Review of Philip Yancey’s The Jesus I Never Knew
In The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey’s unpretentious and unbiased examination of Jesus’ earthly walk, it is almost as if Mr. Yancey is interviewing Jesus himself. He candidly shares his personal doubts, fears and preconceptions from his own American twentieth century fundamental Christian upbringing, but attempts to set all that aside and look at the historical evidence available from several perspectives. With his unique journalistic eloquence, he surveys Jesus’ journey from the manger in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem and ultimately, to His ascension back to heaven. Mr. Yancey shares his impressions regarding writing this book as, “I felt like an art restorer stretched out on the scaffolding of the Sistine Chapel, swabbing away the grime of history with a moistened Q-Tip (p. 25). It certainly seems that the Jesus we, as the modern church have inherited is greatly distorted from the Jesus Yancey describes as brilliant, untamed, tender, creative, slippery, irreducible, [and] paradoxically humble (p. 265). The book is clearly divided into three sections, “Who He Was,” “Why He Came,” and “What He …show more content…
Yes, I am an idealist who sees the glass half full, but God’s mercies are new each morning, and instead of seeing a church who does not welcome the sinner, I see a church of forgiven sinner’s reaching out to those who except by the grace of God would be in similar circumstances. That assumption is like you mentioned, charging the entire Jewish nation with the death of Jesus. I could tell you of people and organizations who daily lay aside all of themselves that they might reach the
In The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey’s unpretentious and unbiased examination of Jesus’ earthly walk, it is almost as if Mr. Yancey is interviewing Jesus himself. He candidly shares his personal doubts, fears and preconceptions from his own American twentieth century fundamental Christian upbringing, but attempts to set all that aside and look at the historical evidence available from several perspectives. With his unique journalistic eloquence, he surveys Jesus’ journey from the manger in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem and ultimately, to His ascension back to heaven. Mr. Yancey shares his impressions regarding writing this book as, “I felt like an art restorer stretched out on the scaffolding of the Sistine Chapel, swabbing away the grime of history with a moistened Q-Tip (p. 25). It certainly seems that the Jesus we, as the modern church have inherited is greatly distorted from the Jesus Yancey describes as brilliant, untamed, tender, creative, slippery, irreducible, [and] paradoxically humble (p. 265). The book is clearly divided into three sections, “Who He Was,” “Why He Came,” and “What He …show more content…
Yes, I am an idealist who sees the glass half full, but God’s mercies are new each morning, and instead of seeing a church who does not welcome the sinner, I see a church of forgiven sinner’s reaching out to those who except by the grace of God would be in similar circumstances. That assumption is like you mentioned, charging the entire Jewish nation with the death of Jesus. I could tell you of people and organizations who daily lay aside all of themselves that they might reach the