The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus: What's So Good about the Good News?

by Peter J. Gomes

Overview

How the Church Domesticated Jesus

With his unique blend of eloquence and insight, the esteemed Harvard minister Peter J. Gomes invites us to hear anew the radical nature of Jesus' message of hope and change. Using examples from ancient times as well as from modern pop culture, The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus shows us why the good news is every bit as relevant today as when it was first preached.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060000745
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/09/2008
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	981,764
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Peter J. Gomes has been minister of Harvard University's Memorial Church since 1974, when he was appointed Pusey Minister of the church, and serves as Plummer Professor of Christian Morals. An American Baptist minister, he was named one of America's top preachers by Time magazine. He is the recipient of thirty-three honorary degrees and an Honorary Fellow of Emmanuel College, the University of Cambridge, England, where the Gomes Lectureship is established in his name.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"An incisive original.... [Gomes is] a born storyteller." —-Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Editorial Reviews

An incisive original... [Gomes is] a born storyteller.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Publisher

While veteran narrator Patrick Lawlor possesses ample talent for the general duties at hand, one can't help wondering how such a noted preacher as Gomes-Harvard's longtime religion professor and campus chaplain-might have presented some of the more fiery elements of his material. Gomes's thesis centers on the established Christian community's reluctance to embrace a socially relevant theology. Gomes, a self-avowed "blue-state" clergyman, offers a harsh assessment of rigid and exclusivist fundamentalism. Yet he also calls to task his theologically moderate-to-liberal brothers and sisters inside mainline Protestantism for abandoning their social gospel heritage in favor of a watered-down and highly personalized brand of faith. Lawlor demonstrates a capacity for vocal inflection, reading inspiring quotes from such figures as Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and theologian Paul Tillich with particular enthusiasm. But the shifts in tone and delivery that might fully convey the distinction between Gomes's sermon to the choir and his broader message for the culture at large sometimes are lost in the shuffle. Simultaneous release with the HarperOne hardcover (Reviews, Sept. 10). (Dec.).

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