The King Jesus Gospel by Scot McKnight

There seems to much discussion "out there" as a result of a growing dissatisfaction with the way evangelicals have presented the Gospel message. From personal discussions and reading various blogs, the traditional understanding of the Gospel message is being seriously challenged. Scot McKnight does a thorough dissection of the current evangelical Gospel story by clearly explaining that we have reduced that message to the "plan of salvation." If one is familiar with current surveys on the number of people, particularly in the West, who profess to be Christians, one will find an incongruity between that number and the statement of Jesus: "The road to life is narrow and only a few are on that road." Even though the numbers contradict that statement it cannot escape serious consideration that somewhere along the way the evangelical church has messed up the actual message of biblical conversion. McKnight's thorough review of what the Gospel is according to Scripture (which includes the sermons of Jesus, Peter, and Paul) is eye opening at least. He makes us aware we have deviated from the purity of the Gospel message. We have reduced it to simply a plan of salvation. He also brings to light what seems to be missing in many evangelical circles, and that is Christ did not invite people to "ask Him in their hearts;" He called people to become cross-bearing disciples. That seems to explain why on the day of Pentecost there were only 120 true believers compared to the multitude of shallow followers of Christ up to John 6. However Scot does seem to separate the personal salvation aspect of the Gospel from the Gospel message. Even though he does state that soteriology is not the Gospel, the Gospel message cannot be separated from soteriology; "You shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins." By framing the Gospel story with the Old Testament story line he seems to undervalue the New Testament explanation of the Gospel message. The Apostles do understand how Christ is the fulfillment of all they had been waiting for. Therefore in their presentation of Christ as Messiah, they also appeal to a non-Jewish audience who were not familiar with the Old Testament. Without being reductionistic it is still possible to share an accurate understanding of soteriology without having to explain all of the Old Testament. Even with a few statements that are debatable, the book fills a large gap in the present understanding of what it truly means to become a believer in Christ.