Customer Reviews

Picturing the Gospel: Tapping the Power of the Bible's Imagery

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Picturing the Gospel is an incredibly helpful book for anyone who wants to get a more complete picture of the gospel. Livingstone's blend of anecdotes, humor, vulnerability, theological analysis, biblical cohesiveness, and practical insight is right on.

As I have been listening to different voices in the current evangelical debate over the gospel, I was struck that, unlike some in Emergent, Livingstone doesn't get rid of the law court image and penal substitution; he just won't use the latter term as a shibboleth the way some in T4G/Reformed/New Reformed circles might want.

I felt so refreshed after reading this book and I plan to use it again as a devotional guide-of-sorts, except when it's not being passed around to friends.

Picturing the Gospel gives a really full, well-rounded look at the gospel and the many images Scripture uses to describe Christ's work on the cross. And the author uses a great mix of stories and exposition to flesh these out. A helpful resource for Christians to grow in their own faith as well as in sharing their faith. I particularly love the appendices - they're really practical!

Picturing the Gospel touched me on a personal level, helping me to gain a greater appreciation for God' work in my own life.

But beyond that, as someone in ministry, I found this to be one of the most helpful resources that I've ever come across. It helps navigate one of the hardest tensions I've wrestled with-- the fact that the gospel is deeply rich and full of meaning and good news that could be explored and discovered for infinity YET needs to be explained in ways that are simple enough to understand. The images in Picturing the gospel strike a wonderful balance. The7 present the gospel in simple and easily-explained ways without losing its fullness and mystery; and conversely the images together present an infinitely rich and deep gospel without making it too complicated to understand or communicate. I've come back to this gem time and again in my work, and highly recommend it!

I found this book to be helpful on so many levels. It speaks powerfully to people who are wondering about Christian spirituality. It captures the gospel in a fresh way for followers of Jesus, using stories from life and scripture - and offers great ways to talk about faith. It's intellectually stimulating and highly accessible. It also challenged me on a personal level. I began reading it to see if it would be good for other people to read, and found myself experiencing God in a new way, particularly as I explored the images using the prayer guides (in the appendix). The author manages to integrate spiritual knowledge and growth with mission... very much like the gospel he's describing. I've used this book as a framework for a small group Bible study, to train college students and church leaders to share their faith, AND given it to people exploring Christianity. I know of few other books that function that way.

*** Whatever sort of book one reads, from the most vivid action story to the dryest educational tome, images come into your mind as you interact with the words. This is especially true with the Gospel, but with the sacred text, the images have a living quality that brings life today into an intersection with the ancient words. The author takes nine word pictures from the Bible and shows how they relate to modernity. He offers an illuminating view of familiar stories in a most readable way, adding a fresh perspective for his audience. ***