The Gospel You’ve Never Heard: Who Really Goes to Hell? by David Rudel

The Gospel You’ve Never Heard: Who Really Goes to Hell? by David Rudel

Do you ever struggle with how limited our contemporary understandings of the gospel seem? How Jesus and Paul sometimes seem to be saying different - indeed, opposite - things about the 'good news'? About why there seems to be the good news of Jesus and good news about Jesus? If so, then The Gospel You've Never Heard by David Rudel is for you. The Gospel You've Never Heard makes a lateral move away from conventional descriptions of the Bible's teachings in a way that allows the reader to view modern dogmas of the Left and Right alike through a fresh lens. The book's first two chapters raise questions evangelical Christianity has considerable trouble answering. Rather than attempt incredible rhetorical acrobatics to explain away these very real issues, the author asks the reader to entertain, at least provisionally, that there might be genuine Biblical problems with the gospel portrayed by the modern church. Questions like: Why are the dozens of descriptions of the Judgment conveyed in Matthew, Mark, and Luke so at odds with the version(s) described by modern Christians? In light of Jesus' teaching (Judge not and you will not be judged and By the same measure you judge others, you shall be judged yourself), what does the former of these say about non-believers who do not judge others...or believers who do? How does the latter compare with the claims of modern Christians that God has no choice but to judge everyone against the same standard of perfection? Rudel does not merely bring up these and many other difficulties; he also describes how the message of the modern Christian church matches neither the prophecies of the Old Testament specifying the work of the Messiah nor the evangelism of the early apostles showcased in the book of Acts. Even so, this book is no attack on Christianity or the Bible. Rather, it describes the myriad problems caused by trying to scrunch the ancient Christian gospel into a Western, human-centered, 21st-century mindset. For fans of scholars of like N.T. Wright, E.P. Sanders, and James Dunn, Rudel brings clarity to Christ's purpose by appealing to the Jewish framework the New Testament was written within. In Rudel's estimation, Jesus' teachings, Paul's writings, and God's Judgment all make sense and come alive once we let God's work and desires speak more clearly than Western philosophy and human insecurity. In getting 'judgment' right, God's work in Christ and Christ's work as Judge become clear. Rudel convincingly claims that most of the modern gospel is based on "natural theology" rather than the Bible. In opposition to this, The Gospel You've Never Heard provides an understanding of salvation and the final judgment that is rooted in the Bible's native tongue, as narrative rather than scattershot verse pastiche. Rather than twist and reinterpret Jesus' words to fit within a framework dictated by a few choice passages written 20 years later by Paul, Rudel shows Jesus' teachings on the Judgment and Paul's ostensibly opposed writings on salvation can peacefully coexist once we understand what each refers to. The Gospel You've Never Heard is intended to act as a bridge among disparate seekers of spiritual truth. Conservative Christians, those traditionally in favor of a 'literal' reading of scripture, can mature spiritually by grappling with very real, very important, and very biblical issues. Progressive Christians, who may long ago have eschewed a serious esteem for the Bible, will be challenged to reconsider their evaluation of scripture's place and value. Non-Christians will find a refreshing vision of Christianity here that is less easily dismissed for the simple reason that it makes far more sense and avoids the cardboard-cutout versions of God many accuse evangelicals of portraying. The book responds to a lot of questions people have, questions that are not often presented in church and are seldom engaged satisfactorily when someone is brave enough to bring them up. Rudel's vision exhorts all Christians to better engage and value this world, the creation they are called to transform into a Kingdom where the oppressed are uplifted while justice, truth, peace, and love reign. About David Rudel David Rudel was a theoretic mathematician; now he's a writer, editor, mathematical modeler, and theologian working on church reform. He's written three chess books and this one on Christian theology. [hide] :: Special Viral Blogger Section :: We're out of hard copies of this title! However, you can email Mike at zoecarnate@theooze.com for an eBook copy! Link-love for your review: David's blog: http://www.authentic-christianity.net/ [1] The Gospel You've Never Heard booksite: http://www.whoreallygoestohell.com/ [2] David's website on chess strategy: http://www.zukertort.com/ [3] ...and of course, your Amazon affiliates link. : ) Interview Availability: David is available for blog and podcast interviews. If you'd like to interview David, email him at David@biblicalheresy.com with "OOZE Viral Blogger Interview Request" in the subject line. [/hide] [1] http://www.authentic-christianity.net/ [2] http://www.whoreallygoestohell.com/ [3] http://www.zukertort.com/

38

The Naked Gospel by Andrew Farley

The Naked Gospel by Andrew Farley

The Ten Commandments, tithing and the need to ask forgiveness are just a few of the teachings that Christians can jettison when they embrace the unadorned gospel of Jesus Christ, says author and pastor Andrew Farley in his new book, The Naked Gospel: The Truth You May Never Hear in Church. This gospel boils down to a simple equation: Jesus plus nothing. The Naked Gospel challenges Christians to rethink everything they thought they knew about their faith. Farley proposes a simple - yet paradigm-altering - focus on Jesus. It requires as much unlearning as learning, and a willingness to peel away the layers of religiosity that obscure what Jesus accomplished through his life, death, and resurrection. As a young man, Farley was consumed with the fear that God was disappointed with his performance as a Christian. An intense desire to excel in the spiritual arena led to full-on addiction to street evangelism and Bible study—it got so bad that Farley couldn’t sleep at night unless he had witnessed to someone, so he’d jump out of bed and run to a 24-hour convenience store to evangelize. He ended up losing his friends and hitting rock bottom, exhausted and burnt out. “How would you like to become a Christian and be miserable like me?” could have been his testimony, he says. Farley’s experience is admittedly extreme, but that background helps him understand why many Christians opt, as he did, for hoops to jump through to impress God. Christianity is more than a behavior-improvement program dressed up in religious clothing. Farley explains the mystical “exchange of nature” in which those who place their faith in Christ undergo a change at the center of their being, becoming a new person in Christ. It’s as though new, living DNA is inserted into a Christian’s spirit, Farley says. So, Jesus lives in a Christian right now, providing them not just with a ticket to heaven, but with the power to change and live a new life. This new life in Christ means that Christians do not need the Ten Commandments as a moral guide. In fact, Farley says, Christians need to get over their fixation with Old Testament law. He points to the Book of Hebrews as a lengthy argument for abandonment of the Old and adoption of the New. “Understanding that the law has no place in the life of a Christian keeps us from the error of legalism,” Farley says. “Life is radically different on this side of the cross, a truth we must recognize as we study the Old Testament.” If Christians are truly living in Christ, they don’t need a moral code to instruct them on how to live righteous lives. Rather, “the motivation for daily living in the New Testament centers around acting like the person you truly are and benefitting from Christ’s life in the here and now.” The new covenant means that for Christians: their relationship to religious law is now all gone; their old selves are all gone; their sins are now all gone; obstacles preventing closeness to God are now all gone. Farley has encountered resistance to his message, and he understands that The Naked Gospel will be controversial among some Christians, even though it is totally Jesus-centered. “If it’s the real thing, it will change lives radically but it will also bring controversy. Wherever the real gospel is taught it results in false accusations of many kinds,” he says. “As we put forgiveness, freedom, identity and a new life side by side, we encounter a gospel that at first glance appears dangerous, but upon further examination we discover how brilliant God is in designing a bulletproof covenant that brings real relationship and change into our lives,” Farley writes. About Andrew Farley Andrew Farley is no stranger to challenging traditional beliefs and encouraging Christians to take another look at what they believe. The lead teaching pastor of Ecclesia (EcclesiaOnline.com), a growing church on the high plains of Texas, Farley also co-hosts “Real Life in Christ,” a thought-provoking television program that disputes many long-held ideas about Christian living. It airs every week on ABC-TV in West Texas and New Mexico. Farley earned his bachelor’s degree from Furman University, a master’s degree from The University of Georgia and a Ph.D. from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before moving to Texas, where he is now a tenured professor at Texas Tech University, Farley served as a professor at the University of Notre Dame for five years. He teaches courses in second language acquisition and an Honors seminar course titled “Early Church and Contemporary Christianity in Conflict.” Farley has received teaching excellence awards or recognitions from three different universities. He has authored or co-authored a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles and three textbooks published by McGraw-Hill Higher Education. He lives in Lubbock, Texas with his wife, Katharine Hayhoe, and their son, Gavin. [hide] :: Special Viral Blogger Section :: We're out of hard copies of this title! However, you can email Mike at zoecarnate@theooze.com for an eBook copy! Link-love for your review: The Naked Gospel booksite: http://www.thenakedgospel.com/ [1] The Naked Gospel $5,000 songwriting contest: http://www.thenakedgospelproject.com/ [2] Ecclesia Church website: http://ChurchWithoutReligion.com [3] ...and of course, your Amazon affiliates link. : ) Interview Availability: Andrew is available for blog and podcast interviews. If you'd like to interview Andrew, email him at nakedgospel@gmail.com with "OOZE Viral Blogger Interview Request" in the subject line. [/hide] [1] http://www.thenakedgospel.com/ [2] http://www.thenakedgospelproject.com/ [3] http://churchwithoutreligion.com/

45

After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters by N.T. Wright

After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters by N.T. Wright

If you want to write a Christian best-seller these days, there are a few tried-and-true methods. One is to write Christian self-help; how to have your "best life now." Another is to write taking an extreme position on some theological matter or another, like how we need to change or die, or why we need to retrench in our received traditions or die. But what if the things that pique our ears are drowning out other, subtler - but absolutely crucial - themes in Christian spirituality, themes long-lost and long-overdue for recovery? This is the conviction of New Testament scholar, gentle provocateur, and Anglican bishop of Durham, England N.T. Wright. Following up on his widely-acclaimed Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope, Wright poses a simple question: What is our purpose? If that question sounds familiar (see the above discussion about Christian bestsellers), Wright's answer is decidedly unfamiliar in today's spiritual and intellectual climate: Christ-like virtue in the here and now. And if that answer sounds boring, well, you haven't heard it coming from Bishop Tom's pen. Wright dispels the common misconception that Christian living is nothing more than a checklist of dos and don'ts. Nor is it a prescription to "follow your heart" wherever it may lead. Instead, After You Believe reveals the Bible's call for a revolution—a transformation of character that takes us beyond our earthly pursuit of money, sex, and power into a virtuous state of living that allows us to reflect God and live more worshipful, fulfilling lives. In so doing, the question of what we're doing in this ambiguous time between baptism and funeral becomes much less staid and much more invigorating, as we discover the essence of Kingdom living here and now. [hide] :: Special Viral Blogger Section :: I'm so sorry, we're requested-out of this title! (You can, of course, always purchase it at your local bookseller or here [1].) But! We have two awesome [2] (and somewhat opposing) books on The Gospel [3] available for review; 'The Gospel You've Never Heard' is particularly Wright-ian. Feel free to select BOTH of these, actually, as I'd love to hear your point/counterpoint reviews on this all-important subject. ------- Requesting After You Believe Due to the high expected demand for reviewing this title, we have an additional request made for anyone who would like After You Believe: Could you have it reviewed within 10-14 days of receiving it? It’s an engaging read, and once you begin it’s doubtful you’ll want to put it down. We’re not asking you to relax your usual standards of writing and podcasting integrity; you can love the book, loathe it, or anything in between. But the publisher has requested that we get our initial reviews into the blogosphere coinciding with the book release date, and we’d like to honor this request. You’ll be among the first readers on the continent to receive a copy of this book, weeks before the release date. Link-love for your review: N.T. Wright doesn't maintain a personal web page, but a comprehensive one is maintained for him here: http://www.ntwrightpage.com/ [4] Browse inside: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061730559/After_You_Believe/index.aspx [5] Interview Availability: N.T. Wright is available for a limited amount of interviews with bloggers and podcasters. If you’d like to be considered for a review, email me at zoecarnate@theooze.com [6] and I’ll connect you with his publicist. [/hide] [1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061730556?ie=UTF8&tag=zoecarnatecom-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0061730556 [2] http://viralbloggers.com/tag/gospel/ [3] http://viralbloggers.com/tag/gospel/ [4] http://www.ntwrightpage.com/ [5] http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061730559/After_You_Believe/index.aspx [6] http://viralbloggers.commailto:zoecarnate@theooze.com

40