Customer Reviews

The Man Nobody Knows

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The notion that Jesus' values were those of corporate America and his "charisma" of the sort that makes insurance salemen is so laughably a fantasy that I hope the other reviews are meant as jokes. Portraying Jesus as a "booster," a kind of successful Willy Loman, is about as ludicrous as picturing Mother Teresa as a fashion model and Gandhi as a comic book superhero. The Jesus of the New Testament would have observed the conspicuous consumption of corporate America, the cultural gluttony of the Western World, with sadness and disgust.

Jesus may be the ultimate Rorschach. We look at him: Nazis see a blue-eyed Aryan beset by Jews and look for somebody to beat up; gays see their lifestyle affirmed in the friendhip with John; chickenhawk warriors somehow see endorsement of the hateful causes they want others to die for; the tenderhearted and compassionate see him surrounded by happy children; feminists see the women by his side; lying hypocrites see... God knows what.

The hardest thing for humans to do is to comprehend that their heroes are not just big versions of themselves. A hero should be something to push against, not a self-endorsement. Jesus told the rich to give away their money. He told his followers not to gather up treasures in the world. He said wealth is a burden that will keep the rich out of Heaven. He scourged the moneylenders. He was a freeloader. He is bad for business.

Today, as the most affluent country on the planet, we hear the Christian message as unhappily as the young wealthy Hebrew who asked Jesus what he must do to be saved. His answer was NOT "get an MBA." But instead of walking away, we invent new myths of a Jesus more suitable, one able to see past his silly prejudice against money grubbers, to see that it is possible to be rich and really nice.

Barton's book is a bizarre anachronism; a last survivor of the Babbitt years of pious Philistinism and Pharisaic self-approval just before the Depression turned our complacent cultural narcissism upside down. How sad, that it's coming back into fashion. Read Jim Wallis' *God's Politics* for a theology less absorbed with self-justification.

I think some people wrote their reviews without reading the book. If you judge it by only the chapter titles or the text on the front of the book, you are really missing out. I was required to read this for a college class and I am very glad I got the chance to find this gem. For anyone interested in the life and works of Jesus or just love to read a good book that makes you rethink things, definitely check this one out.

Read this book for the first time over 30 years ago, reread recently and still enjoy the authors alternate view of Jesus. Thought provoking and interesting.

In his second major work, The Man Nobody Knows, author Bruce Barton portrays Jesus Christ as a salesman--not an ordinary salesman, but the world's greatest salesman--and exhorts
readers to profit by his example. Additionally, the story of the carpenter from Nazareth, Barton argues, is "the story of the founder of modern business (12).
Throughout the book, Barton paints Christ in a positive color. He disavows the "wicked falsehood that [Christ] never laughed" (23), from inference of the New Testament--the men who
became his disciples never would have been attracted to a man who demonstrated Miltonian characteristics. Further, Barton comments on Christ's leadership, as "only strong magnetic men
inspire great enthusiasm and build strong orginizations. Yet Jesus built the greatest orginization of all...He picked up twelve men from the bottom ranks of business and forged them into an orginization that conquered the world" (35-36). This act could have only been done by a supreme business executive, a man who knew how to persuade others, and was so passionate in his
rhetoric that men would be willing to give their lives for his cause. Hence, Christ was the greatest salesman of all.
Finally, through the use of scripture, Barton demonstrates Christ's ultimate leadership qualities during Christ's cruxifiction. As Christ was hanging on the cross, one of the thieves painfully asked that Christ remember him when Jesus returns to his kingdom. Barton believes this was Christ's greatest act of leadership, as "there have been leaders who could call forth enthusiasm when their fortunes ran high. But [Christ], when his enemies had done their worst, so bore himself that a crucifed felon looked into his dying eyes and saluted him as king" (220).
Written in 1925, The Man Nobody Knows was an immesensely popular book. With the post-World war I production levels becoming so high that consumers were unable to buy all the
products that industry produced, new markets had to be created. It was out of this climate that the advertising industry came of age. Barton, chairman of the board of the New York advertising
agency Batten, Barton, Durstine and Osborne, saw Christ as the ultimate master of salesmanship. He hoped that his readers, in an age of wealth and extravagence, would reflect back upon Jesus, not as weak man, but a man of such strong physical and emotional characteristics that readers would "exclaim [Jesus] is a man nobody knows" (vii).
Bruce Barton's The Man Nobody Knows, is written in beautiful, sincere prose. Throughout the novel, Barton maintains a high quality of reverence for Christ, and his teachings.
Although Barton's primary audience are salesmen and businessmen, the book appeals to any reader, religious or atheist, businessman or farmer.
The Man Nobody Knows is a wonderful tool for examining Christ's life as a smiling, divine businessman. As the wheel of big business turns and men spend their lives striving to
make millions of dollars, Barton reminds us of one businessman who gave his life in comforting millions of souls.

Want to know MORE about how Christ reacted and lived & thought while growing up? This story was inspiring as a new Christian 30 yrs ago and AGAIN in 2009(Sept) WHY would "Dockworker" types of the day (Fishermen),rough & tumble,cursing,joke telling strong men follow this Man? AND WHY would greedy money exchangers not give any lip to the young,confident man turning over their heavy tables & driving them out. READ the small book & learn more abt. the incredible Saviour you have professed a belief in.

This book gives you a good feeling about the Real Jesus and how he enjoyed life and ministered to people in need at the same time. He hit the Nail squarely on the head when dealing with self-righeous people and their self-centered ego. The ONLY real happiness in this short life lived in the Physical and reaction to the circumstances is to be involved with the welfare of others and authenic concern for their physical as well as spiritual needs and they The Creator of the Universe has set-up Lwas to reward your sacrifice and self-ciscpline. What you do for Others God will do for You. Great Book!

Positively,

Captain Dave

ever see Tommy Boy and feel joy?
that's the real Jesus, Chris Farley.

that's his real spirit.
work hard, play hard.
get funky.

Many books have been written about Jesus as Son of God . . . and equal with God. What Barton has done is to place emphasis on His human side. It's not meant to be the only book about Jesus in your library, and, like the Bible stories, does not need to be taken literally to be of value. Why not stress his kinship with us mortals? Perhaps it can help us to understand how we should behave as humans, not just as "children of God." If Jesus did not come to earth to be completely human, to hunger, to desire, to suffer, to get angry, to be disappointed, and to rejoice, then of what value is His life to us? Barton depicts this human side of Jesus without detracting from His role in the Godhead.

What was the human Jesus really like? Bruce Barton dares to conjecture a living, vibrant man who inspired others by his mere presence. This does not negate the idea of a divine Jesus. Barton attempts to paint a picture of what Jesus as a man might have been like. Why do modern men and women fear the concept of a living, human Jesus? Probably because he is still alive. They look out the window and see Jesus coming and they know that he will not simply rearrange the furniture, he will rip out the interior and create something new and extraordinary. I first read this book as a child of ten, and kept it all my life. It was such a refreshing and brilliant vision of the human Jesus ... someone I could admire and want to be around. From this seed I would one day develop a passionate spiritual relationship with Jesus. But I will never forget the humble beginning of first learning to love the human Jesus, who struggled and suffered even as his children do. I have come to believe that people fear Jesus because they believe that if they open the door and let him in he will change everything. And they are right.

One of the greatest falsehoods about the message of Jesus has been exposed..He was not against wealth, he was against the worship of wealth...Certainly Joesph of Aramthenia (please forgive the spelling) and Nicodemus were men of great wealth and were loved and accepted by Jesus.
When he told the rich young man to sell all that he had and said that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven he was talking about possessions of ego and self importance..
Look at those who God chose to carry his message..Abraham, David, Soloman, Jacob, etc..none of them would have qualified for the food stamp program.
Finally, revealing the 'Jesus Business Plan', Barton points out that to be successful in business, love, and life..One must be a SERVANT..Ford 'served' us with transportation, Edison with light, Bell with communication, Disney with fantasy..Choose what you want to 'recieve' and then GIVE IT AWAY..A lesson for the ages.