Who Is This Man?

Who Is This Man?:
The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus

by John Ortberg

About 2100 years ago Caesar Augustus was the most powerful man on earth. Everyone knew who he was, and his word was law. Like all other men, he died. As time went on his impact on the world began to fade. Another man of the time was Jesus of Nazareth. He had no position of power in the world. He never wrote a book. He had a few students who followed him around for a couple of years before he was executed as a criminal and they all scattered. But today the influence of Jesus is everywhere, and he has more followers than ever. Caesar Augustus is most known today for ordering the census mentioned in the story of Jesus’s birth.

In Who Is This Man?: The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus John Ortberg shows how through the years the teachings of the humble carpenter who grew up in Nazareth have shaped history, science, and western civilization. I am a Christian and familiar with the life of Jesus from the New Testament. This book astounded me with how pervasive the impact of Jesus’s life and teachings have been throughout the entire span of history since his death on the cross.

Who Is This Man tells the story of Jesus’s continuing and growing impact on civilization in flowing prose that is easy and enjoyable to read, with a comprehensive bibliography for the scholarly inclined reader.

Who Is This Man is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in how civilization as we know it today came to be.

10 Things Jesus Never Said

by Will Davis Jr.

 

When I saw the title of 10 Things Jesus Never Said: And Why You Should Stop Believing Them I needed to know if it was an attack on Christianity or an affirmation. So I bought it for my kindle.

Will Davis Jr. has written a book for all the Christians who have doubts that they are good enough for Christ. Through personal trials, the trials of Christians he has known, and Biblical references he shows that Jesus wants YOU. If you have doubts that you are “good enough” for Jesus, this book shows you that you are. We are all sinners and none of us is “good enough” to make the grade, but it doesn’t mattter. Jesus loves us all and has granted us grace, all we have to do is love him and accept it.

After reading 10 Things Jesus Never Said I’m still not totally clear what the ten things are. But I do know a great many things he DID say about how much God loves us and is willing to forgive us. Only one man has ever lived a sin free life, and he died on the cross so Grace and Forgiveness are available to you, me, and every other man, woman, and child on the face of the earth.

If you believe in God and have any doubts that you will be saved and spend eternity with Christ in Heaven, read 10 Things Jesus Never Said. It will show you that God’s saving grace is sufficient for YOU to be a Christian and be saved.

Three Books of Christian Apologetics

Three Books of Christian Apologetics

As a Christian I have always been made a little uneasy by the concept of Christian Apologetics. Why should anyone have to apologize for the truth? More recently, however, I have taken the time to actually read some books on the subject.

Jesus On Trial

In September, 2014, David Limbaugh published Jesus on Trial: A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel which I saw advertised as part of a significant marketing campaign. I was intrigued, bought a copy, and read it. I was impressed and overwhelmed by the volume and variety of the evidence presented for the existence of Jesus Christ, His death, and His resurrection. The book does an excellent job demonstrating that the Christ Jesus presented in the four Gospel books of Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John truly existed and rose from the dead. It also shows the New Testament we have today has remained virtually unchanged from what was originally written. Also, the information in the New Testament matches up seamlessly with the other information available about events in the world during the time of Christ. Jesus on Trial is a powerful book and worth reading.

Faith on Trial

I get email everyday from bookbub.com with Your ebook bargains for Tuesday (or whatever day of the week it happens to be) listing ebooks that I can get for free or for greatly reduced rates. Faith on Trial: Analyze the Evidence for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus showed up in one of those emails. I was intrigued by the similarity between Jesus On Trial and Pamela Binnings Ewen’s Faith on Trial. Both authors are lawyers and both were written to present a case for the truth behind Christianity. I paid the limited time bargain price the bookbub.com email told me about and started reading.
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