Is a book you won't want to miss --- and really, you can't afford to

books:


	• Jesus Mean and Wild: The Unexpected Love of an Untamable God Mark Galli Baker Books, 2006 - 208 pages average customer review:based on 13 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Thought-Provoking!

Awesome! Couldn't put the book down. It's certainly changed the way I read the Gospels in the Bible. It made you think of just how multi-faceted Jesus is. The concept that has affected my total understanding of Jesus is that we can never fully know Him. There is always more 'mystery' to be discovered, so He is always new . . . every morning!

Is a book you won't want to miss --- and really, you can't afford to

Jesus is often portrayed as meek and mild, but a thorough reading of the gospels reveals that the Son of God was anything but passive. Mark Galli, managing editor of Christianity Today and a former Presbyterian minister, takes a hard look at the real Jesus --- one whose actions, words and wisdom are anything but gumbylike.

In 17 short chapters, JESUS MEAN AND WILD walks readers the book of Mark, digging deep into bite-size portions of scripture. Galli writes:

"For those who truly want to know and love God as he is, the warm and friendly Jesus, although an attractive idea, is but an idol. And the fascist God will simply not do. To enjoy a full-orbed faith will require that our idea of God gain some unnerving texture, some dynamic energy, some subtlety and depth. It will require that we live into the love of God as manifested in the mean and wild Christ. This Jesus reveals not a one-dimensional, sentimental love --- a love that merely makes us feel good --- but a love capable of saving a desperate world."

Galli's writing is poised, thought-provoking, and at times tastes like Godiva. Not only does he manage to weave stories of himself and his experiences into the text, he also draws on a rich well of insights from theologians, writers and Christians from all ages who have displayed the mean and wild side of Christ. Stories of well-known believers such as Hudson Taylor and St. Francis of Assisi run alongside tales of saints scarcely heard of. The result is a compelling book that brings you deeper into the heart of God.

Tucked within the pages of this book, you'll find Galli exploring, explaining and tackling some of the pendulum swings of the modern church. He delicately raises hot-button issues and offers a balanced response to some of the more excessive trends in the church.

In his chapter "Love That Makes Enemies," he writes:

"To be sure, there is risk especially in loving the theologically or morally wayward. Out of mere sympathy, we may become tempted to compromise our values to be nice to them. But true love is robust. It includes compassion and confrontation, empathy and truth-telling, kindness and sternness. When we enter such relationships, we must enter them not with sentimentality but with full-orbed love. This takes not only compassion but courage. Yet it is that very combination that so often gets us in trouble."

Overall, JESUS MEAN AND WILD is one of the best books I've read this year. I had planned on a quick read, but instead I found myself savoring each chapter like fine chocolate --- enjoying a single piece a day in the hopes that the sweetness would last. Eventually the book came to a close, and I found myself wanting to read it again. With chapters short enough to read like a devotional, JESUS MEAN AND WILD is a book you won't want to miss --- and really, you can't afford to.

--- Reviewed by Margaret Feinberg

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Need Help Smashing Your "God Box"?

Wow! So many things make sense when you get a more accurate understanding of Who Jesus is and how He views things. I got so much encouragement regarding the church in its seemingly impoverished state, and my involvement therein---(I was beginning to faint)...Not to lift up the man, but God speaks cutting, cleansing, healing truth through Mr. Galli. Anyone would benefit from this encounter!

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Many Christians are used to the idea of a meek and mild Jesus, the stereotypical "nice guy." Countering these all too prevalent notions, Mark Galli offers a unique study of seventeen troubling passages from the book of Mark to prove we should be anything but comfortable with Christ. Highlighting the incontrovertible fact of an untamable and often militant Messiah, Galli gives readers a training manual in spiritual growth to awaken sleeping believers and transform them into devoted disciples. Hinging on the compelling nature of the love of God, he explains how this mean and wild Jesus shows us truer love than our pleasant construct ever could. Striking and bold, but always rooted in Scripture, Jesus Mean and Wild will put readers on the road to true discipleship.

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