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Speaking Of Jesus Analysis

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In Chapter 3 of Speaking of Jesus, Carl Medearis says that if we do not really know what the gospel is then we will find ourselves having to explain Christianity. Instead of reaching out to people and showing Jesus, we put all our time and effort into defending our religion. It is like we are on teams and we try to get the most people on our side so we have the biggest team. Medearis put it like this, “In a way, we’re drawing a line in the sand and telling people, “You’re on that side, and you need to believe what I’m telling you in order to cross the line. Once you cross it, you’re saved.” (p.45).This is the kind of mentality of salvation that was also referenced in the introduction to the book. Christians tend to treat salvation like a check …show more content…

When we try to sell Christianity we have to fully own it, but when we preach Jesus we do not have to own it. We do not have to defend ourselves. When we preach Jesus, he owns and defends us. We need to open our eyes, so we can see if we are preaching the wrong message. Referring back to the idea of being on “teams”, Christian tend to spend a lot of time trying to find the difference between the saved and the unsaved. We want to know the difference so we can teach them to think like we do. In Western Christianity we can tend to think that having the right doctrine and theology is key to our salvation. Thus, leaving Jesus out of the equation. Medearis wants to “undefine” the gospel and Christianity. He wants to strip them of the doctrine, dogma, and stereotypes that has tainted them. The author then goes through the entire history of Christianity showing how over time Christianity has been changed and warped. The focus shifted away from Jesus. It was used for political advancement, personal gain, and an excuse to conquer nations, none of which are the gospel. The gospel of Jesus has become a religion of the mind, instead of a response of the

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