Review: The Jesus You Can't Ignore by John MacArthur

Warning: "The Jesus You Can't Ignore" is not an easy book to read. If you're one of those Christians who preaches a spreading of the Gospel through "love," friendship and tolerance, you won't like what John MacArthur has to say. In fact, you may quickly develop a hardened heart and attitude similar to that of the Pharisees that Jesus and MacArthur preach against. Regardless, I still recommend you read this book. You may not like it, but it may be something you need to hear.

MacArthur's writes to confront that part of the church that has become too tolerant in fear of conflict. While his book starts out slow, covering obvious points, it quickly becomes more intriguing. I'm sure I'm not the only one with questions about the proper way to witness to non-Christians and the proper way to stand up for what the Bible clearly says is wrong, such as homosexuality.

MacArthur draws on examples from the Gospel when Jesus confronted the Pharisees and their false teachings. Discernment is the Christian's duty, MacArthur writes, and thus we have a duty to discern when it's the right moment for righteous judgment. Jesus did not preach to please. To the contrary, he spoke the truth, even though he knew it would push many of his followers away and incite conflict with the false teachers of the day. Jesus was about truth.

It's certainly a controversial subject, but it's worth a read if you're willing to accept it rather than reject it as "judgmental." Unfortunately, MacArthur does not spend much space relating Jesus' confrontations to modern times, and that will allow skeptical readers to toss aside what MacArthur has to say. Personally, I was left wanting more. How can I apply this to how I treat my non-Christian friends? How can I apply it to how I stand up for the truths found in the Bible? I guess I'm going to have to do my own truth searching now. Hopefully, you will too.


* Disclaimer: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com in exchange for my honest review.