The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancey - Book Report/Review Example

Student: Instructor November 2005 “The Jesus I Never Knew,” by Phillip Yancey- a book report Why should anyone read such a book? The Bible is widely available, as are various congregations and denominations. Unusual depictions and interpretations of Jesus abound. Who needs Yancey and why? The quotation of H. G. Wells (17) is a worthwhile reason for everyone who is not a practicing Christian to read Yancey’s account of personal experience. No one can read about Jesus and remain unmoved, and those who may refrain from reading formal Christian Scripture, can learn to love Jesus by reading Yancey’s book (25). This work records some common spiritual experiences that transcend formal Christianity itself (22), and hence Yancey’s writing has some universal value. Practicing Christians who restrict worship to some Sunday mornings, the meal table and perhaps bedtime, can also benefit from Yancey’s writing: the book engages our attention on whether we might repeat past mistakes. The liberation of Romania (39) has important lessons for those with great influence on modern international relations. The legacy of Jesus Though Yancey ends the delectable repast of his writing with the extravagant dessert on the message of Christ, glimpses of the legacy of Jesus, which we have inherited, are interspersed throughout the book. Yancey does not refer to the term abstract intelligence, but shows us a path to its cultivation (23). He shows how we can use memory hooks from the material world to grasp difficult concepts. Fortunately, most messages that Yancey has for readers are easy to grasp and appeal to our emotions. He reminds us of common social misconceptions such as the stigma of leprosy (150) and of the rights of women (153). This gives non-believers secular reasons to love Jesus. Some of Yancey’s most telling prose tells us the essentials of the message of Jesus. Neither ordination nor sacrament is pre-requisite to rejoice in Jesus as the sinless friend of the sinners (258). Even confirmed atheists can enjoy reading of the confluence between God and people (261), and of the special protection of God for the poor (115). Key messages about personal communion (18), and the revelation of Jesus in all thoughts, actions and forms of life (22), are amongst the most precious in the book. We are reassured that Jesus loves simple faith (23). The comparison of Queen Elizabeth’s travels with the birth of Christ (37) and notes on how God favors the underdog (39), serve to encourage readers who live in distress and in deprivation. Yancey recounts how Jesus quickly struck a chord with people (89) and with even prostitutes (152). We learn that we need not approach God with fear (38). Jesus as a microcosm of the universe (23) and his ubiquitous nature (16), are other gems, which readers can enjoy and read about with immense pleasure more than once. Yancey also provides interesting insights in to the life of Jesus with respect to matters that have more utilitarian than inspirational value. We read how Jesus conducted meetings collected money (94), and of his mastery in story telling (95). Depictions of Jesus Yancey devotes many pages to the many images and depictions with which we have become familiar (14, 20). Readers may wonder whether we should bother with the physical details matter so much (20). The controversy over the Immaculate Conception (30) may be difficult for the average reader and for the devout to accept, but the interpretations of Christ in movies (85), is intriguing. Jesus as a hunchback with leprosy (87) will come as a shock to those who have hitherto read just the approved and commonly accepted gospels. Mortality of Jesus Yancey, perhaps without intention, seems to pull Jesus off the pedestal of majestic divinity. We read of his response to pain and suffering (161) and of his rebellious nature (15), with perhaps some surprise that the son of God could have such ordinary traits. Questions about why Jesus did not save the world in his time (69) are disconcerting, as are observations about Saddam Hussein and Hitler (77). Miracles Yancey refers to miracles periodically throughout the book. The cure of dropsy (151) is an example, but fortunately, the reader has a cogent explanation for such unexplained phenomena as well. The sterling example of Thomas Jefferson (166) is an excellent example that we can use to resolve all doubts and questions on how to read and interpret the life of Jesus. A secular Christ We may know of the Jewish roots of Christ even before we turn to Yancey, but he does succeed in underscoring the matter (50) and imparting some interpretation of his own regarding the delicate matter. People of faiths other than Christianity may read Yancey’s accounts of how other religions see God (262), with disappointment and even anger. We must remind ourselves that we need only distill from the author the matters that he may know better and in more depth than the norm for laity of every calling. Negative in the balance Yancey’s references to Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism are not sufficiently respectful by my standards. We need to take the message of Christ to people who do not take Sacrament. Our concern must be for people of our generation and the ones to follow, who move away from the mainstream of worship, religious ethics and worship. The devout and those who observe the Sacraments hardly need Yancey. There are large numbers of people from the erstwhile Soviet Union who wait to discover Jesus-what message do we have for them? Yancey has written for his peers and admirers, but they are not the ones who need most to look inside his mind. Most people need symbols and ritual in order to deal with the abstract. Yancey explodes myths of Jesus that are best intact. Billy Graham leads an eminent group whose responses to Yancey adorn the covers of his book-yet the book will only serve to further the aims of the skeptical. It is an irony but undeniable that 21st century spirituality must adopt secular garb. Its following will continue to decline should it persist with hues of isolationist devotion. I had hoped to discover a book that I could recommend to non-believers. Yancey does not serve this purpose. I thought of mentioning this assignment in my Parish, but I have to restrict my writing to you, my instructor. I yearn to spread the message of Jesus, but this book plants a doubt if some of Yancey’s positions are the ones I feel people should reach. I feel that I know Jesus better than Yancey, and resent his achievement in publication and favorable reviews by leading exponents. Style, logic, central ideas, illustrations, and materials I find Yancey’s style engaging but variable. There are parts of the book that you wish would never end, and wish that you had bookmarked to relish again. They relate to the simplicity of Jesus, his undying love and his infinite wisdom. There are other fractious segments and ones that seem lifted from the classics that I wish a Reader’s Digest editor had worked on for the publisher! The only illustration on the cover is inappropriate in my opinion for a book that does so much to destroy the quintessential image of a beautiful, gentle, and bearded Jesus. Yancey keeps central ideas about the message of Jesus for the end. The forward seeks to attract readers by salacious reference to fashionable variations of beloved images of the Divine. Thus many, who could benefit from the enormity of Yancey’s life in the benevolent shade of Jesus, may not buy and persist with the book. Some of the most endearing facets of the personality of Jesus are interspersed throughout the book. The reader has to make copious notes to put the pieces together for a harmonious picture. This book needs a wad-full of slender post-its! I envy Yancey his life. A ring of honesty permeates every page and you cannot but respect a person with first-hand experiences from the rare circles of urban North America to the backwaters of Indian railway stations and their holy men. The colors on the palette are exceptional even if one is critical of the composition. New inputs I did not know that there were forbidden gospels with unflattering descriptions of Christ. I had never suspected Mother Mary of lust or that Jesus would stoop to scheme. I had forgotten the Jewish connection; it is hard to see Jesus as a rebellious person, or one who would plan his sermons as mega promotional events. Yancey has placed an atom bomb in my world of make-believe; I wish I had not survived the holocaust! The crucible Can we use Yancey’s book as a draft, rather than a final version? Could I sit with him and do a re-write, keeping what I like of his mind and blending it with my own? It would be a kind of mix and match thing, and perhaps it can set a digital trend. Not unlike interactive TV, we can write e-books, with scraps of concepts put together for an album for future generations to enjoy. Jesus as the sinless friend of sinners, as bond between people and God, as someone easy to approach, as one who forgives, as one who always has time for the poor… these are my most treasured expressions that Yancey has raised to the surface from the depths of my consciousness. The new facts I have gathered from Yancey’s book are worthless for me at best, and insidious and disruptive if I am allowed to say so. Nevertheless, it has reinforced my faith in Jesus. I am more confident of before that I live in him, that he lives in me, and that I would like to wallow in my ignorant love for him and in my entire dependence on him forever. Jesus forgives me for my intransigence in writing this assignment, and approves of my remaining in my own fairy tale world of his eternal grace. Works Cited Yancey, P, The Jesus I Never Knew, Zondervan, 1995, retrieved November 2005: Read More