From the Publisher
A groundbreaking book that explains and illustrates
what spiritual formation meant to Jesus.
What does Jesus teach us
about spiritual formation? Many of the spiritual masters that we look to today
offer great insights on various aspects of the Christian faith journey. Their
words speak to us of union with God, transformation, and purpose. But behind
these worthy goals stands Jesus, shaped himself by the ancient Jewish creed for
spiritual formation, the Shema.
This creed commands Israel to
love God with heart, soul, and strength. During his lifetime, Jesus amended that
creed of Judaism and so gave his followers a creed for spiritual formation: they
are to love God with heart, soul, and strength, and to love others as
themselves.
In this practical, story_filled, witty, and
illuminating volume, Scot McKnight gives Christians an opportunity to walk
alongside Jesus as he teaches the Jesus Creed of love of the Father and love of
others.
Pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church -
For a long time [Scot McKnight] has been a kind of secret weapon for my own education and growth. Now he can be yours as well. This book will bring Jesus' world and yours much closer together.
Publishers Weekly
Amid a sea of books on Christian spiritual formation, McKnight, professor of religious studies at North Park University in Chicago, brings us a simple, highly readable one focused on the weightiest teaching of Jesus: love God and love others as yourself. The "Jesus Creed" of the title is a trimmed down version of the Shema of Judaism (Deut. 6:4-9), which declares we are to love God with all our being, amended to include caring for one's neighbor as oneself (Lev. 19:18). Packed with vivid and touching stories-from the Bible, history and the author's life-this book covers important aspects of what it means to love God and others. McKnight shows great respect for the Jewish heritage of Jesus and offers readers scholarly, yet highly accessible, illustrations of the sociocultural landscape of first-century Palestine. The book is slim on doctrine, making no comment on the thorny theological squabbles that divide many Christians. That's refreshing for the reader tired of the squabbling, but may leave others wondering what love does require in certain difficult situations. Still, this book is an excellent introduction to Christian spirituality. Its pages glow with compassion, generosity and the invitation to understand what was important to Jesus and what is crucial for Christianity. (Oct.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.