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Feb 06, 2012

joe is currently reading it

I'm thankful for Bible scholars who are committed to the ground level servants of the church. Contemporary scholarship is currently undergoing much revamping and redefining, some of which entail an entire rehaul. McKnight stands as one of the most important voices in our day for this paradigm shift, I believe. Having been raised in conservative Evangelical circles, the Gospel paradigm that I have been taught was heavily penal substitution in nature, influenced by Protestantism. Could it be that More...

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Nov 16, 2011

David rated it:

McKnight asks the question, "what is the Gospel?" He argues that when evangelicals answer this question, they are usually presenting the plan of salvation and not the gospel. While salvation is included in the gospel, it is not the gospel. Part of his argument here is that the "gospel" many evangelicals preach is not what Jesus preached which means Jesus did not preach the gospel. Such a point alone should cause us to rethink things.

McKnight starts with 1 Cori More...

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Nov 02, 2011

Nathan rated it:

Much needed corrective to soteric reductionism (sobering quote: "We have reduced the life of Jesus to Good Friday, and therefore reduced the gospel to the crucifixion, and then soterians have reduced Jesus to transactions of a Savior" - p. 119).

My main quibble with McKnight is that he's given us a more or less snappy, little book, when such an important theme would have deserved a lengthier and even more nuanced treatment. For example, his definition of the gospel as the s More...

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Oct 23, 2011

Brett rated it:

Defining the gospel has become a battleground between warring theologies. Is the gospel primarily about justification by faith, the kingdom of God, or the restoration of all things? McKnight’s offering here is an important (game changing?) contribution to the discussion. McKnight begins at First Corinthians 15 and fleshes out the contours of the gospel: The story of Israel (shorthand for God’s self-revelation throughout the OT) brought to completion in the story of Jesus. This is the gospel th More...

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Sep 20, 2011

Gregory rated it:

Scot McKnight's new book, "The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited," is a keeper. In fact, I would say it's one of the best theological books I've ever read. Part of what makes it exciting is that McKnight is excited himself! You can sense his energy and his joy in his subject, as he leads us step-by-step through his own theological development. It takes some work to read Jesus in his own context, and McKnight is patient with us.

I used this book in my c More...

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Dec 27, 2011

Keren rated it:

Don’t let the title fool you. Scot McKnight is not asking that we question what the original good news (gospel) was. Instead, he is asking that we reevaluate what our American modern-day portrayal of the gospel has become. If you’ve had concerns that the gospel is being presented as a quick Ray Comfort-style of evangelism or know the “3 ABC’s of the gospel and you’re saved,” but couldn’t put your finger on exactly what’s going wrong, you’ll likely find this book a very helpful read. While there More...

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Jan 13, 2012

Josh rated it:

Let me make it clear from the get-go that I think Scot McKnight's book raises some very important issues and says some things that really need to be said and heard in today's evangelical world-- namely, that the Gospel is not about making a "personal decision," but is rather about the full scope of who Jesus is and how he fulfills the biblical Story of Israel. I am glad this book raises those issues and makes clear their importance. However, there are also some problems here, the bigge More...

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Oct 17, 2011

John rated it:

[I've removed my previous review here because it was far too dismissive with taking the space to represent McKnight well. I do believe my critique has merit, but I wasn't fair in how I explained McKnight's position]

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Sep 13, 2011

Adam rated it:

Short review: The central thesis of the book is that the church (and he is talking about the church universal, not just the Evangelical church) has made its focus on salvation not on the gospel. McKnight says that the gospel is about Jesus Christ as King and fulfiller of the story of Israel. The implication and result of Jesus is that we need to be saved, because that is part of the reason that Christ came. But McKnight contends that when we focus first on salvation, whether it is 'justificat More...

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Sep 19, 2011

Keith rated it:

Let me start with a confession: I am weary of sociologists and pollsters assuming the role(s) of vision-caster(s) for the church in North America. I appreciate the (objective?) data they unearth and the descriptions of current realities they provide. I’m not, however, a fan of the prescriptions they, along with marketing experts, offer for all that ails the church (or more accurately and specifically, the declining number of people who claim to believe in God, attend church, etc.). My frustratio More...

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Sep 23, 2011

James rated it:

Scot McKnight, professor of religious studies at North Park University, is a widely respected academic, with important books in a number of topics in New Testament studies, and he is also widely known as a popular speaker, author, and blogger. This means he is uniquely positioned to bring academic learning to bear on a wider audience, and this is exactly what he does in The King Jesus Gospel.

There are so many ways one could approach the review of a book like this, with historical ar More...

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Sep 19, 2011

Bo rated it:

The primary thrust of the book is two-fold: 1) take the whole Bible seriously when articulating the gospel, 2) bullet point salvation stories don't tell the whole story.

Scot McKnight does a good job in this of being critical and friendly simultaneously and builds bridges to those he knows will either disagree or find some thing controversial. This is no small point. Preaching to the proverbial choir is en vogue (or so it seems) and speaking across denominational lines is More...

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Nov 07, 2011

Kevin rated it:

This is a powerful examination of what it means to speak of the Gospel and how our understanding impacts our "Gospeling" or evangelism. McKnight argue forcefully that to present a plan of salvation, or sotorian, gospel is to miss the larger picture of scripture and God's plan for the universe.

For McKnight the Gospel is the story of Israel being completed in the story of Jesus who is the Messiah King. This is the Apostolic Gospel and the Gospel Jesus preached. If we lose ou More...

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Oct 25, 2011

Don rated it:

I am about to read this book by McKnight. In it he is challenges the reducionistic "plan of salvation" gospel that is geared to decisionism, cornering the hearer into making choices. His view is that the "plan of salvation" might not be the same thing as Gospel and that justification by faith does not have pride of place in the telling. More and more books like this are popping up and the concern needs to be heard, particularly as so many in the church lament the state of the More...

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Feb 20, 2012

Dean P. rated it:

McKnight recasts the "get saved" line in the evangelical church by exploring the depth and breadth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He moves swiftly through the writings of Paul, Peter and the words of Jesus, using 1 Corinthians 15 as his primary gospel foundation.

I find McKnight's analysis and arguments sound. His opening considerations stumble a bit, especially when he makes sweeping critiques of the sacramental church. His shallow critiques are made up for, however, with h More...

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Jan 26, 2012

Steve rated it:

If you have an interest in Christian Theology I recommend this read. I'm down for listening to any New Testament Scholar who has points as to what we're doing wrong as Christians and in particular Christians here in America. His focus though is in 'revisiting' the apostolic Gospel (which is/should be our Gospel as well) and how the word Gospel itself is often confused today which can potentially make the term more about ourselves than about Jesus. This, he claims leads to a 'salvation culture More...

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Oct 27, 2011

Chris rated it:

Really enjoyed this book. Great work by Scot McKnight. His awareness of the totality of the Gospel story and what it means for and does in the life of the believer is refreshing, and sadly missing in most of what is called Christianity today. Like most other books I read I found myself wanting to tweak a word here, rework a statement there, but for the most part I think Mr. McKnight is right on. I would highly...very highly recommend this book to all who are curious about and wanting to dive dee More...

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Nov 25, 2011

Brad rated it:

One of the things I love about the holidays is a little extra time to read. I've been really enjoying that this season, as I'm now posting my second review in three days, this time moving from the world of fiction to Christian Ministry/Theology with Scot McKnight's The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited.

I'll cut right to the chase: Over on GoodReads, I gave this 5 out of 5 stars without thinking twice. It's one of the best books I've ever read. I absolutely loved it.
More...

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Nov 13, 2011

Bryan rated it:

It's pretty good, reminding us to return to the scriptures for our understanding of the gospel. I wish McKnight would have discussed the relationship between gospel and kingdom a bit more. Still, a thoughtful consideration of relationship between gospel and salvation. McKnight wisely focuses our attention on Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel's story, as the gospels and early Christian sermons in Acts do, as Paul letters do, especially in I Cor. 15. I'd recommend N.T. Wright's Simply Jesus for c More...

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Jan 14, 2012

Craig rated it:

“I believe the word gospel has been kijacked by what we believe about ‘personal salvation,’ and the gospel itself has been reshaped to facilitate making ‘decisions.’ The result of this hijacking is that the word gospel no longer means is our world what it originally meant to either Jesus or the apostles (pg. 26).”

This statement summarizes what Scot McKnight seeks to communicate in his new book The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited. As with his other books, McKnight More...

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Jan 11, 2012

Jd rated it:

What a paradigm shift. McKnight has always challenges me to think outside of the box when reading Scripture. This book is no different. From its critique of soterianism to its reframing of the gospel into terms of the story of Israel and its completion in Jesus, this has changed my way of looking at the Bible and yet answered so many questions and reservations about past learning. Every serious Bible reader should read this book.

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Jan 24, 2012

Ben rated it:

It was a great book, and although not completely original in thought was a great synopsis of the breadth of thought on making the gospel Jesus/disciple centred and not salvation centred. The strange part was I nodded my way through the first 90% of the book agreeing with most all his supporting arguments and then he got to his conclusion. It's funny how you can agree with all the points along the way and disagree pretty whole-heartedly with the summation. His final explanation of the gospel w More...

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Jan 01, 2012

Milan rated it:

I was very eager to read this book. I would say maybe too excited and therefore created very high expectations. The book is solid and definitely helped me gain some vocabulary and structures that help clarify the issues surrounding "gospeling."
He has some great points about the different between "plan of salvation", "method of persuasion", and "the Gospel"
Also making a distinction between "soterian" and "evangelical" More...

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Oct 14, 2011

Keith rated it:

Scot McKnight revisits the original Gospel message and describes how it's been reduced to a personal salvation message. We have peddled a Jesus as savior message, but failed to retain a Jesus as Lord proclamation. Why are the Gospels called The Gospels? How does Jesus fulfill the Story? These are the questions McKnight discusses as he reclaims the whole story.

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Oct 16, 2011

Jeff rated it:

Great book! Hits the nail on the head about how today's gospel is in fact not really that. Today we have taken a small portion of the gospel and use it as THE gospel. We have made the full gospel into simply a "plan of salvation" or "method of persuasion" leaving behind the full story of the gospel. This has caused, over the past few hundred years, quite a weak and less captivating message that does not lead to discipleship, but only decision-ism.

I won't spoil it b More...

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Dec 29, 2011

Matthew rated it:

McKnight's book was excellent and addresses the important distinction between what the Gospel is and what the "plan of salvation" is. Because the two are often confounded, McKnight's book is an important corrective. If distinguishing between the two makes you wonder why the need to distinguish between them at all, then this might be the book for you...

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Feb 22, 2012

Lon rated it:

I liked the idea that salvation (acceptance of Jesus as Savior) is not the whole Gospel, only a part. Too many people have this practice. Get saved, focus on your own piety and wait for heaven. There is more to the Gospel that Jesus taught than that.

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Jan 28, 2012

Jdmoser rated it:

Spot-on exposition of the use of the word "gospel" in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5, and a sketch of the apostolic gospel tradition. I love this book. McKnight casts the apostolic tradition over against our modern evangelical "soterian" culture, imagining what it might look like for evangelicals to develop a "gospel culture" that doesn't focus merely on getting individuals saved but building a gospel culture of peace, justice, love, and Christocentric worship. Please, plea More...

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Nov 19, 2011

Phil rated it:

Good book. If you are familiar at all with Wright's writing you may find yourself wanting to get through this quickly. It's strength is in it's accessibility. It is an important book, well laid out and very accessible to those not familiar with the past/current work being done in this field.

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Jan 30, 2012

Steve rated it:

I love Scot McKnight's writing. It is comprehendible for the average reader, but scholarly at its core. McKnight has what is surely a controversial look at the gospel, the gospel that is seems everyone is debating these days. It is controversial because it isn't the formula that we have all come to expect. He provides no formula for being saved. That will be enough for many to reject his position. Sadly, those who reject it, will ignore the fact that McKnight gives a great argument that his read More...

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