In a day where Christianity seems to look a bit different everywhere we look, Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola challenge us to focus on the essentials – namely, Jesus Christ. Their book, Jesus Manifesto, is designed to help us realize that “Christianity is Christ – nothing more, nothing less” (23). This book does a great job at repackaging different tenets that are crucial to what it means to be Christian. For example, they take a look at the old adage, “What would Jesus do?” and challenge it by saying that it does not properly represent what it means to be Christian. Instead, they say that we should be asking, “What is Christ doing through me…through us? And how is He doing it?” (68). They also challenge the popular view that many have regarding the kingdom of God. Instead of viewing the kingdom of God as something that we can usher or bring in, as if we were imperialistic, they propose that “the kingdom is a presence that we enter, a gem-like gift that we receive and treasure, a new creation that engulfs and embraces us” (110). Consequently, this book is more of a devotional than it is a theological textbook. In either case, it’s a great read that refocuses our attention on Jesus the Christ.

Booksneeze.com provided me with a complementary copy of this book for review.