by: Jefferson Bethke
Publisher: Nelson Books
Dates Read: April 8 - June 17
Pages: 202
Source: Own it
Why did I read it?
A few years back Jefferson Bethke was speaking at my school and I volunteered to usher the event with my roommate because that meant you got in for free. It also meant I got a free, autographed copy and an opportunity to meet the guy. Super cool. It sat on my shelf for a while because of a lack of time and in the spring I decided I was going to start reading some Christian non-fiction before going to bed to try to enlighten my mind or something.
Confession: I do not understand the <> signs. I get their meanings backwards all the time. Thankfully, I had seen his youtube video and knew that it was Jesus is greater than Religion.
The book basically walks through the principals of Christianity and where the church tends to get them wrong. He shared his personal testimony and how the church's outlook on the faith affected his own faith as he was becoming a Christian.
I agreed with just about everything he said and had seen a lot of the same issues in the church. Bottom line, sometimes the church isn't really following scripture in the way they act or teach. I didn't find this book particularly ground-breaking. Someone once told me every Christian needed to read this book because it was a game changer. Maybe because of the way that I grew up or my religion minor or always having friends who were Christian but didn't believe the exact same thing has helped me out. I don't know, but it wasn't earth shattering. I do however think he makes some really good points that many Christians need to hear and at the very least be reminded of.
My only complaint is that sometimes Jefferson gets a little lost in his personal stories and talks himself in circles. A personal example to make a point is great, but five is overkill. Overall though, for a guy who isn't actually a writer, he did very well. I like Jefferson. I watch his videos on youtube and he has got a lot of really good stuff to say.
Rating: 3.5/5
I'm going to give this book a 3.5. It was good. It wasn't great or earth-shattering, but it wasn't bad and I do not feel that my time was wasted reading this book.
Recommendation:
I am going to recommend most every Christian to read this. We all need to be reminded of some stuff. If you're not a Christian, give this book try anyway. It pretty simply outlines what Christianity should be instead of what it sometimes is. If you have ever felt a little burned by the church maybe this book will help you to see that it was the people that were wrong, not Jesus.
