i've known jared c wilson for around 3 or so years now via the blogosphere and the nashville faith communities. corresponding over the blog postings & lately over twitter. so when he asked about reviewing his upcoming book "your Jesus is too safe" as part of a greater blog tour, i was quite honored to jump into it.

to be honest, i wasn't quite sure what to think of "your Jesus is too safe" before i opened up the book. so much is written about Christ you wonder what else there is to say some days. it did not take long for me to really get into the concept of the book. jared owns up to the many faces/ideas/concept/perceptions of Jesus that pervade our culture & theology today. granted, not all Jesus's i was familiar with, but hippie Jesus & 'get out of hell free' Jesus i've come across before. and as a youth pastor for so many years its been hard to break people out of those simple/cliche caged mindsets… and that was just the introduction

so diving into the book i found the greatest gift for where i am today in spiritual formation & teaching. jared really goes through and names, and claims, many of the personifications of Christ that we know & feel about this man, but we have not the reflection or words to say often enough. it was also a great gift to look over the whole book and say, 'here is why Christ is so complex' in that he has so many dimensions to his being. in my own self, and my observations of others, many times we cannot sufficiently express what we feel in emotionally or spiritually. whatever the reason, hyper technology, over programmed life, lack of vocabulary, etc. its a gift when we can 'name' for ourselves (or have help from others) in expressing the richness that is bound within us. so, in my humble opinion, jared has done a great gift in reflecting upon the many depths of a Christ many of us know.

not being an academic, i can appreciate not feeling like i have to translate every word/phrasing or looking up historic accounts that are code words for the academy. in my world, those things have little meaning except to establish some heirarchy system. so, in personal reading preference, i appreciate "your Jesus is too safe" being a thorough book in exploration & having some real connections to history & theological discourse, but not being presented in an academy format. i'm just not smart enough for that.

in strange observation notes. i carried this book with me for much of the summer to youth events and personal retreats/vacations and the book with title and cover always seem to get some interesting reviews and commentary. 'what is that about?' 'what kind of Jesus are they talking about?' which would start some conversations over the Jesus i am naming for myself, and how i've found patterns in my life in pilgrimage for Chris. those times, are priceless. which would inevitably lead to the last question 'can i borrow that copy when you are done with it?'