Jesus Mean and Wild: The Unexpected Love of an Untamable God (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "God loves you and has a difficult plan for your life..." (more)
Key Phrases: Jesus Christ, Peter Bernadone, Half Dome (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Christianity Today editor Galli explores the less lovable side of the Christian deity, offering a well-written, thoroughly researched look at Jesus. "The warm and friendly Jesus, although an attractive idea, is but an idol," Galli says. He uses 17 passages in the Gospel of Mark to present a Jesus who is much less loving, gentle and patient than many Christians would like to believe. This Jesus can be stern, confrontational, purposefully confusing and even impatient. He sometimes shames and scares us, but loves us enough to draw us inexorably toward him: "For Jesus has come to us, the real Jesus—mean, wild, and pulsing with an unnerving and irresistible love." Although several other recent books, including Mark Buchanan's Your God Is Too Safe and R.T. Kendall's Out of Your Comfort Zone, have also traversed the God-is-dangerous territory, this one contributes much to the discussion; Galli's writing is clear and concise, his logic smooth, his knowledge of early Christian saints helpful, the discussion questions on target and his conclusions inescapable. Readers will come away with a disconcerting new understanding of "Jesus mean and wild." (July)
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Product Description

Many Christians are used to the idea of a meek and mild Jesus, the stereotypical "nice guy." Countering these all too prevalent notions, Mark Galli offers a unique study of seventeen troubling passages from the book of Mark to prove we should be anything but comfortable with Christ. Highlighting the incontrovertible fact of an untamable and often militant Messiah, Galli gives readers a training manual in spiritual growth to awaken sleeping believers and transform them into devoted disciples. Hinging on the compelling nature of the love of God, he explains how this mean and wild Jesus shows us truer love than our pleasant construct ever could. Striking and bold, but always rooted in Scripture, Jesus Mean and Wild will put readers on the road to true discipleship.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801012848
• ISBN-13: 978-0801012846
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #265,659 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing perspective, August 19, 2006

By	Timothy W. Ellsworth (Jackson, TN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It seems in too many Christian circles we have this idea of a warm and cuddly Jesus -- a Jesus who would never say anything stern, a Jesus who would never make people mad. Too many Christians have embraced Christianity as a religion of being nice -- and if, heaven forbid, you ever say something that's not nice, then you're a wretched sinner.

Galli challenges this idea. He takes 17 passages from the gospel of Mark and shows how Jesus often acted in ways we might not expect -- or even in ways that maybe some think he shouldn't.

For example, he starts with Mark 1:11-12, which says that after Jesus was baptized, "the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness." Why did God do this? Isn't God supposed to be loving? Surely he wouldn't deliberately bring suffering into our lives. But that's exactly what God the Father did to Jesus in this passage. Galli uses this example to argue that difficulties and sufferings are often God's ways of fashioning the character of men and women.

Other examples Galli draws upon from the life of Jesus include his stern warning to the leper who was healed, his rebuke of Peter, his driving the money changers out of the temple, etc.

Galli's book is a refreshing perspective on who Jesus really is. Concise and readable, each chapter is about 8-10 pages long and can stand alone as its own unit -- meaning it's a book that you can read over a long period of time and not feel like you're missing the big picture.

Ultimately, Galli challenges the reader to get to know the real Jesus, not the one we've conjured up and not the one with whom we want to be comfortable -- because God will not allow us the luxury of being comfortable with him.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful book, very well written, January 4, 2007

By	David Murrow (Anchorage, AK USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mark Galli reveals a Jesus who prowls the pages of scripture, yet is rarely seen in our play it safe, praise and worship churches. This Jesus is more Lion of Judah than Lamb of God -- a man's man who never backed down from a fight. The delicious irony is that this Jesus would be expelled from many a church -- for being too "UnChristlike."

My only beef with this book: Galli has a real bias against large, successful churches, dismissing them as prideful. He says that Christ prefers to work through small, humble churches. He ignores the fact that wherever Christ went, large crowds followed. I have no doubt that Jesus can work through churches large AND small, but in my experience large churches are much more likely to embody Christ's wildness, risk-taking and mission focus.

This book is definitely worth a read. I highly recommend it.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jesus Isn't Always Nice, December 3, 2006

By	Readalots (South Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

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This remarkable little book (with only 207 hardback pages) reminds that Jesus wasn't always nice. Using texts from the Gospel of Mark author Mark Galli presents the "shock and awe" moments from Christ's ministry and life. "Jesus Mean and Wild" (2006) completes its study with six pages of endnotes and 18 pages of small group discussion questions.

Galli's study is provocative and occasionally uncomfortable. He explains that his point is to "explore this unnerving texture by working through seventeen passages of the Gospel" (page 19). The book is simply astonishing! Each time I wanted to disagree with his analysis, the author presented me with a direct quote from Jesus. (I've begun to re-tool my thinking.)

As if to unnerve the stayed and stodgy believer even more, Galli uses the new English Standard Version of Scripture (2001). This translation presents novel, often challenging, words to the biblical text. His use of the ESV greatly assists in his presentation and surprising Jesus recount.

The best parts of this book are chapters 11 and 12 as Galli explains that contemporary western Christianity has given into the gospel of relevance and success. He says that in order for the church to continue to be faithful and effective this pursuit of numbers "must die" (page 128). If there is a downside to this book it is that the author tends to be preachy (he is verbose). Working through his sermons is a small price to pay to discover his pearls of wisdom.

This is a very good book. It shows that sometimes Jesus was direct and confrontational. It is recommended to everyone.