A more christlike god

Oh, my... 'A More Christlike God' by Bradley Jersak is a wild book. And I mean that in the most inspiring, enlightening, and positive way! Honestly, it was a bit long and detailed in parts for my taste, but that was likely necessary not only to undo much of what many of us have been taught, but also to paint this more beautiful picture of who God is, and what the Gospel message is. Some really, really good stuff in this 2016 book. Just the last chapter is worth buying the entire thing (ch.14)!

Here is the snippet from Amazon:

What is God like? A punishing judge? A doting grandfather? A deadbeat dad? A vengeful warrior? 'Believers' and atheists alike typically carry and finally reject the toxic images of God in their own hearts and minds. Even the Christian gospel has repeatedly lapsed into a vision of God where the wrathful King must be appeased by his victim Son. How do such 'good cop/bad cop' distortions of the divine arise and come to dominate churches and cultures? Whether our notions of 'god' are personal projections or inherited traditions, author and theologian Brad Jersak proposes a radical reassessment, arguing for A More Christlike God: a More Beautiful Gospel. If Christ is "the image of the invisible God, the radiance of God's glory and exact representation of God's likeness," what if we conceived of God as completely Christlike--the perfect Incarnation of self-giving, radically forgiving, co-suffering love? What if God has always been and forever will be 'cruciform' (cross-shaped) in his character and actions? A More Christlike God suggests that such a God would be very good news indeed--a God who Jesus "unwrathed" from dead religion, a Love that is always toward us, and a Grace that pours into this suffering world through willing, human partners.

I will likely be sharing more in later posts, but here are a few notes I want to include for myself:

• The Bill Maher quote on p.10, tied with the concept of the cruciform God on p.13ff.
• Definition of 'Spiritual Director' (p.34) - "Spiritual Director refers to a mentor relationship that assists with spiritual development. Ironically, the best directors are non-directive listeners. They ask insightful questions that lead 'directees' to self-discovery, contemplative awareness and clarity for their life journey."
• Several places where he refers to God 'being in charge, but not in control' (because he doesn't do control). Also the idea that God is equally all-powerful, but not in a controlling way.
• God's wrath was another big topic. One note from p.199: "Wrath is a metaphor for the intrinsic consequences of our refusal to live in the mercies of God." Lot's of good and interesting stuff on this.
• Jersak totally blows some of our man-made atonement theories out of the water too. Most notably penal substitution. (p.294) "Jesus was saving us from Satan, sin, and death; not saving us from God."
• He titles chapter 14 'A More Christlike Message,' and it is outstanding! He details "two version of the gospel" -- The modern/legal/retributive understanding vs. the ancient/healing/restorative understanding. This is also presented in his use of 'The Gospel in Chairs' which was originally composed by Orthodox priest, Father Anthony Carbo, but has been recreated and adapted by both Brad and Brian Zahnd. You can find several places on Youtube of this presentation and it is worth watching! Here are the two listed in the book (both a bit dated, but the same basic message): Brian Zahnd; Bradley Jersak. 

A friend loaned me this book but I may have to break down and get my own copy. There are apparently a couple companion books in this series as well. This is life-changing stuff as far as I'm concerned, and well worth the time and money spent.