The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancey

877 Words2 Pages

The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancey

Yancey starts out with the image of Jesus. When he was young he had envisioned Jesus to have angelic features such as, young, handsome, and a compassionate face. It wasn’t until he entered into a Christian college, that he was introduced to the real image of Jesus. I had an immediate connection with Yancey. I too had an image of Christ in my head, which consisted of Hollywood portrayals and those in classical paintings. It wasn’t till I engaged myself at a Christian college, that I have now received a new and more accurate picture of Christ. His book, The Jesus I Never Knew, questions the reader with the thought, “How many Christians today are in the same position, not fully understanding Christ’s mission and purpose?”

Yancey divides the novel into three main sections: “Who He Was,” “Why He Came,” and “What He Left Behind.” The section that I connected with was “Why He Came.” I enjoyed reading this section, because he points out key thoughts on Jesus’ life that we take for granted. I like how it explains the reason for His arrival on earth through the Beatitudes and His Resurrection.

The chapter on the Beatitudes, Yancey covers a great deal of information that shows how Jesus cares for the less fortunate and humble. Yancey points out that the Beatitudes describe the present and future, a fact that I never realized. He tells of how they are a contrast on how we can succeed in the kingdom of Heaven verses the kingdom...

Show More
Related

  • Kingdom of Matthias by Paul E Johnson and Sean Wilentz

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Kingdom of Matthias by Paul E. Johnson and Sean Wilentz is a story of the rise and fall of a religious cult established by Robert Matthews (Matthias). Within his kingdom, Matthias and his followers, abided by Matthias, believes of the subjugation of women by men. Even though at the time the cult was in existence the United States was experiencing two great movements that urged the forward progression of women, the Market Revolution and the Second Great Awakening. Two women in particular are mentioned in Johnson and Wilentz’ book that were really suppressed by Matthias and his subjects. One was Isabella van Wagenen, the slave that worked in Mount Zion and even Matthias’ own daughter Isabella Matthews Laisdell. The Kingdom of Matthias reveals the 19th century experienced the presence of an oppressive “prophet” known as Matthias who tyrannically degraded women through cruel treatment, sexual advances, and belittling them in a society that was starting to notice the inclination of women’s rights, all of these violent and atrocious acts eventually lead to the downfall of Matthias’ kingdom.

    Read More

  • The Shadow Of The Galilean Summary

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...er reading the book it made me more conferrable with this side of Jesus. I loved the character of Andreas and I seek to become more and more like that Galilean from Nazareth that he was searching for Jesus. I loved his passion and constant anxiety to need to learn more about Jesus that something I aspire to have.

    Read More

  • Apostles of Disunion by Charles B. Dew

    961 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book, Apostles of Disunion, author Charles B. Dew opens the first chapter with a question the Immigration and Naturalization service has on an exam they administer to prospective new American citizens: “The Civil War was fought over what important issue”(4). Dew respond by noting that “according to the INS, you are correct if you offer either of the following answers: ‘slavery or states’ rights’” (4). Although this book provides more evidence and documentation that slavery was the cause of the Civil War, there are a few places where states’ rights are specifically noted. In presenting the findings of his extensive research, Dew provides compelling documentation that would allow the reader to conclude that slavery was indeed the cause for both secession and the Civil War.

    Read More

  • Mission Of Mercy By Esther Lipnick

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    The drama, Mission of Mercy, by Esther Lipnick is a very inspiring read. It tells about a girl who doesn’t want to be like her proper, fancy family at all. Instead she wants to become a nurse. She leaves her home and becomes a nurse. It inspires me because both of my parents, and other family members of mine, are teachers, although I’m not going to be one. Mission of Mercy is a drama that could inspire many people to go for what they want, even if other people don’t always approve of it. Florence changes throughout all of the the scenes 1, 2, and 3.

    Read More

  • Salvation on Sand Mountain by Dennis Covington

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dennis Covington writes about a unique method of worship—snake handling, in his memoir, Salvation on Sand Mountain. He begins as a journalist, looking in on this foreign way of life; however, as time progresses he increasing starts to feel a part of this lifestyle. As a result loses his journalistic approach, resulting in his memoir, detailing his own spiritual journey. Upon the conclusion of his stay in this world, Covington realizes the significance of this journey, and argues in his memoir that we cannot entirely know ourselves until we step outside of our comfort zone and separate ourselves from our norm.

    Read More

  • Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jonathan Kozol's book, Amazing Grace, analyzes the lives of the people living in the dilapidated district of South Bronx, New York. Kozol spends time touring the streets with children, talking to parents, and discussing the appalling living conditions and safety concerns that plague the residents in the inner cities of New York. In great detail, he describes the harsh lifestyles that the poverty stricken families are forced into; day in and day out. Disease, hunger, crime, and drugs are of the few everyday problems that the people in Kozol's book face; however, many of these people continue to maintain a very religious and positive outlook on life. Jonathan Kozol's investigation on the lifestyle of these people, shows the side to poverty that most of the privileged class in America does not get to see. Kozol wishes to persuade the readers to sympathize with his book and consider the condition in which these people live. The inequality issues mentioned are major factors in affecting the main concerns of Kozol: educational problems, healthcare obstacles, and the everyday struggles of a South Bronx child.

    Read More

  • Heaven Is a Playground by Rick Telander

    705 Words  | 2 Pages

    Heaven is a Playground is a book, published in 1974 by author Rick Telander, about Telander’s journey to New York City and the summer he spent there for a magazine piece, acclimating himself with the culture that existed on inner-city basketball courts in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. While he was there, he met a man by the name of Rodney Parker. Parker was kind of like a street agent because he worked tirelessly to get a lot of these inner-city kids into school. In the book, Telander talks about all of his experiences with the people in the neighborhood and the relationships he developed with the kids, whom he would eventually go on to coach.

    Read More

  • Julian Of Norwich Concerning Liturgical Language Analysis

    2270 Words  | 5 Pages

    Her choices of metaphors are simplistic explanations providing the backdrop for the emotional and spiritual connection we seek in following Christ. The symbolic comparisons of Mary Magdalene, her relationship to Jesus, mirrors some of Julian of Norwich’s personal spiritual journey of prayerful contemplation while seeking intimacy in her relationship to God.

    Read More

  • Born Sinner in Flight by Sherman Alexie

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    Born Sinner Aren’t we all sinners? We all have committed acts of violence at some points in our lives, and our answer we are human, we are wired that way or it is our instinct. People have a habit of hurting one another and it comes naturally to them. After reading Flight by Sherman Alexie, violence is a prominent theme throughout the novel. This idea of aggression is represented in many different ways, shapes, and forms.

    Read More

  • All Souls by Michael MacDonald

    1876 Words  | 4 Pages

    Michael MacDonald’S All Souls is a heart wrenching insider account of growing up in Old Country housing projects located in the south of Boston, also known as Southie to the locals. The memoir takes the reader deep inside the world of Southie through the eyes of MacDonald. MacDonald was one of 11 children to grow up and deal with the many tribulations of Southie, Boston. Southie is characterized by high levels of crime, racism, and violence; all things that fall under the category of social problem. Social problems can be defined as “societal induced conditions that harms any segment of the population. Social problems are also related to acts and conditions that violate the norms and values found in society” (Long). The social problems that are present in Southie are the very reasons why the living conditions are so bad as well as why Southie is considered one of the poorest towns in Boston. Macdonald’s along with his family have to overcome the presence of crime, racism, and violence in order to survive in the town they consider the best place in the world.

    Read More

  • Did Jesus Claim to Be God?

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    This paper is written to discuss the many different ideas that have been discussed over the first half of Theology 104. This class went over many topics which gave me a much better understanding of Christianity, Jesus, and the Bible. I will be addressing two topics of which I feel are very important to Christianity. First, I will be focusing on the question did Jesus claim to be God? This is one of the biggest challenges of the Bibles that come up quite often. Secondly, I will focus on character development.

    Read More

  • Between The World And Me By Ta-Nehisi Coates

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his book “Between the World and Me”, Ta-Nehisi Coates explores what it means to be a black body living in the white world of the United States. Fashioned as a letter to his son, the book recounts Coates’ own experiences as a black man as well as his observations of the present and past treatment of the black body in the United States. Weaving together history, present, and personal, Coates ruminates about how to live in a black body in the United States. It is the wisdom that Coates finds within his own quest of self-discovery that Coates imparts to his son.

    Read More

  • Rite of Passage by Sharon Olds

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    Who is the birthday party a rite of passage for, the birthday boy or his mother?

    Read More

  • My Personal Worldview Paper

    1773 Words  | 4 Pages

    “First, there is the call to be a Christian. Second, for each individual there is a specific call—a defining purpose or mission, a reason for being. Every individual is called of God to respond through service in the world. Third, there is the call that we face each day in response to the multiple demands on our lives—our immediate duties and responsibilities” (Smith, ...

    Read More

  • Faith of the Fallen, by Terry Goodkind

    567 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book jacket art for the novel Faith of the Fallen, the sixth of a thirteen book series by Terry Goodkind, features a statue of a man and seemingly bursting from the marble which encased them, while their sculptor steps back to examine his work. This statue earns its name Life because of the inscription on its brass ring: Life is yours. Rise up and live it.

    Read More

More about The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancey

Open Document