Why do the New Testament gospels depict a Jesus who asks questions almost as often as he gives answers? In The Questions of Jesus in John Douglas Estes crafts a highly interdisciplinary theory of question-asking based on insights from ancient rhetoric and modern erotetics (the study of interrogatives) in order to investigate the logical and rhetorical purposes of Jesus' questions in the Gospel of John. While scholarly discussion about Jesus cares more for what he says, and not what he asks, Estes argues a better understanding of the rhetorical and dialectical roles of questions in ancient narratives sheds a more accurate light on both John’s narrative art and Jesus' message in the Fourth Gospel.
Contrary to some common assumptions, Jesus is not the ultimate Answer Man, but more like the Great Questioner. In the Gospels Jesus asks many more questions than he answers. To be precise, Jesus asks 307 questions. He is asked 183 of which he only answers 3. Asking questions was central to Jesus’ life and teachings. In fact, for every question he answers directly he asks—literally—a hundred. Jesus is the Question considers the questions Jesus asks—what they tell us about Jesus and, more important, what our responses might say about what it means to follow Him. Through Jesus’ questions, he modeled the struggle, the wondering, the thinking it through that helps us draw closer to God and better understand, not just the answer, but ourselves, our process and ultimately why questions are among Jesus’ most profound gifts for a life of faith. A game-changer of a book.
Answers to the most-asked questions about Jesus. PeopleÆs opinions about and understanding of Jesus shape the very course of their lives. Perhaps that is why Jesus is the most loved and hated, cherished and scorned, figure in human history. This book is ideal for people with questions regarding specific topics, teachings, or actions of Jesus. Whether a longtime believer, someone seeking the truth, or even a skeptic, The Jesus Answer Book provides succinct answers to key questions about the Son of God. In The Jesus Answer Book, bestselling author John MacArthur offers biblically based answers to the most commonly asked questions about the life and person of Jesus. Divided topically to answer questions about JesusÆ birth, life, death, resurrection, return, and deity, this book also answers questions about what Jesus means to humanity and how people can come to know Him personally. Includes answers to frequently asked questions such as: How can we believe in the virgin birth of Jesus?, Why did Jesus have to be baptized by John the Baptist?, What miracle is recorded in all four gospels?, What about JesusÆ teaching attracted peopleÆs attention?, Why didnÆt the religious leaders of His day accept Jesus?, Why didnÆt Jesus say anything in His defense?, How was the crucifixion part of GodÆs plan?, and How can we be sure that Jesus actually rose from the dead? Features & Benefits: The Answer Book series has combined sales of over 470,000 and growing Trusted content from bestelling author John MacArthur Excellent resource for students and new Christians who are searching for answers about Jesus Easy-to-navigate Q&A format with nearly 150 questions allows for quick access to specific questions and answers
Jesus rarely answered questions He was asked, but instead turned the tables by asking a piercing question of His own. Questions Jesus Asks goes through a broad spectrum of these, dealing with issues like morality, suffering, humility, faith, and much more. Explore the unique paradox of Jesus’ divinity and humanity Be challenged by the questions Jesus asks each of us Learn more about Jesus and find the answers to your own life’s questions. John 17:3 tells us: “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” There is no higher purpose in life than the knowledge of God through His Son. Prepare to learn far more about God and the nature of Jesus than you thought was possible. Jesus asks penetrating questions that cut passed the pretense and reach the target of our hearts.
A look at the questions Jesus asks us—which enrich our understanding and faith.In the Gospels, when people asked Jesus a question, he often replied with one of his own: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” British author Conrad Gempf invites readers to look at these questions and discover Jesus’ motivation. What could the second person of the Trinity want to know that he doesn’t already? Gempf concludes that Jesus wants to know where we stand. He doesn’t need to know more facts; he wants to know us.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The “paradigm-influencing” book (Christianity Today) that is fundamentally transforming our understanding of white evangelicalism in America. Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping, revisionist history of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, revealing how evangelicals have worked to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism—or in the words of one modern chaplain, with “a spiritual badass.” As acclaimed scholar Kristin Du Mez explains, the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the centrality of popular culture in contemporary American evangelicalism. Many of today’s evangelicals might not be theologically astute, but they know their VeggieTales, they’ve read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, and they learned about purity before they learned about sex—and they have a silver ring to prove it. Evangelical books, films, music, clothing, and merchandise shape the beliefs of millions. And evangelical culture is teeming with muscular heroes—mythical warriors and rugged soldiers, men like Oliver North, Ronald Reagan, Mel Gibson, and the Duck Dynasty clan, who assert white masculine power in defense of “Christian America.” Chief among these evangelical legends is John Wayne, an icon of a lost time when men were uncowed by political correctness, unafraid to tell it like it was, and did what needed to be done. Challenging the commonly held assumption that the “moral majority” backed Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 for purely pragmatic reasons, Du Mez reveals that Trump in fact represented the fulfillment, rather than the betrayal, of white evangelicals’ most deeply held values: patriarchy, authoritarian rule, aggressive foreign policy, fear of Islam, ambivalence toward #MeToo, and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ community. A much-needed reexamination of perhaps the most influential subculture in this country, Jesus and John Wayne shows that, far from adhering to biblical principles, modern white evangelicals have remade their faith, with enduring consequences for all Americans.
This illuminating examination of the Gospels reveals how the questions Jesus asks of his followers lead the way to a deeper understanding of the meaning of life and the mystery of God. The Gospels are filled with stories, parables, miracles, commandments, and dramatic incidents that trace Jesus’ life and recount his teachings. A close reading of the Gospels reveals, however, that they are also filled with questions. As John Dear points out in this remarkable book, Jesus, like any great teacher and rabbi, “has a question for everyone he meets, for every occasion, for every experience, for every potential disciple.” Dear uses these questions as a starting point, an invitation to readers to discover the lessons they contain by searching their own hearts and minds for answers. Throughout The Questions of Jesus, Dear interweaves insights from ethical and religious teachers ranging from Buddha to Gandhi to Martin Luther King, Jr. Using recent events as powerful and poignant examples, he shows why a renewed commitment to Jesus’ message of nonviolence, compassion, justice, and peace is essential to healing a world torn by violence and war.
New York Times bestselling author of The Prodigal Prophet Timothy Keller explores how people are changed by meeting Jesus personally—and how we can be changed encountering him today. The people who met Jesus Christ in person faced the same big life questions we face today. Like most of us, the answers handed down to them didn’t seem to work in the real world. But when they met Jesus, things immediately started to change for them. It seems he not only had the answers—he was the answer. In Encounters with Jesus, Timothy Keller shows how the central events and meetings in Jesus’ life can change our own lives forever. "Keller's work belongs on the bookshelf of every serious Bible student." —Examiner "Keller has mined the gold from these texts of Scripture, and any Christian is bound to have their minds expanded and hearts stirred." —Grace for Sinners
