Living Jesus: Learning the Heart of the Gospel - Softcover

Johnson, Luke Timothy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060642831 ISBN 13: 9780060642839

Publisher: HarperOne, 2000

Synopsis

Who is the real Jesus? How can we experience the mystery, compelxity, and richness of his spirituality and teachings in our lives today? In this gently instructive and inspiring guide, Luke Timothy Johnson leads us to a deeper understanding and practice of classic Christian spirituality and faith. Translating his biblical scholarship into simple, elegant language, he offers a compelling and wise reflection on the real Jesus-not the reconstructed historical figure but the resurrected Christ, a living savior we can encounter every day.

Living Jesus elucidates the mystery of Jesus' resurrection and its central role in the Christian experience. It explores the diversity and fullness of the New Testament views of Christ, revealing how each book's perspective can deepen our understanding of Jesus. Profoundly insightful, Living Jesus offers valuable lessons on how we can accept the Gospels' powerful invitation to an authenic Christian spirituality.

About this title

Review

The Real Jesus made Luke Timothy Johnson famous as the leading debunker of the historical-Jesus movement. In Living Jesus: Learning the Heart of the Gospel, Johnson makes a more constructive presentation--a meditative and scriptural explanation of his understanding of the real Jesus. "The most important question concerning Jesus," according to Johnson, is "Do we think he is dead or alive?" The book begins offering its own answer to that question with an enthusiastic essay on the resurrection, which culminates with another question: "How does Jesus now find continuing embodiment as life-giving Spirit? As all-powerful Lord, in any fashion he chooses!" Johnson describes a Jesus who is living all around us, in the canon, creed, sacraments, lives of the saints, and elsewhere. Johnson then provides readings of each gospel, Acts, Paul's epistles, and Revelation to give his arguments scriptural mooring. The Real Jesus rambles a bit--at times, it reads suspiciously like class lecture notes--but it's got a good heart. The book's goal is to wake readers up so they can live in the truth, "so that we might become living texts speaking Jesus in the world--saints from whom others also might learn Jesus." --Michael Joseph Gross

From the Inside Flap

In The Real Jesus, Luke Timothy Johnson persuasively debunked the aims of the historical Jesus movement-and gave us what Christian Century called "one of the most exhilarating religious books published in this decade." Now, in his new book, this brilliant standard bearer for traditional Christian faith moves beyond his critique of the Jesus Seminar-and guides us step by step to the living Jesus of authentic Christian life and faith.

For Johnson, the real Jesus is not a historical figure-a dead man whose authentic words and deeds can be approached through historical research and textual analysis. Rather, the real Jesus is the resurrected Lord of Christian faith-a savior who lives in the teachings of the Church and the words of the Gospels. Being a Christian means taking those teachings to heart and making those words our own-"learning Jesus" so that we can "put on the mind of Christ."

Johnson begins by elucidating the mystery of Jesus's resurrection, which is the key to understanding why he still lives. He demonstrates how Jesus is present in the community of the Christian Church-and how the Church is instrumental in helping us learn Jesus. For Johnson, the Christian traditions that the church embodies-canon, creed, worship, prayer, veneration of saints, charity toward the powerless-are not dilutions of Jesus's message, but essential components of an authentic Christian spirituality.

But Jesus also lives in Scripture, and to learn Jesus we must also learn the New Testament. Johnson leads us book by book through the Gospels, Acts, the Epistles, and Revelations, revealing how each text highlights particular facets of Jesus' living legacy. He explains why all of the Gospels provide true witness to Christ's ministry-none takes precedence over the others-and how each can help us better understand Jesus. Fortified with this understanding, we can model our lives and faith on Jesus'-and work toward becoming authentic Christians.

Cutting through the confusing claims made about the Jesus of history who died long ago, this remarkable book shows how to experience the Jesus of faith who still lives today. By guiding us through the complex, lifelong endeavor of learning Jesus, Johnson offers us a true gift, a book that will illuminate, inspire-and ultimately bring our lives closer to Jesus.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperOne
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0060642831
• ISBN 13: 9780060642839
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 224