Monday, September 21, 2009

Jesus Nation Review

Jesus Nation by Joseph Stowell
Sometimes you have to ask who a book is written for. Frequently, the intended reader is not you.
But what do you do when you absolutely can't figure out who the intended reader is?
Such is the case with Joe Stowell's book, "Jesus Nation."
"Jesus Nation" is, at the heart, a book about belonging. A book about belonging to a nation, living and dying and breathing, with that nation, in much the same way as you follow your favorite sports team. Stowell is outlining what it means to have that same passion about following Jesus; about what life would look like if we looked up to Jesus even more than we look up to a Peyton Manning or a Steve Yzerman.
The main problem I had with this book was this: It didn't incite any sort of passion in me. I wondered if maybe I simply couldn't figure out who should be reading it, but all in all, it failed to make me dream about what the point was.
Please don't get me wrong. Stowell, by all accounts, is a great man, and is doing a wonderful job at Cornerstone University, my alma mater. And Stowell uses a few good analogies and metaphors throughout his book; ideas that were at least a little intrigueing, and deserved to be discussed and fleshed out.
But bottom line - I had to force myself to read it. It never captivated me, and thus I can only give it 2.5/5.
Reviewed for Tyndale House

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