Jesus Wants to Save Christians

I just finished reading Rob Bell's latest book "Jesus Wants to Save Christians". It's classic Rob. His conversational style and down-to-earth explanation of otherwise complex material is definitely found in this book. And...quite frankly...it was, for me, the quickest read of his three books.

What I liked about this book, aside from the fact that it was Rob Bell (I'm a huge fan!), was the way that he and co-author Don Golden walked through Scripture tracing the history of Israel from Egypt, to Sinai, to Jerusalem, and ultimately to exile in Babylon. This motif of exile and exodus, which they call the “New Exodus perspective,” is the lens through which they look at Jesus and the mission of the church. I found it refreshing and right on.

There are some fascinating quotes in the book. I won't post them all because I don't want the chapters to lose their "punch" for you (should you choose to read them), but here's one that I found eye-opening:

“Americans spend more annually on trash bags than nearly half the world does on all goods.”

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book, and I recommend it. However, the overall message of this book is not terribly different from "Jesus for President" by Shane Claiborne. If you've just read "Jesus for President", as I recently recommended that book as well, then you will find some repetitive themes stated in different vocabulary. On the plus side, however, if you have not read "Jesus for President" this is a way to become introduced to some of those themes in a much quicker read. Just my two-cents, for what it's worth...

Grace and Peace