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    Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough
    Unavailable
    Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough
    Unavailable
    Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough
    Ebook219 pages10 hours

    Jesus > Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough

    By Jefferson Bethke

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    About this ebook

    Abandon dead, dry, religious rule-keeping and embrace the promise of being truly known and deeply loved.

    Jefferson Bethke burst into the cultural conversation with a passionate, provocative poem titled "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus." The 4-minute video became an overnight sensation, with 7 million YouTube views in its first 48 hours (and 23+ million in a year).

    Bethke's message clearly struck a chord with believers and nonbelievers alike, triggering an avalanche of responses running the gamut from encouraged to enraged.

    In his New York Times bestseller Jesus > Religion, Bethke unpacks similar contrasts that he drew in the poem--highlighting the difference between teeth gritting and grace, law and love, performance and peace, despair, and hope.

    With refreshing candor, he delves into the motivation behind his message, beginning with the unvarnished tale of his own plunge from the pinnacle of a works-based, fake-smile existence that sapped his strength and led him down a path of destructive behavior. Along the way, Bethke gives you the tools you need to:

    • Humbly and prayerfully open your mind
    • Understand Jesus for all that he is
    • View the church from a brand-new perspective

    Bethke is quick to acknowledge that he's not a pastor or theologian, but simply an ordinary, twenty-something who cried out for a life greater than the one for which he had settled. On this journey, Bethke discovered the real Jesus, who beckoned him with love beyond the props of false religion.

    Praise for Jesus > Religion:

    "Jeff's book will make you stop and listen to a voice in your heart that may have been drowned out by the noise of religion. Listen to that voice, then follow it--right to the feet of Jesus." --Bob Goff, author of New York Times bestsellers Love Does and Everybody, Always

    "The book you hold in your hands is Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz meets C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity meets Augustine's Confessions. This book is going to awaken an entire generation to Jesus and His grace." --Derwin L. Gray, lead pastor of Transformation Church, author of Limitless Life: Breaking Free from the Labels That Hold You Back

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThomas Nelson
    Release dateOct 14, 2013
    ISBN9781400205400
    Author

    Jefferson Bethke

    Jefferson Bethke is the New York Times bestselling author of Jesus > Religion and It's Not What You Think. He and his wife, Alyssa, host The Real Life Podcast and run FamilyTeams.com, an online initiative equipping families to live as a multi-generational team on mission. They live in Maui with their daughters, Kinsley and Lucy, and son, Kannon. To say hi or to learn more, go to jeffandalyssa.com.

    Read more from Jefferson Bethke

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    Reviews for Jesus > Religion

    4/5

    46 ratings4 reviews

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    • 1/5
      This book was a complete waste of time and utter nonsense. The author did a great job in demonstrating his naivety about the world, religion, the Bible, and yes, even about Jesus.
    • 5/5
      Excellent. Lots of challenging things to think about.
    • 5/5
      knowing more about Jesus it is indeed an awesome book
    • 3/5
      The book is essentially the authors testimony and opinion on how other Christians behave and shouldn't behave.
      He's got some things right, but we are all in different places in our lives and though he doesn't think there are Biblical scriptures on certain things there are he just needs to look harder, (or perhaps it's not time for him to see them).
      Just because someone finds something sinful/unclean, then to that person it is. As a person's walk with God becomes more holy the filter gets tighter and sin is more obvious. So where he may not find anything wrong with listening to certain movies or listening to certain music or whatever, to another person they may. The other seemed to be judging these people as being judgmental. And it is true sometimes the person that has the tighter filter needs to be reminded that someone else's filter is different, but all should abide by His word.
      In some places the author comes across pretty opinionated and doesn't have all the facts, (even included a tall tale as factual), and I won't even get into the scripture part of the errors, but I think overall his heart is in the right place and it will probably attract young people that think anything to do with Jesus is about religion or things you "can't do", perhaps "Sunday/secular Christians".
      I still recommend the book. It ends on a really good note.

      2 people found this helpful