From: Nathan Nettleton <[email protected]>

Subject: Book Review: The Jesus Driven Life

I’ve just finished reading an outstanding book called “The Jesus Driven Life: Reconnecting Humanity with Jesus” by Michael Hardin (Lancaster: JDL Press, 2010).

It is not easy to find, but can be ordered online from the author athttp://www.preachingpeace.org/jdlpress/

It comes with enthusiastic Foreword and Afterword by Brian McLaren and Walter Wink respectively, and commendations from a number of other scholars across a range of traditions.

The book is an exciting blend of Christology, Bible theory, anthropology, and social ethics. It’s basic thrust is that all biblical interpretation and theology must be done with with Jesus as its central lens. When we do that, it argues, we find Jesus revealing a God who is consistently compassionate and merciful, and who calls us to imitate Jesus in renouncing vengefulness and pursuing pathways of reconciliation and peace.

Hardin acknowledges that there are many passages in the Bible that portray God as angry, vengeful, violent, punitive and bloodthirsty. Drawing on the theological/anthropological insights of Rene Girard, he outlines a theory of the historic relationship between religions and vengeful victimisation, and then shows how within the pages of the Bible we see a developing struggle between these preconceived conventional views of God and the radical alternative view which eventually takes flesh in Jesus and is vindicated in his resurrection. About half of the book is given to careful considerations of this biblical material, starting with a chapter on “how Jesus read his Bible.”

The book is thoroughly evangelical (Jesus and gospel centric) and unashamed to proclaim the uniqueness of Christ without being discourteous to other major faiths. I found it to be one of the most illuminating books I have ever read. It wove together so many important insights into a exciting large scale vision of what Jesus means for the world and how we are invited to participate in that. I would encourage you all to put it on your reading list as soon as possible.

The book could certainly serve as theological text book, but it is probably pitched more at the scholarly end of the popular Christian literature market (alongside the likes of Philip Yancey and NT Wright). It is structured to be usable for a 32 session study group, and there are companion DVDs available to support such a use (but I haven’t seen them).

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Michael Hardin, will be in Melbourne in January and I have taken on the task of organising a pastors’ gathering to meet and talk with him.

The gathering will take place over coffee from 10:30am on Tuesday 24 January
2012 at the South Yarra Baptist Church
12 Surrey Road, South Yarra

Then at 12:30, those of us who wish to continue the conversation further will go to lunch together at the nearby Flying Duck Hotel.

Michael will address the topic of Jesus’s hermeneutics — how Jesus read his Bible.

If you’d like to come, please let me know, and if you think you’ll plan on staying for lunch, please let me know that too. You can change your mind, but if I’ve got a rough idea of likely numbers, it will help.

Please feel free to pass on the information to others who might be interested in coming and ask them to drop me a line if they are coming.

Copies of Michael’s book will be available on the day for $20 each, and if you want to read it before then, a box of them arrived at my place yesterday and I have his permission to sell you copies. Just ask.

Peace and hope,

Nathan
______________________________________
Nathan Nettleton
Pastor, South Yarra Community Baptist Church
Melbourne, Australia
[email protected]