BradTaylor

Book Review: The King Jesus Gospel

One of the things I love about the holidays is a little extra time to read. I’ve been really enjoying that this season, as I’m now posting my second review in three days, this time moving from the world of fiction to Christian Ministry/Theology with Scot McKnight’s The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited.

I’ll cut right to the chase: Over on GoodReads, I gave this 5 out of 5 stars without thinking twice. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. I absolutely loved it. 

McKnight explores the reality that we live in a soterian culture, where the word “gospel” has simply come to mean “the plan of salvation.” McKnight eloquently and convincingly tells why the gospel is so much more than this, especially focusing on the story of Israel and how Jesus is the culmination (or, perhaps better said, the fulfillment) of that story. It is an essential reminder for every American Christian, in my opinion. 

One final note: On pages 148-153, in a section called “The Gospel Sketched,” McKnight beautifully summarizes the story of Israel (which, in case you missed the point, is our story as Christ-followers). If you don’t do anything else with this book, at least go to the bookstore and read this section.

But I really, really strongly recommend you just buy it and read the whole thing.