I liked Scot McKnight’s recent summary of new book, I knew Jesus before he was a Christian . . . and I liked him better then. The author, Rubel Shelly is a Christian and is pro-church. But he notices differences between Jesus’ emphasis and what we focus on in today’s church.
Did you ever notice that the things we argue about the most are things that Jesus said very little about? I wonder if that is somehow connected to recent polls that suggest that what Evangelicals are known for is very different from what we think we are known for.
I read the gospels often because I want to be a Jesus-follower more than anything else. Jesus expected his disciples to build on his work, so I also love the rest of the New Testament. I just want to make sure my life’s foundation is built upon the key precepts of Jesus, and not something else.