Your Jesus is Too American: Calling the Church to Reclaim Kingdom Values over the American Dream
By Steve Bezner (Brazos Press)
This world is not a perfect match for the kingdom of heaven, however near the kingdom of heaven is to this world. There is the way things are here, but that doesn’t mean that’s the way things ought to be. Your Jesus is Too American examines the gap between the two.
American Christians’ values may mirror America more than Christ, particularly when it comes to power, enemies, money, sexuality, politics, race and suffering. Steve Bezner holds up an American view of these seven areas and compares it against Scripture. In particular, he compares the American view against what Jesus taught regarding the kingdom of heaven.
The German state church accommodation of National Socialist values in the 1930s led Dietrich Bonhoeffer to write Cost of Discipleship. He sought to combat the forsaking of heavenly kingdom values in favor of worldly kingdom values. Bezner sees the same tendency in the American church.
Kingdom values look more like cooperation and collaboration than competition, sacrifice more than grasping, giving more than accumulating, self-denial more than self-promotion, love more than self-protection. In short, kingdom values seem to be an inversion of worldly values. Or maybe it’s vice versa.
As firm as the title is punchy, Bezner’s comparison is gentle. He leads with his own weaknesses, admitting where and when his values have mirrored the world more than they have imitated Jesus. His honesty is refreshing and disarming. We all could use a dose of that.
Your Jesus is Too American is scheduled for release Oct. 8.
Eric Black, executive director/publisher/editor
Baptist Standard
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