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Your Jesus Is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior

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Jared is not your standard, everyday, run of the mill, grits and butter sort of preacher/teacher. He's the former pastor of Element, a missional church in Nashville, as well as a blogger over at The Gospel Driven Church. And now, with the publishing of his first book, Jared is a first-class author. How do I qualify this? I mean, come on, how many authors of what is essentially a systematic theology include references to Strong Bad, Die Hard, The Kid, My Buddy, and the Grateful Dead? I mean besides Mark Driscoll, of course. Or Todd Bentley. If he ever decided to write a systematic theology. Which would probably look pretty wild.

The qualification for my above assertion comes in Jared's systematic presentation of the biblical claims about Christ. Unlike so many who have remade Christ to fit their message, Jared's innovation only extends as far as the presentation. The Christ of the Gospels is examined from twelve different perspectives (shepherd, promise, sacrifice, etc). As each is considered, a full picture of Christ's message and mission for His followers comes into view.

Content

The picture of Christ that Jared paints is robustly biblical with some hints of Reformed theology (which, in my view, makes it even more robustly biblical). NT Wright and George Ladd are definitely influences here, the former informing Jared's thoughts concerning Christ's mission and the latter shaping his view of the kingdom of God.

In the intro, Jared sets us up by surveying Christianity in America. Each subsequent movement, whether it be the prosperity gospel, the altar call gospel, or the guru gospel, has rewritten Christ to fit their message. As such, Christians that wish to proclaim the true Christ must know Who they are serving in the midst of so many counterfeits. Enter this book.

The book could be a mash-up of Driscoll's Death by Love and Phillip Yancey's The Jesus I Never Knew (you can guess which of those two I recommend). This is definitely theology leading application. I'll highlight what I enjoyed the most, and then talk about a couple potential misfires.

Pros

Jared is at home talking about Christ. Each chapter opens with an examination of the historical background surrounding that aspect of the Savior's ministry. Thus, the chapter on Christ as shepherd examines what it meant to be a shepherd, or the chapter on Jesus as the promise looks at the Messianic expectations of first century Judaism (Messiah was to come in the wilderness, etc.). After conducting this initial foray into the history behind the theology, Jared examines the text of the Gospels, showing just how radical this Jesus was.

The conclusions he comes to, although not shocking to any orthodox believer, are still penetrating for us American Christians who have never known the kingdom life that Christ talked about in the Beatitudes: Jesus came to bring the reality of God's kingdom to earth. We're firmly in already/not yet territory here, which is refreshing to find serious theology at the heart of such a radical presentation of Christ.

His application is taken directly from Christ's person and work; this isn't nebulous application that gets pulled out of the sky somewhere. It's firmly theological, and shows our obligation in light of Christ's kingship and sacrifice. I was very much reminded of Death by Love, where Mark Driscoll examines the different pastoral applications of Christ's work on the Cross. This is similar, but expands the examination and application a bit.

His fresh way of writing also helps me understand theology. For instance, when we say that Christ was all God and all man, what we're saying is that He was fully God and really a man. He had BO, struggled with sexual temptation, etc. Or the way in which God's kingdom is explained will be helpful for those who are struggling with an overworked version of eschatology.

Cons

There's perhaps two misfires, and they're relatively minor... so I'm expecting a second edition. Planning on writing one, right Jared? He does well to fill in footnotes with all kinds of Scripture references; provides good backup for the rest of his arguments. What isn't so common are the footnotes that support his assertions concerning early Jewish life and other historical background. I remember when the reformed evangelical community lambasted Rob Bell for not providing proof for his points in Velvet Elvis concerning the Judaism of the OT and NT. I thought about this as I was reading... a bunch of backup citations will help those who are doubtful, especially those coming from a Jewish background. A second edition of Jared's book should include such footnotes.

Also, some of Jared's thoughts concerning the applications of Christ's kingdom were too abstract for me. He talks about the "already" gradually expanding into the "not yet". Partially because I'm weary of a Gospel that takes on more than Scripture mandates, and partially because I'm just too abstract for my own good, I would want to see more clarification of what our part in the ministry of reconciliation is. Are we part of God's redemption of Creation? How does that fit into Romans 8:19-23? Or are we part of His reconciliation between God and man alone, and He will redeem Creation Himself at His coming?

To summarize: Jared writes a great overview of the biblical Christ. Useful to have before stepping into Systematic Theology at school, or before trying to explain the Gospel's implications to a new convert. Or a congregation. Very practical and powerful; it'll likely be our helper to examine Christ at my church's small group this upcoming fall. There are other books that will dig deeper, but as a popular introduction to Christ I can't think of a better book.

In a shopping mall in the Philippines a friend of mine found a Velvet Elvis styled painting of Jesus on a motorcycle. Though it didn't have a description the picture painted a thousand words of Son of God as a Harley rider and the Disciples as his biker gang. Depending on your point of view this could be gospel truth, heresy or just plain funny.

It seems that many people these days use Jesus as a commodity to help brand their own manufactured religion. We have social gospel Jesus, environmentally friendly Jesus, Republican Jesus, reformed Jesus, hippie Jesus, liberal Jesus, and bless-me Jesus. In his book, Your Jesus Is Too Safe, author Jared Wilson sets out to correct these imposters and get people back to roots of the historical, biblical Jesus. He does this by writing about twelve different biblical perspectives of the Son of God- the promise, prophet, forgiver, man, shepherd, judge, redeemer, king, sacrifice, provision, Lord, and Savior. It is an effective remedy for those who have missed a point or two along the way, reminding us that Jesus' roles and personality are very unique and diverse, purposeful and sufficient.

However, Wilson's book is not the definitive work on the life and times of Jesus. If you tried to describe anyone from 12 different perspectives you would invariably leave out some important things. For instance I could write about my dad as a father, son, friend, husband, artist, and sculptor and leave out many other important facets to his life. How these different traits interact with each other is also significant. Our roles do not stand alone like the hard sides of a diamond just touching at the edges, but are intricately woven together to tell a rich narrative. It is a difficult task to present the whole when you are studying the parts, but Wilson does an admirable job trying, his own passion for Jesus serves as the glue both within and between his chapters.

Maybe a second, more useful purpose for this book is as an introduction to Jesus for those who haven't studied him before. Wilson's writing is easy to read, inviting and humorous (especially in his footnotes). Readers who do not have a background in biblical studies will follow the author's style with ease and without feeling judged. Most importantly, like a good teacher Wilson leaves his readers wanting more- in this case, more of the real Jesus.

If you were to put the books of John Piper, N.T. Wright, and Mark Driscoll in a blender, what would you get? Jared C. Wilson's new book, Your Jesus Is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel Good Savior (Kregel, 2009). Jared has combined the best qualities from each of these pastors and given us a solid book on Jesus.

Full disclosure. Jared Wilson is a fellow blogger friend of mine. As a blogger myself, I am cheering him on, glad to see that the blogosphere is becoming a place for aspiring writers to hone their skills and try out new ideas. But don't think that I am recommending his book simply because he is a friend. Your Jesus Is Too Safe is a great book on Jesus for a number of reasons.

First, Jared brings together the passion of John Piper, the historical sensibilities of N.T. Wright and the irreverent humor of Mark Driscoll (without the crudeness). Early on in the book, it becomes clear that Jared reads widely and is willing to glean insights from the different streams of Christianity, and yet maintain a firm grasp on the gospel and the core doctrines of the faith.

Second, Jared relentlessly exposes the ways in which we try to tame Jesus:

Even the church itself is guilty when it comes to the marketing of Jesus. We've put our own gloss on him, our own spin. It's no wonder the world doesn't get Jesus, because we've spent decades selling a Jesus cast in our own image. Even our religious ancestors feared the stern taskmaster Jesus. This quasi-Puritan Jesus liked to smack you on the knuckles with a ruler when you got out of line. Later, we received Postcard Jesus - the Coppertoned, blond-haired, blank-stare Jesus of the gold-framed portrait, a bland, two-dimensional figure occupying moral tales that help us to be better people. This flat portrait evolved in the Get-Out-of-Hell-Free Jesus, and this Jesus has inspired millions to say a prayer to get his forgiveness - and then go on living lives devoid of his presence. (13)

Jared sees the scholarly world as seeking to tame Jesus in more subtle ways:

In the world of biblical academia, the "Jesus of history" and the "Jesus of faith" are set against each other, as if never the two shall meet. The two shall meet here - in this book. The purpose of Your Jesus Is Too Safe is to remind us, for the glory of God and the hope of the world, of the original message of the historical person Jesus Christ, who was, in fact, God in the flesh. We're going to remove the gloss. We're going to venture beyond the hype and beneath the misconceptions to see the real, historical figure of Jesus Christ in his biblical and cultural context - and in this way to know God more fully, to see what God wants us to know about the revelation of himself is his son.

Jared offers a portrait of Jesus that is historically rooted. His Jesus is a flesh-and-blood man you could actually see walking on Galilean shores preaching to people about the kingdom. But Jared doesn't let the humanness of Jesus detract from Jesus' divinity. (One chapter is devoted solely to the picture Jesus' deity.) So what you end up with is a Jesus who fits into a particular historical context and is still gloriously worthy of our worship.

Jared's writing is Jesus-focused. The book lays out the different attributes and roles of Christ. Jared rejects superficial theology and therapeutic understandings of sin:

We're always passing the buck and this condition of denying our fallenness is part of our fallenness too. We are broken, messed up people. We are broken messed up no simply because of psychosis or issues or formative experiences in our childhood, although all those things compound and aggravate our real problem and to myriad expressions brokenness. No, we're broken messed up people primarily because we are sinners. He makes good theological distinctions. (65)

As a side note, the footnotes are wildly entertaining. Some of Jared's best one-liners come out in the footnotes.

Still, there are a few places where I wish he would have refrained from his usual jocularity. For example, in making a case for God's holiness, he recounts the story of Uzzah (who was struck dead for trying to keep the ark of the covenant from falling) and says:"...but as soon as he touched it...ZAP...home boy was toast. That's how serious God is about his holiness." Now, I admit that's a funny picture, but it is counterproductive to make a case for God's holiness in a glib manner. So there are a few places in the book where his humor might seem a little out of place.

Overall, Your Jesus Is Too Safe is a great book. I'm excited to see a fellow blogger getting published, and I'm even more excited to see the caliber of this book. May this be Jared's first of many.

He's without doubt the most influential man who ever lived. Millions of people claim to follow his teachings. Some respect him as a philosopher, moral teacher, advocate for the poor, and even progressive revolutionary. So many writers and speakers have represented him in so many ways, it's difficult sometimes to separate truth from fiction when it comes to the person of Jesus Christ. Some even claim it's impossible to really know if Jesus existed, or, if he did, to really know any concrete truth about him.

We all, though, must answer Jesus' own question to his disciples, "Who do you say I am?" To help with this, Jared C. Wilson's "Your Jesus Is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior" examines twelve different characteristics or roles of the person of Jesus. Like a diamond, each angle of perspective unveils another aspect of Christ's beauty, as Wilson unpacks the truth Jesus revealed about himself and who the early Church understood him to be. Jesus is shown to be the fulfillment of a promise, a prophet, a shepherd, a redeemer, a king, lord, and savior, among others.

This is one of the better books I've read in a long time. Wilson is engaging and even humorous at times (his footnotes alone are almost worth the price and had me laughing out loud at times). He's theologically deep while remaining very accessible, and thoroughly Jesus- and Gospel-centered. Comparisons to Mark Driscoll are inevitable due to the humor and never-ending focus on Jesus and the gospel, but I think Wilson is a better writer and refrains from distracting readers with the occasional crass remark (I enjoy Driscoll a ton; I'm just saying). To be sure, there is very little in the book in terms of information I didn't already know, but Wilson's straightforward, conversational style opened up truths in familiar passages I had never seen simply by the way he paraphrased what was said or done. This is great exposition.

Wilson's goal is to blow up the false versions of Jesus so ingrained in our culture, and he does so by presenting an orthodox view of Jesus with, at times, unorthodox descriptions. He deftly moves between theological meat and practical application and experience. For example, in the chapter on "Jesus The Redeemer," a story from Wilson's cousin serves to show not only that Jesus can redeem, but also to show that he does redemptive work in peoples' lives. When Wilson speaks of "Jesus The Shepherd" and shows Jesus' heart for the lost, he connects that to our experiences with lost people and the similar response we should have for them. The teachings of Jesus and the work he accomplished on the cross are not just theoretical here, they are life-giving and real.

The effect of this encounter is equally damaging to the Jesus of both the "religious" and the "lukewarm." You can control the "religious" Jesus by being good, and the "lukewarm" Jesus doesn't demand anything from you. The true gospel doesn't allow for either response, and you will get a clear picture of that gospel here. The self-righteous and those with a feel-good, buddy-Jesus are both confronted with the truth of that gospel. Wilson doesn't allow you to get through this book without understanding the real Jesus and the real biblical gospel as Jesus himself taught.

Whether you are someone curious to know what Christians really believe about Jesus Christ or you're someone who's known him for years, read this book. As Wilson says, the gospel of Jesus isn't some "entry-level information" from which you graduate and no longer need. The gospel of Jesus is Christianity, and this is one of the clearer pictures recently painted of that truth.

Yesterday I came across this advice from Spurgeon:

"Of all I would wish to say this is the sum; my brethren, PREACH CHRIST, always and evermore. He is the whole gospel. His person, offices, and work must be our great, all-comprehending theme. The world needs to be told of its Savior, and of the way to reach him...Blessed is the ministry of which CHRIST IS ALL."

This advice shouldn't be necessary. What else is there to preach about? To quote Spurgeon again, "No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching."

Sadly, though, we need this advice. That's why I have appreciated Jared Wilson's blog The Gospel-Driven Church: it keeps bringing us back to the centrality of the gospel. It's also why his new book, Your Jesus Is Too Safe, is so important.

In twelve chapters, Jared introduces us to a Jesus who has been lost in many of our churches. Jared uses wit and theological insight to unpack some basic teaching on who Jesus is and what he came to do.

The strengths of this book? Well, I like the subject matter a lot. You can write about a lot of things, and people do, but you can't write about anything as important as Jesus. Jared does a great job of presenting some core truths about Jesus.

I also like that this book spends more time changing our thinking than it does giving steps to this or that. I'm convinced that our greatest need is to have our minds and hearts rearranged by what is true about God and the gospel, which will lead to all kinds of practical changes. Sometimes we focus on the changes rather than on having our mind rearranged. Jared gets us right: if we really begin to understand who Jesus is and what he came to do, everything changes.

I also like that Jared can think beyond party lines. He can quote theologians who don't always belong together. He's smart in doing this because these theologians have a lot to offer, even if you don't agree with everything they say. I like a guy who thinks and reads widely.

Finally, I like his humor. Here's a sample. Jared is talking about when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac. At the last minute, Abraham spots a ram, provided by God to take Isaac's place. Jared writes:

"Isaac had probably never been happier to see a ram trapped in all of his life. I bet he kissed that ram on the lips."

Then in a footnote:

"Which, for the ram, had to have been the strangest thing ever to happen to him. And as they were slitting his throat a few minutes later, I bet he looked at Isaac and was like, 'What the heck?'"

I laughed, but not everyone will. If you laughed too, you'll enjoy this book. If not, you may struggle through parts of this book.

Who is this book for? The ideal audience is someone who's been exposed to anemic versions of Jesus and needs to meet the Jesus of Scripture. It's a great book for those who are tired of Christianity lite and are ready for the real thing.

Jared writes:

"My prayer is that more and more churches in Western evangelicalism will repent of their relegating of the gospel to a place inside the Trojan Horse of attractive programming and performance-driven worship services and self-help sermons, and once again herald it boldly as the only and supreme hope of a dying world."

Amen. We need this message. As Spurgeon said, preach Christ or go home.

Your Jesus is Too Safe by Jared C. Wilson is a intriguing look at the different aspects of Jesus. Jesus has lost much of His majesty and wonder in recent years as pop culture views him as a huggy/make-you-rich/non-judgmental guru without any of the message of the gospel. Wilson focuses on just twelve sides of Jesus to emphasize the real Jesus, straight from the Bible. The message of the gospel hasn't changed in its two thousand year: we are broken, sinful people and Jesus died to reconcile us to God. Only by acknowledging those two vital points can we truly come to know Jesus. He didn't come to make us rich or healthy or to bless our lives with great jobs or marriages or to feel good about ourselves. He came to save us from the sin to which we were lost. Wilson has a sardonic, occasionally snarky, tone in writing that keeps him from becoming self-righteous. He is earnest in his desire for the reader to understand the real Jesus, not the one churches are misrepresenting through the flash and bang of services catering to every need and interest. Wilson reminds readers of the true message of the Bible: Jesus saves, and everything else is a distraction.

I like the book so far, not finished with it yet. How true are the words that are written, good book to open the eyes of those who are stuck in a dead Church or lost in religion.

Jesus is hard to ignore. You can find Him in literature, art, television and movies, and even in curse words. Without a doubt Jesus is the most controversial person to ever live (and some even doubt that He did live despite evidence otherwise). Some love Jesus and others hate Jesus but no one can ignore Jesus.

And yet the Church of Jesus Christ, the one place that you would expect to find Jesus is often lacking in teaching the biblical Jesus. Instead we have created a Jesus who fits every need, fills every gap, and is a creation of our imagination rather than a true picture of who Jesus is. This Jesus of the modern American Church is a drive-thru, feel-good Jesus.

Jared Wilson's book attacks all those misconceptions about Jesus. Wilson writes, "Jesus is more than a generic brand, a logo, or a pick-me-up. He has been fictionalized, humanized, satirized, and romanticized. And yet He still isn't recognized." Wilson writes a book to take a look at the true Jesus and to cut through all the various Jesus' you find in modern pop culture and sadly in the modern Church.

Overall this is a great book. The chapters are easy reading and you will get caught up in the book. Wilson writes with a serious tone but he adds humor here and there to spice up the book. But the best part of this book is that the Lord Jesus Christ is truly exalted and you can read this book and end it by seeing the true Jesus of both history and the Bible.