difference to them and to the world in which they live' (p.117).

Originally reviewed in Darren Cronshaw `The Emerging Church: Spirituality and Worship Reading Guide.' Zadok Papers S159 (Autumn 2008).

Now and then a book comes along that simply reminds us the basic teaching of Jesus, this is that book. Chalke challenges his readers to omit their distorted interpretation and purely focus on the bottom-line of Christ's message, "God is love." The author guides us to remove erroneous teachings, spoon-feed by modern day church, by seeing Jesus's life in it original context. The insights he illustrates are lucid and uncomplicated to follow.
There are certain debatable points, but those are welcome if we are to mature.

In LMOJ, Stephen Chalke aims to recover the heart of the "lost message" of Jesus of Nazareth, which, as the author believes, has been forgotten through centuries of dogmatic church teachings, squabbles over doctrine, etc. In so doing, Chalke executes a poetic linguistic dance around such thorny topics as sin, man's total depravity and separation from the living and true G-d. While it's indisputable that Jesus took a special interest in outcasts, the downtrodden and broken hearted, I'm not sure what to make of Chalke's portrayal of Jesus as a first century social activist. Verses like, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For out of the heart of man come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickednes...All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person" (Mark 7:20-23), or "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick...For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt 9:12, 13) seem to contend with Chalke's belief that words like "sinner" are out of touch with today's world: "...Is this was we have reduced the majestic message of Jesus to?" (Chalke, 173). Isn't it true that Messiah's message was intended for the "lost sheep of the House of Israel", implying, of course, a certain lostness? And what is the root cause of this lostness but the inherent sinfulness and total depravity of humankind, whether Jew or Gentile? More importantly, how can we possibly know the glorious grace of the blessed G-d in Christ if we don't know that G-d loved us to the uttermost in spite of the fact that we deserve nothing but the full penalty of the Law?
There are no doubt some wonderful moments in this book, but overall, I don't know if I can endorse of a book that refuses to acknowledge some pretty important doctrines. In the end, I have to recall the words of the greatest herald of Messiah's good news: "But G-d demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Amen.

A popular evangelical New Testament scholar on theology is Steve Chalke. His easily read and understood book "The Lost Message of Jesus" states a very loud question: "What is The Lost Message of Jesus?" Chalke developed an old question from the history of salvation as an existential encounter. He makes a rationalistic approach to understanding the lost message of Jesus. Those rejecting the inspiration of Scripture view the lost message of Jesus as any other piece of literature and approach the study from a critical standpoint. From that foundation, there is great diversity of opinions such as the matter of man's sinfulness, and his need of a spiritual Savior to atone for his sins. Chalke points out some Christians might wonder if there really is any thing to say about Jesus. Nevertheless, Chalke emphasized that every new generation must grapple again with the question: "What is The Lost Message of Jesus."

This book is a step in the right direction it takes the reader back to meet Jesus in His original context with His original message of hope, love, and life-transforming power.
"The Lost Message of Jesus" written to stir thoughtful debate and pose fresh questions helps create a deeper understanding of Jesus and His message. The major theme is the kingdom has come, which begins with Jesus three years of teaching the explicit declaration that the Kingdom of God had finally arrived. Some welcome Jesus while others rejected Him. There are mysteries revealed in the stories Jesus tells about the Kingdom.

I personally believe there can be no deep, genuine repentance apart from the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit revealing to the sinner the nature of his sin, not merely against himself or others, but first against God. The prodigal son is a great example of genuine repentance. The father had great compassion for his returning prodigal son. The father portrays God's response to a repentant sinner. Like the father in the prodigal story, God waits for the sinner to come or to return to Him of his own volition. When the son finally came to his senses, he said to himself, "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee" (Luke 15:18 KJV). The Gospel simply states when man chose to leave the sins he once loved repentance takes over his heart.

Even though the theological truths of Scripture presented on the pages of this book detail purpose and space much about God remains incomprehensible. This is certainly true of the incarnation, when God became flesh and dwelt among humanity. Perhaps the greatest tragedy would be if one would be able to delineate orthodox doctrine without having entered into personal fellowship with the One to whom the doctrines testify. It is conceivable that a reader has ventured this for without personally knowing the reality of new life in Christ Jesus. The one hundred and ninety seven pages would be a great introduction to the theology of "The Lost Message of Jesus" in a classroom or a church bible study. It is a great way to rediscover the lost message that brings peace to the world. The textbook is user friendly, easy reading, suitability for all Christians, and applicable to the teachings about Christ Jesus.

Four stars might be a little high, but not too much of a stretch. This book will not present a lot of new ideas to those familiar with Brian McLaren, NT Wright, and the like. It is, however, an easy read and presents a few interesting ideas.

The basic theme here is that the kingdom of God is available right now through Jesus Christ. Chalke delves into his own ideas and experiences in an effort to inspire a viewpoint of Christ that is not filtered through our Western culture. There are a few debatable interpretations, but Chalke mostly plays it safe. It's a good short read, but nothing that will knock your socks off.

Chalke's central message here is that the idea of a wrathful God, with anger directed at the rebellion of sinners (and thus the need to send his son Jesus as a sacrifice to save us) is incompatible with the Bible's own teaching on God's loving nature. Traditional Christianity, claims Chalke, can only accept this condundrum as a kind of "divine paradox" and he clearly sees himself as someone possessing a spiritual revelation that makes sense of it all.

Unfortunately, his arguments only reveal his own misunderstanding of basic Christian doctrine. The idea of Penal Substitutionary Atonement that Chalke is so keen to dispel is taught again and again and again throughout the Bible, and even a casual glance at Romans confirms that Chalke's thesis is totally unbiblical. But of course there's a reason for that: traditional Christian teaching does NOT claim, as Chalke asserts, that God's love somehow exists DESPITE ordering His own son's suicide (the ridiculous "cosmic child-abuse" argument). Rather, Christ, as one who WILLINGLY laid down his life (John 10:17) out of love for the world (John 3:16), demonstrated the most intense love AND at the same time satisfied God's justice, which, like our own innate sense of justice, requires that people face a consequence for wrongdoing. And how much greater is a wrong against a perfect loving being? But wouldn't a perfect loving being just let it go? No: no other option satisfies justice and yet maintains an assurance of guilt, proportionality, and equity.

God's demand for justice, alongside his love, are not two opposed concepts which form a paradoxical view of the nature of God. Rather, God's love only makes sense in light of the severity of human rebellion (which has to be an affront to a personal and loving God) and his willingness to forgive.

I gave this book one star because it has no other use than to further confuse people seeking to understand the true nature of God's love. Such people I would point to "Pierced For Our Transgressions", a much more convincing, truthful, and accurate look at God's amazing love and Christ's death.

Chalke's idea is not what the public always loves to believe is a "suppressed truth", condemned by "narrow-minded" Christians who shout heresy at anything which doesn't suit their views. No, this book is simply a well-intentioned but totally misguided attempt by Chalke to reshape the Christian God into something more in line with his own personal and cultural sensibilities. This is nothing new and previous figures to argue likewise have always faded into obscurity because their theological standpoint simply does not stand up to scrutiny or reasoning (let alone the Bible).

I'm sure Chalke would love to be remembered as a great reformer and seeker of core truths, but history will see him as having done more harm than good.

A MUST READ FOR FOLLOWERS, PEOPLE WHO ARE CONFUSED BY THE CHURCH OR THOSE LOOKING FOR DIRECTION. IT'S NOT ABOUT INSTITUTIONS, IT'S PERSONAL AND SIMPLE---- GOD IS LOVE!

Mr. Chalke has written a clear, concise, loving-God view of the life and message of Christ. Many non-believers will welcome the message of a smart, kind, insightful man whose only purpose on earth was to make things better for us all, with solid data to back it up. This author teaches Christ as I was taught - no judgement or condemnation, but redemption for all who seek it because he lived. This a fast, wonderful read and I bought it for everyone I know. I am not kidding.

This is a wonderful book, and the author's should be praised for daring to reveal God as a loving God who grieves over our errors. Current thinking has portrayed God as vengeful, requiring a human sacrifice to appease His wrath. TLMofJ portrays God in a completely different light. After all, Jesus did not come to save us from God.

The style of the book is easy reading, so it can therefore be read in just a few sittings. However the truths portrayed are beautiful, and deep.