Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read
Review: Wow. Simply the best Christian book I've ever consumed. An amazing book by a gifted, insightful author.
Rating:
Summary: Explains Why God Does Not Furnish More Compelling Proofs
Review: The Christian faith is eminently rational, and there is a large body of evidence that supports its truth claims. At the same time, as pointed out by Yancey in this book (especially on page 74), the Lord does not compel belief. Skeptics ask why the sky does not open up for God to show Himself to everyone, or why the Lord did not show His resurrected Self to Pilate. Clearly, the Lord resisted Satan's temptation to do more spectacular miracles and thereby increase His fame. This would have reduced the human freedom of choosing Him or rejecting Him. In addition, the Lord Jesus Christ was and is not so much pointing to the truth as pointing to Himself. Jesus Christ never backed away from a conflict. Consider the Pharisees. The problem was not that the Pharisees were too strict but that they were not strict enough. The Sermon on the Mount exemplifies the great gulf which exists between God and humanity, and this gulf can never be bridged by self effort. Only Jesus Christ can bridge this gulf, and He has done this for all who believe.
Rating:
Summary: Look at Jesus in a Different Light!
Review: Yancey's book seeks to and succeeds in challenging some the misconceptions of Jesus Christ and the power He exercised.Among the points Yancey covers include: 1. God is courageous and favors the underdog.
2. Jesus often did not meet the expectations of others.
3. Jesus often stayed out of the limelight.
4. Be careful of the power of the world because the kingdom of God is so different!
5. Even while on the cross, Jesus thought of others more than He thought of Himself.
6. The gospel is still offensive today.
7. The noncoercive aspects of God's love for the world.
8. It would have been easier for Jesus to stay instead of leaving earth and leaving the keys of the church to people. Read and be prepared to think differently about Jesus!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: This is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read. If you are serious about knowing the real Jesus. PLEASE get this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great and Useful Read for Many Christians
Review: Phillip Yancey's strength in his books is always in his ability to convey concepts and ideas, as well as historical places and people, to contemporary readers minds and taking to task both liberal, mainstream, and conservative notions about Jesus and Christianity. In "The Jesus I Never Knew" Yancey does a great job in putting Christ in a 'modern' context so our today's reader can relationally understand and 'feel' Jesus. Yancey tries to remove the Jesus many of us grew up with: The "lifeless flannelboard' Jesus we observed as children in Sunday school (p. 85) His book is a challenege to Christian liberals who tend to view Jesus only as a social and political revolutionary and it is a challenge to many Evangelicals and all fundamentalists who tend view 'Chrsitological' doctrine in a cultural, and often American vacumm (Yancey's use of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy is very telling in his ability to draw from Eastern Chrsitians and make their life's revelat to Western Readers). One recent reviewer suggests this book is somewhat shallow, and sugests reading Marcus Borg's "Meeting Jesus Agian for the First Time." First, this book, though maybe not theologically extensive as other books, it does do what the author intended, to show Jesus for who he is, man and God. I have a couple of places where I question Yancey's statements, but overall he has done a great job for presenting an authentic Christ. Yancey is primarily a journalists telling the message and is probably more effective than most theologians and is much more so than Borg. Secondly, Borg's book is even more shallow and less meaningful. Further, Borg cannot allow his naturalistic worldview to alow for a high Christology. Borg's Jesus looks very much like Borg. Yancey's view of Jesus is much closer to the truth. A great alternative to both these books is 'Living Jesus' by Luke T. Johnson.
Rating:
Summary: Thousands Have A Priceless Gift But Will Never Discover It
Review: The renowned Christian book author, Philip Yancey, deserves "five gold stars" for his thought-provoking book, The Jesus I Never Knew. Yancey's training and experience as a journalist is evident in his exploration and historical detailed life analysis of the human being we call "Jesus." His book tells the story of this great Man who changed history, but that's not why he wrote it. As explained in Part One, "Who He Was," Jesus was the dividing point in Yancey's life. Although Jesus lived over 2,000 years ago, Yancey and Jesus have a very personal relationship. He states: "Nothing, not even the murder of God's own Son-can end the relationship between God and human beings." Yancey reminds us "too easily we forget what it cost Jesus to win for us all-ordinary people, not just priests-immediate access to God's presence. How important is that? Yancey states, "According to Jesus, what I think about Him and how I respond will determine my destiny for all eternity." I'd say it's the most important decision you could ever make. As I read his book, I began to wonder, should this be a Wiley Publishing, Jesus For Dummies book? The Jesus we learned about while growing up, the typical Sunday school stereotype is a humble, soft-spoken, longhaired, modest Man. This is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords of all creation? This is the man that battled Satan? This is the man that hung on the cross by nails pounded into his flesh? Through extensive use of biblical references, Yancey explains how our preconceived ideas about Jesus' personality and looks may be misconceptions. Yancey also explains that Jesus purposefully walked through life and was comfortable meeting folks from every walk of life. Would you be comfortable associating with prostitutes, leprosy victims, and thieves? Jesus was, and still is. Yancey reminds us: "In God's kingdom there are no undesirables." Yancey's work opens our eyes to the circumstances encompassing the birth of Jesus. He asks, "If Jesus came to reveal God to us, then what do I learn about God from that first Christmas?" How about a God that is a humble, approachable, courageous underdog? Yancey's questions regarding the birth cause us to ponder why God would send His Son to earth as a tiny infant human being. God could have sent Jesus to earth in a fire engulfed chariot surrounded by legions of angels, but He didn't. Yancey further explores the Jewish connection and how "Jesus failed to meet the expectations of Messiah the Jews were awaiting." Reading the book helps you to discover why God chose the Virgin Mary, and the challenging circumstances surrounding the birth of the Messiah. Although, it wasn't clear to me why God chose that time and place for the birth of Jesus. Does Yancey create a paradigm shift in thinking? Yes. In the chapter, Mission: A Revolution of Grace, he asks: "Why do so few of the millions of prayers for physical healing get answered?" Humans afflicted with mental and physical woes daily ask, "Why me God?" When tragedy strikes my life, I ask God, "Why?" Yancey's response is simply, "I don't know." Yancey refers to a bible passage when Jesus is asked a similar question. Jesus responded, "...this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his [recipient's] life." In my youth, when something bad happened to my mom or dad, I would promise Jesus I would "be good" and "never do ever again. I knew God was punishing me for my bad deeds. I would pray extra hard, maybe even kneel by the side of the bed. I never heard God tell me everything was going to be ok. I prayed and prayed for miracles but the angels never came down to help me. How can I believe in God if he doesn't help me when I need it? Yancey illustrates that: "Although faith may produce miracles, miracles do not necessarily produce faith." Why did Jesus perform only a few miracles? They "give us a glimpse of what the world was meant to be and instill hope that one day God will right its wrongs." Yancey's book will open your eyes and mind to a new way of thinking. He will challenge your stereotypes and expose you to uncomfortable views. He supports his observations with evidence and builds his case like Lieutenant Columbo; except, Yancey doesn't bumble through the bible. Yancey is an expert communicator and articulates well his beliefs. I think you will find this book to be a good investment, monetarily and eternally. Reviewer's note: The title for this book review is officially listed in The Top 100 Greatest Headlines Ever Written. I thought it was applicable to this review since Yancey helps readers to discover the gift they already have, the unconditional love of Jesus Christ.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy read for easy evangelical concepts
Review: Yancey's work is a quick, enjoyable read, but can be disjointed and shallow. He is adept at conveying a theology based on a non-critical evangelistic reading of the New Testament. He ignores the bulk of fresh research into the Jewish situation of First Century Palestine and Second Temple Judiaism. That said, evangelicals and fundamentalist Christians will find the book both challenging and affirming to many of their basic ideals. Yancey is critical established Christianity and the historical atrocities committed in its name, as non denominationalist will agree. He also appeals to the social activists in his indictment of the church for not being more of an advocate in the AIDS movement. These are useful insights but hardly anything "we never knew." Readers who want to see a throughly Jewish Jesus and written by a great First Century scholar with a big social conscience might do better by picking up Marcus Borg's Meeting Jesus Again For The First Time. But be forewarned, Borg doesn't subscibe to Yancey high christology.
Rating:
Summary: Easy read with meat in it!
Review: I've just discovered the Yancey books. This one is excellent and I'm considering suggesting it for a study group or Sunday School class at my church.
Rating:
Summary: Will shake you to the core your beliefs about Jesus
Review: What this book does is forces you to take the religious lenses off with which one tends to read the bible and really look at Jesus as though you were there when he was alive. I personally have not been left "unscathed" by the encounter- it forces you to really examine your views of Jesus. Don't read this book unless you are prepared to meet Jesus as he really is, beyond what is often taught in the church. Yancy is a very high quality writer in general, and this book is definitely no exception.
Rating:
Summary: Another Yancey Gem
Review: Phil Yancey provides us with another probing and intelligent piece of literature. Is there a finer Christian writer in America? This book on the life of Jesus goes places where most of the Jesus literature fails to go - prodding us to follow this incredible world leader.
|
