Thursday, February 1, 2018

Being a Christian, by Jason Allen

Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has the heart of a pastor and a passion to train pastors.  In his new book, Being a Christian: How Jesus Redeems All of Life, Allen calls his readers to "discover that Christianity is not relegated to a couple 'spiritual' activities a week, but . . . the gospel invades our work, our leisure, our errands, and our families." 

Allen covers marriage, family, time, money, work, recreation, your mind, and church life.  Using plenty of scripture, Allen describes how life in Christ will transform each of these areas.  Further, the overarching theme is that true Christianity will be marked by transformation in each area.  As John MacArthur writes in the introduction, "A Christian who is not experiencing growth in grace is a living contradiction." 

The bottom line is this: "The secret to the Christian life is: there's really no secret.  It is simply loving, and intentionally living, for Jesus.  We apply the gospel to every area of our lives.  We bring the Scripture to bear on every aspect of our lives.  We submit every area of our lives to Christ and his lordship." 

Being a Christian is suitable for Christians at any stage.  After all, doesn't every believer need a little reminder every now and then?  It reminded me of a sermon series on the basic Christian life, or Sunday school curricula for the "Christian Faith 101" class.  In fact, that's about the level of the writing.  It's simplistic and plain vanilla, but that means the reader has no excuse for understanding the message and taking steps to apply it to his or her life!  So whether you became a Christian last week or last millennium, pick up Being a Christian and let Jesus transform every area of your life.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

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