Oh Shit! It's Jesus!
Oh Shit! It’s Jesus: The Relevance of Jesus Without All the Religious Crap by Steve Hughes
This is the second review of a book sent to me by The Ooze. From the back cover:
It’s basically a collection of sermons, each a chapter long, with a retelling of a scriptural story or two and a suggestion for a way to try out following Jesus plus an invitation to join the discussion on his website or Facebook page. They’re mostly lessons that seem obvious to me, but are clearly controversial in some parts: Being a friend of Jesus isn’t limited to the jerks who use his name. God could use evolution to create the world we know. Jesus respected women. Jesus was teaching a way of being in right relationship with God and other people right now, not offering a free “Get Out of Hell” ticket.
I don’t disagree with Hughes, much, but at the same time it didn’t really speak to my condition. It’s not subtle, and if you don’t like the words shit and crap and sucks, it’s not for you. But if these are everyday pieces of your vocabulary; if you are tired of hearing crap come out of so-called Christians’ mouths; if you’ve been wondering about getting your life together, this book could be right for you.
This is the second review of a book sent to me by The Ooze. From the back cover:
“Jesus was a peasant day laborer. However, his teachings and miraculous deeds were revolutionary. When religious leaders saw Jesus walking up, out of frustration, they would say ‘Oh shit! It’s Jesus!’ Jesus was trouble for them. He taught that God was more concerned about social justice and loving restoration of individuals, rather than blind allegiance to an oppressive and irrelevant religious system.
“When Jesus would walk along the shore of a fishing village, a life hardened fisherman would see Jesus and shout out, ‘Oh shit! It’s Jesus!’ After a hard day of labor, fishermen, women from the fields, and children would sit in the evening sun and listen to Jesus teach about the love and mercy God desires for everyone.
"The reality and message of Jesus' life are amazing. You may see organized religion and the church as a negative option for your spiritual life, but I encourage you to look at the actual life of Jesus as a positive choice for your spirituality.”
It’s basically a collection of sermons, each a chapter long, with a retelling of a scriptural story or two and a suggestion for a way to try out following Jesus plus an invitation to join the discussion on his website or Facebook page. They’re mostly lessons that seem obvious to me, but are clearly controversial in some parts: Being a friend of Jesus isn’t limited to the jerks who use his name. God could use evolution to create the world we know. Jesus respected women. Jesus was teaching a way of being in right relationship with God and other people right now, not offering a free “Get Out of Hell” ticket.
I don’t disagree with Hughes, much, but at the same time it didn’t really speak to my condition. It’s not subtle, and if you don’t like the words shit and crap and sucks, it’s not for you. But if these are everyday pieces of your vocabulary; if you are tired of hearing crap come out of so-called Christians’ mouths; if you’ve been wondering about getting your life together, this book could be right for you.
Labels: good books and music, Jesus, Ooze
posted by Robin M. at 7:03 AM
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2 Comments:
Hi Robin I kinda suspected this wouldn't speak to me either ( been to this place before), but I'm looking forward to reading and sharing the book with people I know who will appreciate this as fresh air. Thanks for the balanced review. thanks and later Patrick
Hi Patrick! This one was for you. It was because you mentioned you were looking forward to it that I made a point of reading this one next.
I'm sure there are lots of people for whom this will be like fresh air, not too high falutin', and not hung up on a bunch of stuff that doesn't really matter anyway.
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