Just as the tail is what propels the fish through the water, the Fishtail Illustration explains how the Gospel propels the believer through the Christian life.
There are many Christian books that explain life and scripture through the lens of the Gospel. But none of them have the lens itself. The Fishtail Illustration is that lens.
In 2006, Dr. Timothy Keller (the author's former pastor) challenged the world to come up with a new Gospel illustration. The Tail of the Fish© is it! It's the key to unlocking the Christian life. The Fishtail Illustration changes the way you read every story in the Bible. And once you see it, it becomes a lens through which to see every element of your Christian life anew.
For Believers
If Christianity is such a great offer, why don’t more take it? And why do so many who have taken it ultimately walk away from the faith? But many do.
Part of this problem is purely theological. You would think that after two thousand years of Christianity, the understanding of the Gospel would be obvious. But it’s not. All other religions are about what we should do; the Gospel is the Good News of what Jesus has done. But there are many believers who understand all that, and yet still misunderstand the Gospel. They have a flawed understanding of how the Gospel operates in the Christian life, seeing it as just the start of the Christian life. This view sucks all the power and joy out of being a Christian because it makes your hard work and effort the engine of the Christian life. Just like any other religion.
But the Gospel doesn't just start the Christian life: it IS the Christian life. Once you get it—once you can visualize it—your whole Christian life changes. The engine of your Christian life becomes gratitude, not hard work and effort. And just like David, the joy of your salvation is restored (Psalm 51:10).
For Burnt-Out Believers and Skeptics
The author tells the story of how he and his wife got so burnt out on trying to live the perfect Christian life that one day they looked at each other and said, "Sure, we still believe it. We just wouldn't recommend it. To anyone." It was just too hard. But once the true meaning of the Gospel started to get a hold of them, they felt like they were born again again.
The problem isn’t just theological. It’s visual. You have a hard time seeing the Gospel until it’s drawn out for you. And it’s a problem of time—you could read a hundred books, or listen to a thousand sermons, to get a grasp of the Gospel. Over time, hopefully you would develop an eye for seeing the Bible—and all of life—through the lens of the Gospel. Or, you could just take a look at The Fishtail Illustration, which makes the whole thing perfectly clear in about five minutes.
The Tail of the Fish provides readers with a new, clear, easy to grasp tool that clearly shows how the offer of Christianity contrasts with the offer of every other approach to life (both religious and irreligious). It shows how God can bring about tremendous changes in your life without creating spiritual pride. It explains how worship, confession and repentance, and the spiritual disciplines all fit into the Christian life.
Most importantly, the Fishtail Illustration can help Christians easily grasp how the Gospel works in their Christian life, it can give Christian leaders a working tool to help others grow in Christ, and ultimately, it can be a shorthand way for non-believers to understand the offer of the Gospel.
