Earc from netgalley.

I really liked how this book was formatted, it was interesting getting to see little doodles on the page, that helped me keep my interest.

I really enjoyed a lot of things about this book. The focus on the Sermon on the Mount was great and the set up of the book in smallish sections easy for devotional reading was nice. I enjoyed the drawings and thought they added some visual interest to the book. However, the subtitle is "A Visual Guide to the Teachings of Jesus...." and I didn't think they number of illustrations was enough to merit that subtitle. I would have liked a lot more, I think. Overall a good book, perhaps not quite as advertised

First sentence: FOLLOWING JESUS HAS never been easy, but some believe it’s becoming even more difficult as Western cultures become increasingly post-Christian.

True or false: We live in a culture where we often pick and choose what texts to take seriously from the Bible.
True or false: We live in a culture where we often pick and choose which teachings of Christ himself to take seriously.
True or false: Every culture since Jesus' ministry has struggled with this--what to make of Jesus' teachings, his life, his work, his death and resurrection.

I can't answer the third question objectively. But the first two, sadly, are definitely true--in my opinion.

The premise of Skye Jethani's book, What If Jesus Was Serious, is simple: WHAT WOULD THE CHRISTIAN LIFE BE LIKE IF PEOPLE TOOK JESUS' SERMON ON THE MOUNT SERIOUSLY. If you don't find that a scary thought, perhaps you haven't read the Sermon on the Mount lately.

The book consists of nine parts:

Who is Really Blessed?
Christians and Culture
Inside Out Righteousness
Love In Action
A Prayer for Losers
Freedom from Fear
Judging, Asking, Blessing
Good and Bad Fruit
Be Smart

Each part has several chapters...each beginning with the refrain: If Jesus Was Serious...


Then We Will Focus More On His Good News and Less on Religious To-Dos
Then No One is Beyond God's Blessing
Then Heaven Is Already Here
Then We Will Make Room To Cry
Then We Will Trust God More and Politics Less
Then a Desire for Justice Should be Affirmed
Then We Cannot Separate Our Relationship with God From Our Relationship With Others
Then Our Image Isn't Everything
Then Peace is Costly But Worth the Price

Those were just from part one, "Who Is Really Blessed?"

The book is methodically laid out, straight-forward, concise. The author assumes that Jesus MEANT or intended his words, his teachings to be taken seriously. And likewise assumes that some of these chapters might step on a few toes and challenge readers.

Each chapter has a visual illustration that goes with it. I am not a visual learner, so these didn't particular speak to me or resonate with me. But perhaps for some readers these illustrations will be thought-provoking and give the book a little something extra.

My favorite quote:

"EVERY CHRISTIAN HAS at least two Bibles. First, there is the actual Bible—all sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. Then there is the Bible we read. This is what some call our functional Bible and it includes the sections we regularly engage and seek to apply to our lives. This functional Bible is different for each person, but it contains some familiar gospel stories and parables, some of Paul’s letters, and a handful of Psalms. He declared that He came not to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them. Fulfillment doesn’t mean to finish and throw away, but to bring to completion. In other words, Jesus identifies Himself as what the Old Testament has been pointing toward, and to understand Jesus we must see Him through the lens of the writings of the Law and the Prophets. Likewise, to understand the Law and the Prophets, we must read them through the lens of Jesus. He is the key to the whole Bible, and we need the whole Bible to engage Jesus."

I find both spiritual and self help books hard to rate and review properly. Books like this are truly individual in that each person is going to take something different from them.

Let's start with the easiest thing to rate, readability - this book is easy to read and provides scripture without being too heavy. The analytical essays are short and direct to the point. They are easily to follow in the way a Sunday homily would be. The visual aids in the book are fun and help add to the understanding of the points in each essay.

The tone of the book is not confrontational and yet the point is to make you think and reflect on your day to day thoughts and actions. For me it truly did. Not every snippet or scripture was applicable directly to me in an actionable way but many of the ones that weren't had me thinking of someone in my life who could benefit from the learnings. When this book is available I will definitely be pointing some friends and family to it!

Despite including a lot fewer pictures than I expected, this book was even more than I hoped for. It told the truth without guilting or overwhelming the reader. It included modern quotes and examples without seeming cheesy or forced. And though it contained a lot of substance, the devotions were short enough that it wasn't intimidating to pick this up each night or to read a couple at a time. Would recommend.

“What if Jesus was serious” was a fantastic and easy read for me and caused me to evaluate the many ideas discussed in my life. Topics such as selfishness, fear, prayer life, daily devotion to Jesus and many others are tackled as the author looks into scripture and exposes many ideas that Christians have when applying these scriptures to practical life. The illustrations captured my attention and I found them at times to be humorous, each one helped emphasize the main point of the text.

What an interesting point if view. I love the way bible verses are broken down and picked to pieces to make you think in a different way. Some of the sections really made me stop and think- some I didn’t really agree with, but each to their own.

Captivating diagrams throughout to explain the text. Interesting viewpoints and topics. I received a free digital review copy through NetGalley.

If Skye Jethani is an author you haven’t read, I encourage you to give his books a try. I especially appreciated his book “With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God. That book would be a great place to dive in. Skye has a knack for explaining things clearly and concisely. He doesn’t mince words, he understands culture, he’s well read, and draws stories from engagements with everyday people and Christian leaders alike. He often utilizes current, historical or ancient references and stories. Picture sketches are included throughout this book that help illustrate truths, allowing them to sink in and stick with you. All of these elements combined pack a pretty good punch.

This book focuses on the Sermon on the Mount. It is a challenge to believers to analyze their walk of faith and ask themselves if they are truly pursuing a relationship with God. And if so, are they following His principles and obeying His commands? Some topics covered are: If Jesus was serious....Then heaven is already here, then we will make room to cry, then both evangelism and justice matter, then we must not withdraw from culture, then we will take sin in our lives seriously, then our self sacrifice should extend even to our enemies, then we will not be enslaved by our fears, then prayer is far more powerful than we think, etc.

My favorite part of the book said this, “Jesus speaks of the Day of Judgment and the danger of delusion. There will be people, He says, who will plead their case before Him. They will claim to belong to Christ because of the power and magnitude of their words and works. But He will dismiss them with the horrible truth, “I never knew you.” For me, this is the most frightening passage in all of Scripture....Jesus says “many” will be convinced that they belong to God and be horrified when they are cast away from His presence.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only He who does the will of my Father.”

We may say that Jesus is our Lord, but that alone does not make it so. The true lord of our life is revealed by our actions not by our declarations. If we are to enter Jesus’ kingdom, He must actually be our King, and if we persistently live in a manner that denies His authority, no amount of verbal praise and exaltation will make Him so.”

Lots of Spiritual and worthwhile depths to plumb.

I received an ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the focus being on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
I enjoyed how each chapter was broken down with further reading at the end of each, some chapters I felt a little short. I like how the author has bought a modern context to the sermon.

First of all, the visuals are wonderful for the most part.
Second of all, I am a bit disappointed about some of the reductionist chapters. For someone who quotes James Smith, I would have expected a bit more polished content.

For example, when dealing with Love, the graphic says Love is several things, and that love is not a feeling.
While it is understandable to say this in reaction to the fact that our culture considers love just a feeling, it is unacceptable to give such a reductionist explanation from the biblical standpoint, as if scripture says nothing about feelings, and as if feeling hatred for someone is not indicative that you do have an improper attitude towards that person. Christ's transformation touches not just our actions but our affections/feelings, and love controls our feelings and actions.