Book Review: Your Jesus Is Too Safe

Perhaps the most important question we will ever be asked is the one which Jesus posed to his disciples in Luke 9:20: “Who do you say that I am?”

Against the backdrop of all sorts of inadequate responses, Jared C. Wilson offers twelve appropriate answers to Christ’s question in Your Jesus Is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior.

Early on, Wilson makes the point that, “No message has been more used and exploited and appropriated than Jesus Christ’s.” In this book he speaks out against these perversions of the gospel in an effort to present a truly biblical Christ.

It is definitely written for a popular audience and he regularly injects humor into his writing. Some may find this style to be irreverent; I just found it to be fun. For instance, I don’t know which I liked more: the fact that he referred to Mark’s account as “the Die Hard of the Gospels,” or the fact that he followed it with a footnote asking the reader if they were angry yet.

That being said, it is not just a fluffy, feel-good book. That is precisely the kind of message that Wilson is trying to counteract. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, Wilson makes sure we do not lose sight of the Cross, nor of the blood that washes us clean of our sin. And while light-hearted at times, the book is heavily grounded in Scripture. I didn’t count, but Wilson included what must have been hundreds of footnotes referring the reader to the various biblical passages to which he was alluding.

I have long enjoyed Wilson’s blog at www.gospeldrivenchurch.com. I can truly say I enjoyed this book as well.