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aebooksandwords's review
3.0
In “What Jesus Intended: Finding True Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion,” author Todd Hunter shares in the experience of believers who are disenchanted and disillusioned with the church in the face of disappointment, deconstruction, church hurt, and even scandalous events. Yet he wants believers ready to give up on the church to know it is meant to be something Jesus intends it to be that we all live out together vs what man has often made it.
In the book, he shares about getting out of the “rubble of bad religion” and into a faith community that seeks “the true aims of the gospel.”
I appreciated how the book shares others’ stories as it communicates how we too can keep our heads above the water even as the waves rise around us, a metaphor the author uses well to describe such challenges.
At times I couldn’t tell which audience the book was meant for, but I did find many gems throughout, such as:
“Life hurts. Tragically, spiritual malpractice rubs the sore, increasing the pain. Bad religion is not just wrong thinking isolated in an individual. Its effect is more like the multicar pileups that occur in foggy, mountainous driving conditions. The fog of bad religion causes heartache and suffering to reverberate in every direction. The throbbing in one’s soul is life altering.”
This book hopes to enable us to “gain a fresh hearing from Jesus” despite church malpractice that so abounds, helping the reader “rescue the reputation of Jesus from the rubble of bad religion,” while “revealing His aims” for human life as He intended it.
The author expresses rightly that “Saying to victims of church abuse ‘not all Christians are bad’ is re-wounding. It dismisses their specific experience in a deluge of well-meaning but defensive statistics.”
One thing that stood out oddly to me was the defining of “repent” in Chapter 5 only as “rethinking all of life.” While this fits well within the definition of the word, it lacks clarity by not including a mention of turning from sin to God’s ways.
Chapter 5’s explanation of various parables was insightful and inspiring, especially the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds in light of evil and the problem of pain.
Some things I also appreciated:
“We either use Jesus for our purposes or we find purpose as we follow Jesus into the story of God.”
“We want God to judge and stop the evil that appears in the news, but we are protective of our own thoughts, words, and deeds, and don’t with the same urgency ask God to intervene in our hearts.”
“No one, not even the one most understandably cynical about church, is excluded from the love and embrace of the God revealed in Jesus. Neither are occasional sinners, the barely religious, or those fleeing the church. The church can rest in God’s longing, searching embrace of the Good Shepherd—and a core aspect of that rest is ceasing judgmentalism and adopting welcoming love.”
Thank you to IVP for sending this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
In the book, he shares about getting out of the “rubble of bad religion” and into a faith community that seeks “the true aims of the gospel.”
I appreciated how the book shares others’ stories as it communicates how we too can keep our heads above the water even as the waves rise around us, a metaphor the author uses well to describe such challenges.
At times I couldn’t tell which audience the book was meant for, but I did find many gems throughout, such as:
“Life hurts. Tragically, spiritual malpractice rubs the sore, increasing the pain. Bad religion is not just wrong thinking isolated in an individual. Its effect is more like the multicar pileups that occur in foggy, mountainous driving conditions. The fog of bad religion causes heartache and suffering to reverberate in every direction. The throbbing in one’s soul is life altering.”
This book hopes to enable us to “gain a fresh hearing from Jesus” despite church malpractice that so abounds, helping the reader “rescue the reputation of Jesus from the rubble of bad religion,” while “revealing His aims” for human life as He intended it.
The author expresses rightly that “Saying to victims of church abuse ‘not all Christians are bad’ is re-wounding. It dismisses their specific experience in a deluge of well-meaning but defensive statistics.”
One thing that stood out oddly to me was the defining of “repent” in Chapter 5 only as “rethinking all of life.” While this fits well within the definition of the word, it lacks clarity by not including a mention of turning from sin to God’s ways.
Chapter 5’s explanation of various parables was insightful and inspiring, especially the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds in light of evil and the problem of pain.
Some things I also appreciated:
“We either use Jesus for our purposes or we find purpose as we follow Jesus into the story of God.”
“We want God to judge and stop the evil that appears in the news, but we are protective of our own thoughts, words, and deeds, and don’t with the same urgency ask God to intervene in our hearts.”
“No one, not even the one most understandably cynical about church, is excluded from the love and embrace of the God revealed in Jesus. Neither are occasional sinners, the barely religious, or those fleeing the church. The church can rest in God’s longing, searching embrace of the Good Shepherd—and a core aspect of that rest is ceasing judgmentalism and adopting welcoming love.”
Thank you to IVP for sending this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
courtney__bernard's review
challenging
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Rating: 3 Stars
Release Date: 18 July 2023
Format: E-Book
Publisher: InterVarsity Press,IVP
Read More Reviews Here
"What Jesus Intended: Finding True Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion" by Todd D. Hunter attempts to shed light on the essence of true faith in the midst of religious chaos.
While the book does offer some commendable aspects, such as well-researched citations and references and being Bible inspired, I feel that it falls short of understanding who its intended audience is.
One of the book's strengths is its extensive use of citations and references, which adds credibility to the author's arguments. Todd D. Hunter supports his claims with well-documented evidence from various religious texts and notable scholars, giving readers an opportunity to delve deeper into the subject matter. The thoroughness of his research is evident and provides readers with a solid foundation for further exploration.
However, I felt the book's biggest flaw is its failure to understand its audience. Hunter assumes a level of knowledge and familiarity with religious concepts that may alienate or confuse readers who are new to Christianity. The assumptions about readers' prior experiences with the church hinder the accessibility and engagement of the book.
"What Jesus Intended" lacks a cohesive structure and clear direction. The book meanders between personal anecdotes, theological discussions, and historical analyses without a consistent thread to tie them together. As a result, readers may find it challenging to follow the author's train of thought and discern the main points he intends to convey.
Despite its shortcomings, "What Jesus Intended" does contain valuable insights and thought-provoking ideas. Hunter's emphasis on the importance of a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ rather than mere adherence to religious practices is commendable. Additionally, the book raises valid criticisms of institutionalized religion and challenges readers to reexamine their faith in light of Jesus' teachings.
Final Thoughts: While the book excels in providing well-researched citations and references, its lack of clarity about the intended audience hampers its effectiveness. It may still be of value to readers well-versed in religious discourse, but those seeking a more accessible exploration of faith might find themselves lost amidst the rubble of this book.
Disclaimer: Thank you Netgalley and InterVarsity Press,IVP for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Release Date: 18 July 2023
Format: E-Book
Publisher: InterVarsity Press,IVP
Read More Reviews Here
"What Jesus Intended: Finding True Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion" by Todd D. Hunter attempts to shed light on the essence of true faith in the midst of religious chaos.
While the book does offer some commendable aspects, such as well-researched citations and references and being Bible inspired, I feel that it falls short of understanding who its intended audience is.
One of the book's strengths is its extensive use of citations and references, which adds credibility to the author's arguments. Todd D. Hunter supports his claims with well-documented evidence from various religious texts and notable scholars, giving readers an opportunity to delve deeper into the subject matter. The thoroughness of his research is evident and provides readers with a solid foundation for further exploration.
However, I felt the book's biggest flaw is its failure to understand its audience. Hunter assumes a level of knowledge and familiarity with religious concepts that may alienate or confuse readers who are new to Christianity. The assumptions about readers' prior experiences with the church hinder the accessibility and engagement of the book.
"What Jesus Intended" lacks a cohesive structure and clear direction. The book meanders between personal anecdotes, theological discussions, and historical analyses without a consistent thread to tie them together. As a result, readers may find it challenging to follow the author's train of thought and discern the main points he intends to convey.
Despite its shortcomings, "What Jesus Intended" does contain valuable insights and thought-provoking ideas. Hunter's emphasis on the importance of a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ rather than mere adherence to religious practices is commendable. Additionally, the book raises valid criticisms of institutionalized religion and challenges readers to reexamine their faith in light of Jesus' teachings.
Final Thoughts: While the book excels in providing well-researched citations and references, its lack of clarity about the intended audience hampers its effectiveness. It may still be of value to readers well-versed in religious discourse, but those seeking a more accessible exploration of faith might find themselves lost amidst the rubble of this book.
Disclaimer: Thank you Netgalley and InterVarsity Press,IVP for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
bookanonjeff's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Solid Work Within Its Field. For those already familiar with the arguments presented here - at an extremely high level, essentially that religious leaders rarely know what the hell they are doing and tend to create "bad religion", but Jesus Himself is "good religion" - this is fairly standard stuff, presented in the fairly typical Christian Living genre format of some essay around a given topic with a few application questions at the end of the chapter. At least as someone well versed in what Mr. Hunter was talking about, there was nothing particularly ground breaking here, but perhaps this is the presentation that will allow some to approach the topic - in which case I'm fairly certain Mr. Hunter and I would agree that it would have been worth it for that reason alone.
The star deduction here is for the rampant proof texting, but it is rare to find a book in this particular genre without this practice.
And the other thing I felt I needed to call out here was the devotion of the final chapter to a particular ministry... where it turns out that its leader is one of Mr. Hunter's mentors, as he mentions just pages later in the Acknowledgments. This to me felt at least a touch improper, perhaps another similar minstry could have been highlighted there rather than one so closely personal to Mr. Hunter. But this is far from an allegation of actual impropriety, simply something that pings my own ethical philosophy - which I never hold anyone else to.
Overall a solid work in its field, and one worth considering even if you *are* familiar with the general arguments. Very much recommended.
The star deduction here is for the rampant proof texting, but it is rare to find a book in this particular genre without this practice.
And the other thing I felt I needed to call out here was the devotion of the final chapter to a particular ministry... where it turns out that its leader is one of Mr. Hunter's mentors, as he mentions just pages later in the Acknowledgments. This to me felt at least a touch improper, perhaps another similar minstry could have been highlighted there rather than one so closely personal to Mr. Hunter. But this is far from an allegation of actual impropriety, simply something that pings my own ethical philosophy - which I never hold anyone else to.
Overall a solid work in its field, and one worth considering even if you *are* familiar with the general arguments. Very much recommended.
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