Jesus Is __________. By Judah Smith

Jesus Is __________.  Find A New Way to be Human By Judah Smith is a new book written for today's modern generation.  This book introduces both the non believing reader as well as the Christian to a new way of thinking about Jesus and His purpose.  This book challenges the strongly held traditions and misconceptions about Jesus that many people hold onto. 

As the title indicates, the author, a young pastor of a large church, invites the reader to think about who Jesus is and what Jesus means.  The reader is challenged to fill in the blank with what he or she feels Jesus means.  Additionally, Smith takes the reader on a journey that focuses on the traits of Christ and how the reality of Jesus as depicted in the bible stands in direct opposition to the myths that society and traditional religions have created.

For example the author points out that "in reality, for many people, the greatest hindrance to receiving the grace of God is not their scandalous sins- it's their empty good deeds". (page 15)  I am sure that many readers will be offended by this confrontation.  Nevertheless its the truth that Jesus taught- about salvation based on grace and not works.  Smith continues on, by using biblical passages and stories to illustrate the concepts and points.  For example, he provides several examples from the gospels where repentant sinners such as tax collectors were justified in contrast to the hypocritical Pharisees.

The book is divided into several sections based on a specific trait of Jesus in which The Jesus Is _______ (blank) is filled with a specific adjective.  For example, the blank is filled with the following adjectives and descriptions: friend, grace, point, happy, here and alive.  Each trait is covered by three chapters for clarity.  In a personal tone, Smith actually speaks to the reader in easy to understand language that is true to biblical teaching. he combination of biblical accuracy as well as the personal conversational tone is sure to draw in readers of all ages: believers and nonbelivers alike.  In fact, the format of the book encourages the reader to fill in the blanks with his own options as well- as the adjectives listed by Smith are just the beginning of the possibilities.

As a blogger for booksneeze I received this book published by Thomas Nelson publishers for the purpose of writing this review.