Synopses & Reviews
Jesus came preaching, but the church wound up preaching Jesus. Why does the church insist upon making Jesus the object of its attention rather than heeding his message? Esteemed Harvard minister Peter J. Gomes believes that excessive focus on the Bible and doctrines about Jesus have led the Christian church astray. What did Jesus preach? asks Gomes. To recover the transformative power of the gospel--the good news--Gomes says we must go beyond the Bible and rediscover how to live out Jesus' original revolutionary message of hope:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once warned against cheap grace, and I warn now against cheap hope. Hope is not merely the optimistic view that somehow everything will turn out all right in the end if everyone just does as we do. Hope is the more rugged, the more muscular view that even if things don't turn out all right and aren't all right, we endure through and beyond the times that disappoint or threaten to destroy us.
This gospel is offensive and always overturns the status quo, Gomes tells us. It's not good news for those who wish not to be disturbed, and today our churches resound with shrill speeches of fear and exclusivity or tepid retellings of a health-and-wealth gospel. With his unique blend of eloquence and insight, Gomes invites us to hear anew the radical nature of Jesus' message of hope and change. Using examples from ancient times as well as from modern pop culture, The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus shows us why the good news is every bit as relevant today as when it was first preached.
Review
“An incisive original... [Gomes is] a born storyteller.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Synopsis
In The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus, Peter Gomes, bestselling author of The Good Book, focuses on the Bible and why its message is just as relevant today as it was when first preached. Gomes, minister of Harvard University's Memorial Church, argues that in today's Christianity, excessive focus on the Scriptures and insistence on adherence to doctrine have led the Church astray. In order to recover the transformative power of the gospel, we must learn to hear anew the radical nature of Jesus's message of hope and change.
Peter J. Gomes, an American Baptist minister, has been minister of Harvard University's Memorial Church since 1974, when he was appointed Pusey Minister of the church, and Plummer Professor of Christian Morals. Professor Gomes was presented with the Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award by Harvard University in 2001 and with the Preston N. Williams Black Alumni/ae Award by Harvard Divinity School in 2006. He is the recipient of 33 honorary degrees, and is an Honorary Fellow of Emmanuel College, the University of Cambridge, England, where the Gomes Lectureship is established in his name.
" This] book offers a generosity of spirit, communion and wisdom."
- Washington Post
--Publishers Weekly
(starred review)Synopsis
A "New York Times"-bestselling author and renowned Harvard preacher takes on the hot-button issues in the world today by returning to Jesus' message.
Synopsis
How the Church Domesticated Jesus
With his unique blend of eloquence and insight, the esteemed Harvard minister Peter J. Gomes invites us to hear anew the radical nature of Jesus' message of hope and change. Using examples from ancient times as well as from modern pop culture, The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus shows us why the good news is every bit as relevant today as when it was first preached.
About the Author
Peter J. Gomes has been minister of Harvard University's Memorial Church since 1974, when he was appointed Pusey Minister of the church, and serves as Plummer Professor of Christian Morals. An American Baptist minister, he was named one of America's top preachers by Time magazine. He is the recipient of thirty-three honorary degrees and an Honorary Fellow of Emmanuel College, the University of Cambridge, England, where the Gomes Lectureship is established in his name.