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LOST
MESSAGE OF JESUS
Steve Chalke
& Alan Mann
Ever
felt disillusioned with Christianity? You go through life carrying
a truckload of garbage, then you go to church and find another truckload
dumped on you. It's enough to make you want to jack the whole thing
in.
If
that's you, then this book is for you: Chalke & Mann
come onto the scene like a bulldozer, tip over the garbage truck,
clear away the muck and reveal a sleek, shining new jag. Except
it's not a jag - it's a double decker bus: tickets free, all aboard
for the ride of your life!
Here's
the message: Jesus says, "The Kingdom, the in-breaking shalom
of God, is available now to everyone through me." It's repeated
and explained throughout the book, which is perhaps just as well:
"the in-breaking shalom of God" isn't exactly soundbite
quality. But don't let that put you off: Chalke & Mann explain
exactly what they mean in a down-to-earth, no-holds-barred full-frontal
assault on some of Western Christianity's most treasured dogmas.
Let's
take "original sin" as an example: you've
probably had this dumped on you numerous times - you're a sinner,
born into sin, rotten from the outset, a loser from day one, judged
by God, guilty as charged and damned to hell. Chalke & Mann
say no way: you're a human being, created in God's image (p.67).
Original goodness is what Jesus was after, mixing with society's
so-called wasters: all God wants is to welcome you home like the
Father in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15: 11-32).
It's not
just original sin that Chalke & Mann do away with - it's the
entire "sinners in the hands of an angry God" routine
(p.54-55). When Jesus was crucified it wasn't an angry, vindictive
deity hitting out, punishing him for offences that he hadn't committed
simply because someone, somewhere had to pay. On the contrary, the
cross is God's ultimate declaration of his love for us, that he
is here with us in the midst of life's agony & chaos - "a
demonstration of just how far God as Father and Jesus as his Son
are prepared to go to prove that love." (p.183).
Not
surprisingly, speaking out as plainly as this about these issues
has created something of a furore, especially amongst the more right-wing
evangelical wing of the church.
The simple
fact is, however, that far from abandoning orthodoxy, Chalke &
Mann are actually getting closer to it: one major wing of the church
that has never accepted the dogma of substitutionary atonement is
Eastern Orthodoxy. Here in the west we'd do well to listen to our
brothers and sisters in the east, and this book is a step in the
right direction, starting to strip away some of the debris that
the western church has allowed to accumulate (or even deliberately
introduced!) over the past two thousand years. It takes us back
to meet Jesus in his original context with his original message
of hope, love and life-transforming power. It's God here, now -
forgiving, forgetting, embracing you and me.
So
back to my bus analogy at the beginning: don't give up: get on board
and enjoy the ride! You won't always like the other passengers,
of course, and the road's kinda rutted in places - but the scenery's
amazing: make sure you don't miss it!
ISBN 0310248825
Published by Zondervan, 2003
Price £8.99 ($14.99) Click
here to buy online
Check
out Steve's website: Oasis: church.co.uk
Reviewed
by Phil Groom, manager of London
School of Theology Books & Resources . He's a regular contributor
to the Book Comments section of London School of Theology's monthly
webzine, Eis , writes website
reviews for Christian Marketplace magazine and Faith for Life. He
also runs the website; www.christianbookshops.org.uk
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