So far, with the exception of a Children's Bible and the Bible itself, this is the only theological book I've ever read. I had the idea that rather than read various books ABOUT the Bible, why not just read the accepted Baptist canon over and over? I fancied my method as somewhat lazy and sneaky and thought I had mastered it enough to continue it indefinitely until my Bible study class said we were going to read "The Jesus I Never Knew."
In my mind I thought, "Darn, isn't reading the Bible ENOUGH? Look how big it is! How much more do you need? Just read a chapter of this one book a day, meditate on it, and you're all set." Maybe this is true. I'm not sure. But certainly additional reading doesn't hurt as long as it doesn't stray too far away from the Bible's message. I feel that Yancey's book stays close to the Bible, and it provides some useful insight that unimaginiative persons like myself probably won't consider by sticking to the Bible alone.
I must say that I'm impressed with Yancey's zeal. I'm wondering how many hours he spent thinking about Christianity to come up with his ideas. Also his honesty is impressive. He admits he has his occassional doubts about his religion, and sometimes struggles with lust. I believe most all Christians are battling similar devilish ideas in some form or other but are far too ashamed to admit it. It makes us look weak, which we are. Takes a big man to put faults like that in print.
I think what Yancey really showed me was that Jesus didn't really care who ran the government. He didn't try to turn the disciples into political figures who would make laws to mandate values of cleanliness. He knew that no matter WHO was controlling the government, he could get people to believe. I think the main point here is Christians aren't the morals police for the entire world. They can tell believers how to behave like Christians of course, but they pretty much have to leave non-believers alone. Non-believers don't have to act like Christians if they don't want to. However, if we get to vote on laws we want to have for everyone in our country, I'd like to vote against anti-Christian stuff, thank you very much. Of course, I might end up breaking the very laws I vote for, but oh well.
I think another point Yancey made was that even though Jesus probably had long hair, a lot of Christian schools only allow the clean-cut look. I don't think there's anything in the Bible saying long hair is sinful, but lots of folks no doubt are convinced that long hair is a sure sign of a secular lifestyle. I like my hair short of course.
Yancey makes a lot of good points showing how the church strays from its original intention in many ways. The thing he DOESN'T mention that he probably should have mentioned is that many, many non-christians are working for altruistic causes like feeding the homeless and doing cancer-fighting fundraisers and stuff. This REALLY makes Christians look outdated. How can Christians argue that people who are visiting the sick, feeding the poor, clothing the naked, and what-not, just like Jesus did, are not going to heaven? I think we need to be careful with our words, especially when we don't do stuff like that. When I see all these volunteers doing stuff I don't do, I feel like that tax-collector who prayed, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."
As long as I honestly believe I'm a sinner who needs God's mercy, I have faith that his wonderful plan of grace will deliver it. This is what I believed before reading Yancey's work, and Yancey's work has reinforced my belief. Jesus died to forgive sins. Sure God loves it when people are good to others, but he also loves when people are humble, and you can't admit you're a sinner without a little humbleness. Yancey is quite humble himself throughout this book with his honesty, and seems like a genuinely nice guy.
Notice how little I mentioned Jesus in this review. Twice maybe. Although the book follows the life of Jesus very well, it contains a lot of other stuff that's well worth considering. It's not just a reprint of the gospels. I recommend it to get some new viewpoints, but I still think if you read the Bible without reading any other books about Christianity, you're no worse off.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: 
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Frequently bought together
$13.29
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14
In Stock
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
From the brand
Resources by Philip Yancey
Scroll right to see Philip Yancey’s most popular books, video studies, and to visit the store.
From the Publisher
Who Is This Jesus, Really?
I am not writing a book about Jesus because he is a great man who changed history. I am drawn to Jesus, irresistibly, because he positioned himself as the dividing point of life — my life. According to Jesus, what I think about him and how I respond will determine my destiny for all eternity.
Sometimes I accept Jesus’ audacious claim without question. Sometimes, I confess, I wonder what difference it should make to my life that a man lived two thousand years ago in a place called Galilee. Can I resolve this inner tension between doubter and lover?
If only I could hear the voice from the whirlwind and, like Job, hold a conversation with God himself! I sometimes think. And perhaps that is why I now choose to write about Jesus. God is not mute: the Word spoke, not out of a whirlwind, but out of the human larynx of a Palestinian Jew. In Jesus, God lay down on the dissection table, as it were, stretched out in cruciform posture for the scrutiny of all skeptics. Including me.
—Philip Yancey
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
“When we look hard into God’s Word, we always learn something new about Jesus. Thanks, Philip, for pointing the way in your book.”—Joni Eareckson Tada, President, Joni and Friends |
“There is no writer in the evangelical world that I admire and appreciate more.”—Billy Graham |
“Yancey holds himself and his reader to a true biblical and historical investigation of who this Jesus was (and is).”—Walter Wangerin Jr., Author of The Book of God |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What’s So Amazing About Grace? | The Jesus I Never Knew Study Guide | The Jesus I Never Knew Participant's Guide with DVD | The Bible Jesus Read: Why the Old Testament Matters | Reaching for the Invisible God | Rumors of another world: What on Earth Are We Missing? | |
|
|
||||||
| Customer Reviews |
1,127
|
183
|
51
|
675
|
341
|
225
|
| Price | $12.71 | $10.99 | — | $13.99 | $14.00 | $8.95 |
| More Exceptional Resources by Philip Yancey | Discover grace as you've never known it before: the most powerful force in the universe and our only hope for love and forgiveness. | In this Bible study guide—companion to the bestselling book The Jesus I Never Knew—Philip Yancey cuts through existing views and preconceptions of who Jesus is and returns us to the Jesus of the Gospels. | Based on Philip Yancey's Book of the Year award winner on the life of Christ, The Jesus I Never Knew is a 6-session small group Bible study in which Yancey uses film portraits of Jesus and contrasts them with the Jesus of the Bible. | Yancey challenges the perception that the New Testament is more important than the Old. But as he personally discovered, the Old Testament is full of rewards for the one who embraces its riches. | Yancey offers deep, satisfying insights to the questions you are sometimes afraid to ask. Honest and deeply personal, here is straight talk on Christian living for the reader who wants more than pat answers to life's imponderables. | Yancey investigates the natural world and discovers the supernatural hiding in plain view. He grapples with why God made the world and seeks to answer the question, “How do I live in the natural world while expressing the values of the supernatural?” |
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Reviews with images
Weird binding
The book cover was upside down and was bound backward so the book has to be read from right to left. This is the 3rd of this exact book I have bought and didn't have this issue with the other 2. I can't return it because it was needed for a book study.
Top reviews from other countries
Cliente Amazon
full of insights, helps to strengthen my faith
Reviewed in Italy on April 4, 2016John C
I am thankful to the person who recommended me this book
Reviewed in India on December 28, 2015MrsM
A life changing and faith changing book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2014
