"Well, crying isn't gonna bring your dog back . . . unless your tears smell like dog food. So you can either sit there crying and eating can after can of dog food until your tears smell enough like dog food to make your dog come back or you can go out there and find your dog."
- Homer J. Simpson
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The iMonk's review of Jared's excellent book Your Jesus is Too Safe is up. Check it out.
A money quote (among many):
What I know is that Jared has written a book about Jesus that, for many of the readers of this [blog] and for vast numbers of evangelicals, should be THE book about Jesus they read in the next few months, because it may be the best popular level book written this year to re-introduce the Christ of scripture to the people who say they know him.I agree. I'm reading the book now, and will write my review/endorsement when I'm done, but as I read I realize more and more what an important book this is. Some might be fooled by the conversational tone, pop-culture references, and that great Wilson humor, but this book goes deep. It's about Jesus, and it's a book most of us need to read.
Trackbacks:
Trackback URL: http://thinklings.org/bloo.trackback.php/5518.
Comments on "iMonk on Your Jesus is Too Safe":
2. Jared
- 07/19/2009 9:38 am CDT
When I was in Vermont 2 weekends ago someone actually suggested "updating" Lewis's Mere Christianity that way too. Same content, just update the language.
The idea of that, and ditto updating "Orthodoxy," grieves my spirit. :-)
Seriously, though, I think I'd be more in favor of someone writing similar books for our age. N.T. Wright's Simply Christian or Keller's The Reason for God would be good alternatives for those who might need Mere Christianity but couldn't jibe with the vernacular. I would think of updating the language of those books kinda like changing the colors in a Van Gogh or something.
Chesterton's language I can sort of get begging for an update, but I also think if we need to "update" Lewis's language, we are really stupid people. He's not hard to read, for people who read.
3. Randy Brandt
- 07/19/2009 11:34 am CDT
Somewhat ironic, but true--at ICRS last week, Jim Kregel himself handed me a copy of "Your Jesus..." and suggested I review it, and I totally missed the connection to The Thinklings despite being a long-time visitor. Doh! Kregel PR is supposed to send me a copy this week, so the review will be forthcoming.
5. Daniel Ross
- 07/19/2009 6:05 pm CDT
I'll do my official review on the blog tour in a few weeks but I will second, third and fourth all comments on this book being VERY good. EXTREMELY readable and engaging.
6. David Marcoe
- 07/19/2009 7:01 pm CDT
Chesterton's language I can sort of get begging for an update, but I also think if we need to "update" Lewis's language, we are really stupid people. He's not hard to read, for people who read.
Chesterton, I think, is more approachable for a (post)modern audience than Lewis, in some cases. I only asked because I've actually been tweaking the language in Orthodoxy and seeing where I get with it. Mostly it's just been minor acts of removing excess verbiage in some places to make it a smoother read. I haven't "dumbed it down."
7. Jared
- 07/19/2009 7:07 pm CDT
David, interesting.
I know most of the versions of George MacDonald's stuff out there are updated b/c the old Scottish vernacular was darn near impenetrable.
Would be interested in how your project turns out. Do you plan on shopping it with an agent or publisher?
9. salguod
- 07/25/2009 10:12 am CDT
I'm about halfway through my self and will be participating in the tour in a couple of weeks. I think iMonk's review is spot on.
Leave a Comment:
Jared, what do you think of retooling some of the vernacular in G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy (leaving his brilliant turns of phrase intact, of course) to update it for a contemporary audience?