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  1. mojo
    Texas
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: male
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    the good news should be good
    October 13, 2010
    mojo
    Texas
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: male
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Whenever I hear the name Chris Seay, I always think of the Robbie Seay band. Maybe someone can tell me if they are related, because if they are not — they should be. (I'm just saying.) But Chris is actually the Pastor of Ecclesia Church in Houston, the President of the Ecclesia Bible Society and Translator of The Voice bible.

    Chris' newest book "The Gospel According to Jesus" (not to be confused with John MacArthur's book) offers a fresh look into the theme of righteousness. In this book, Chris writes that Jesus came to bring new life into the darkest areas of life and that the "true gospel" means wholeness and healing to the world. Being "saved" isn't just some ritual law code that Christians follow to have pious lives, but that the gospel is a movement of rebuilding that transforms the lives of individuals from within.

    Chris offers this quote from Leslie Newbigin...

    "I think we've used the word gospel without giving as much attention as we need to the question of what actually we mean by that word. We don't mean Christianity. Christianity is what generations of us have made the gospel and we know we have often made a mess of it...The specific responsibility which has been given to the church and to nobody else is the responsibility to bear witness to the reality of Jesus victory."

    But what often happens is the church becomes the "inside" and the rest of the world is the "outside."

    Inside good....

    Outside bad...

    Those on the inside are the "chosen frozen" (as an old mentor of mine was fond of saying) and the outside are the "dirty sinners."

    Chris writes, "Many Christians see the world this way, and are blind in their point of view. It's time to stop categorizing one another and call this line of site what it is: heresy, specifically Gnosticism. Our broken ideology can be rescued when we forsake the "sacred versus secular" labels and see what has been redeemed and what is in need of redemption. People are not good or bad; they are simply broken, and God has either restored them to shalom or is seeking to restore them..." (page 148)

    I really enjoyed this book, it often reminded me of Andrew Farley's book, and some of the other Jesusy gospel books I have been reading. At times, I felt this book was a "hey we all gotta do something" book. In some places it's a call to arms to pick up that shovel or piece of bread and in other places its an extensive look at the Roman road.

    An interesting part to this book is that at the end of each chapter there is a brief interview with other pastors and writers concerning the chapters previous topic. You get to hear from great voices like Shane Claiborne and Mark Batterson, Dan Kimball and others.
  2. Miriam
    Ohio
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    A New Look at the Gospel
    October 20, 2010
    Miriam
    Ohio
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 4
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 4
    The Gospel According to Jesus by Chris Seay is a fresh look at the scriptures and the truth of the Gospel. As Seay states, "We are all called to be the hands and feet of Christ, to radically change the world." In his book, Seay explores what it means to have righteousness and seek the Kingdom of God first. He believes that too many Christians misunderstand righteousness and the truth of the Gospel. They become bound up by rules and obligations much like the Pharisees in the time of Jesus. His information is well presented in the book, using references from scripture. Each chapter ends with an interview with other leaders in the church community to further expand on the ideas presented. The other statement from the book that really imprinted my mind was when Seay wrote, "When we cease to shine forth as people who seek first and foremost to glorify God, we have lost our way." He discusses the objects and beliefs of our world that prevent us from seeking God first, as we are all broken people equal in the eyes of God.

    In the second half of the book, Seay goes on to tell us how we can strive to live toward Shalom. (a Hebrew word meaning peace and completeness) He gives some practical suggestions of how we can live our lives to bring God's Kingdom here in our world.

    Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
  3. Bernie
    Hoschton, GA
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: male
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Explaining 'The Gospel According to Jesus'
    October 18, 2010
    Bernie
    Hoschton, GA
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: male
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Oftentimes in Christianity today, we operate under the assumption that the Gospel is simply a message used by evangelists, teachers and preachers to bring people to a decision for salvation. In this book, Pastor Chris Seay sets out to reveal that the Gospel is so much more than simply a message of salvation ... it is individual and community life where Christ Jesus lives in and through His children drawing and attracting people in the world around us unto Himself and His Kingdom.

    Throughout the book Pastor Seay challenges many of the assumptions of western Christianity and the religion that oftentimes tends more to hinder the work of Christ than equip believers in His work. In his own unique way, he then proceeds to describe the characteristics of a Christ filled and Gospel driven life. Each chapter begins with the author's teaching and explanation regarding a characteristic then closes with a conversation among his pastor-author friends on that characteristic. This format really worked for me as he touched on the topics of righteousness, the Kingdom, the Gospel, imago dei, sin, the heart, justification and shalom. The book then closes with with a fascinating look at what this Christ filled and Gospel driven life might look like ... what the fruit of a good tree looks like.

    This book challenged me to not only count myself among the rescued but to also count myself among the rescuers, remembering from whence I came ... and joining Jesus in His rescue, reconciliation and redemption mission. Excellent message — excellent book!

    Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
  4. Carin
    Canada
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Chris Seay challenges us to act!
    October 16, 2010
    Carin
    Canada
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    I have to say, I had doubts about this book before I read it. Knowing that the author had written books with references to popular television shows (Lost and the Sopranos) in the title, I was skeptical. I'm happy to say that this book far exceeded my expectations and brought me to tears on more than one occasion.

    For me, the essence of this book is that we are all human, we are all God's creation, and we were all made in His image. None of us is more important or more worthwhile than the other. Seay challenges readers to step outside of their comfort zone and interact with people we normally wouldn't. We are all broken before Christ.

    Seay emphasizes the practical side of Christianity, claiming that the so-called "rules" are not what is important, but our behaviour and actions towards other people is what counts. Loving one another, regardless of our differences, regardless of our beliefs, says Seay, is what we are commanded to do.

    The book states that we were "saved for a purpose." Seay lists some heartbreaking statistics about the state of our world today: 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS; 24,000 children are dying every day (1 every 3.6 seconds); 5,760 children become orphans each day. One of my favorite quotes from the book was this: "Our greatest failures cannot be blamed on our resources or capacity, only our wills." People around the world are not dying because the earth lacks resources; they are not dying because of a lack of ability or knowledge. People--children--are dying because we are turning a blind eye to them. This book urges us to open our eyes and start helping.

    Thompson Nelson Publishers have provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
  5. markbraye
    Temiskaming Shores, Ontario, Canada
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: male
    4 Stars Out Of 5
    required reading for Christians/the Church today
    October 11, 2010
    markbraye
    Temiskaming Shores, Ontario, Canada
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: male
    Quality: 4
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 4
    there's a scary trend among Christians and the Church today. according to research conducted by Chris Seay and Barna Research Group 84% of Christians are living a distorted Christian life and misunderstand the essential tenents of their faith.

    at times, sadly, we can all miss the point.

    for too long we've made Christianity about morality, piety, conservative politics, and a list of dos and don'ts.

    author and pastor Chris Seay's latest book is The Gospel According to Jesus: A Faith that Restores All Things.

    the text is great. Seay covers right (correct) righteousness, the Kingdom of God, the Gospel, justification, and among other topics, shalom. he tells stories, quotes other great writers, and expounds on these topics to highlight the importance they have for the Christian faith.

    my favorite passage from The Gospel According to Jesus comes after Seay quotes Luke 15:1-7...

    "Many Christians see the world this way, and are blind in their point of view. It's time to stop categorizing one another and call this line of sight what it is: heresy, specifically Gnosticism. Our broken ideology can be rescued when we forsake the 'sacred versus secular' labels and see what has been redeemed and what is in need of redemption. People are not good or bad; they are simply broken, and God has either restored them to shalom or is seeking to restore them to shalom. Imagine seeing people as 'broken shalom' or 'shalom,' rather than good or bad. If you see them in the midst of broken shalom, it does not allow you to look down on them; instead, it calls you to join God in his redemptive work in their lives. What a beautiful privilege."

    (Chris Seay, The Gospel According to Jesus, page 148)

    most of the quotes and passages of Scripture are taken from The Voice, which is a wonderful translation/paraphrase of the Bible.

    at the end of each chapter, except chapter nine, Seay includes conversations he's had with other leading writers and thinkers in Christianity today: Dan Kimball, Gabe Lyons, Mark Batterson, Rick McKinley, Shanr Claiborne, and Alan Hirsch.

    The Gospel According to Jesus is required reading. it will shake-up and wake-up todays Church.
Displaying items 1-5 of 18
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