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Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything Audiobook
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(3.02) - 926 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In The Secret Message of Jesus, McLaren clears away the dust of two thousand years of the Christian religion to get to the most important questions facing Christendom: Could it be that the church has misunderstood or, in some cases, intentionally distorted Jesus’ core message? What if Jesus was right—but right in different ways than we ever realized? What if many of us have carried on a religion that somewhere along the way missed rich and radical treasures hidden in the essential message of Jesus of Nazareth? // McLaren calls us to look hard, think deeply, and search long with him . . . even if the answers overturn our conventional ideas, priorities, and practices. // “Through the years, I have frequently had an uncomfortable feeling,” writes McLaren, “that the portrait of Jesus I found in the New Testament didn’t fit with the images of Jesus in the church.” Out of that nagging discomfort arose this ground-breaking book. He writes, “I’d like to share my search with you, and invite you to be a part of it. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I’ll let you in on this: the farther I go on this search, the more inspired, moved, challenged, shocked, and motivated I become about the secret message of Jesus.”
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"This is a profound book...I am not yet half way, but it is changing my perspective on this thing with Christ. Would it be possible that this relationship goes much deeper and holds more power than we have ever thought? Like a hidden treasure, wouldn't it be just like Him to keep the greatest things hidden so that only those who really seek with everything in them would find it? How come this man changed all of history and yet 90% of Christians seem like life is not much more than a paycheck and a hope for a new house? Something really challenging to think about...."
— Dawn (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Brian McLaren insists gently that we recognize the message of Jesus as an ongoing revolution that may never come to an end in time. The Law of God doesn’t change, no, but our perception of it is never static; it does and must change as the centuries pass. New study, new insights, new metaphors, and new acknowledgments of past limitations can bring us closer and closer to the living, breathing, and dynamic nature of scripture as we seek to meet its radical demands. McLaren reminds us that we have been invited to transform ourselves through Christ. Lucid, compelling, crucial, and liberating: a book for those who seek to experience the blessed heat of Christianity at its source.”
— Anne Rice, New York Times bestselling author -
“In this critical book, Brian challenges us to ask what it would mean to truly live the message of Jesus today, and thus to risk turning everything upside down.”
— Jim Wallis, New York Times bestselling author of God’s Politics -
“In The Secret Message of Jesus Brian McLaren shares his own ferocious journey in pondering the teachings and actions of Jesus. As you read this terrific book, you may find yourself questioning Jesus, appreciating Jesus, admiring Jesus, and perhaps, in the end, feeling a sense of love and loyalty. What happens to you in the reading is not unlike what happened to the men and women who met Jesus thousands of years ago, and the millions who have claimed to have met him since. McLaren is surprisingly objective, and it is his lack of salesmanship or agenda that creates a refreshing picture of the man who claimed to be God.”
— Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz -
“Revisits the gospel material from a fresh—and at times radical—perspective…He does an excellent job of capturing Jesus’ quiet, revolutionary style…Will appeal to a broad spectrum of people who want to understand Jesus.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Secret Message of Jesus Listener Reviews
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" A paradigm shifter, for sure. Gives the kingdom of here and now the attention that it deserves. The kind of attention that Jesus gave it. Must be pretty important then, huh? "
— Geoffrey, 2/17/2014 -
" Had a hard time getting into this. "
— Luisa, 2/9/2014 -
" Not exactly the easy read I was looking for before school. It is pretty good and I like a lot of his thinking, a bit to much what seems like rambling at times, but that could just be me wanting to finish it before the text books come. "
— Michelle, 2/7/2014 -
" I love McClaren, but I was really bored reading this. He says a lot of important things that should definitely be taken into consideration by Christians, but I just couldn't keep my mind on track with him. "
— Sierra, 2/2/2014 -
" One of my all-time favorite books about Jesus. I got done and then read it a second time. "
— Jonette, 1/18/2014 -
" The secret: The Kingdom is NOW. I love his insights one Jesus and Christianity. I love that he believes we should focus more on Jesus' messages than being exclusive. (Jesus wasn't-hello!) I am excited to read more of his work. "
— Rachel, 1/12/2014 -
" In my quest to better understand Church I found this book challenging, intriguing, and practical. I think I'm going to need to read it again, though! "
— Darlene, 1/8/2014 -
" Good, but a little more theological and a little less action oriented than some of his other works. Still a great read though. "
— Eric, 1/7/2014 -
" If you can get past the sensationalistic title this is really a very compelling account of Jesus' teaching about the Kingdom of God. Not a heavy read by any means but gave me lots of food for thought. "
— Fraser, 12/14/2013 -
" A good book, but not as ground-breaking as "A New Kind of Christian" or as all-encompassing as "Everything Must Change." If you're reading McLaren and haven't yet read those, stop what you're doing and start reading them immediately. "
— Eric, 12/3/2013 -
" Really, I'm just trying to see how this Facebook feature works. Also, good book. "
— Daniel, 11/25/2013 -
" Pretty good, but much I already knew and thought of. One thing that really stuck out to me though was his saying that everywhere Jesus went He called out and named the evil in circumstances. It struck a chord with what God has been teaching me of late... "
— Brandon, 11/19/2013 -
" very deep. it can get kind of repetitive and dry in spots but overall it is a great read for deep thinkers. "
— Brandon, 11/3/2013 -
" Somewhat interesting view on the life of Jesus. Overall good insight to the emerging church revolution. "
— Amber, 9/28/2013 -
" Highly recommend this book. In it, McLaren takes the words of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount and applies them to our daily lives. Powerful work. In my opinion, this is McLaren's best work. "
— Derrell, 3/8/2013 -
" Really a great book. It helped me learn more about Jesus' teachings and how what he was teaching related to the early church, rather than how i interpret it based on life in the 21st century. "
— Thor, 6/9/2012 -
" one of the first Christian books to give me real, tangible hope that the Jesus message includes more than just heaven after death (and that's big), but also a promise of deliverance from Earthly ills (i.e. "principalities"); audaciously hopeful and beautiful. "
— Matthew, 5/11/2012 -
" Its basic message was great! I won't tell you what it is because it is secret. It was very verbose, though. :/ "
— Ben, 10/19/2011 -
" Probably one of the first books that got me thinking about "the least of these". caused me to look outside of my bubble and see the world through a different lens. "
— Jamie, 9/8/2011 -
" Liked the book; hated the title. "
— Phil, 7/27/2011 -
" Another great book by Brian McLaren! "
— Chris, 6/6/2011 -
" this book really surprised me both by making a lot of sense and by making me feel a lot less crummy about christianity as a whole. "
— Jennifer, 10/15/2010 -
" Not as good as McLaren's trilogy. "
— Tiffany, 9/5/2010 -
" This book was very eye opening. Makes the gospel meaningful to your everyday life "
— WR, 3/6/2010
About Brian D. McLaren
Brian D. McLaren is the author of fifteen books. A former college English teacher and former pastor for twenty-four years, he is an author, activist, public theologian, and frequent guest lecturer for gatherings in the United States and internationally. His work has been covered in Time magazine, and many other media outlets. He is a faculty member of the Living School at the Center for Action and Contemplation.
About Paul Michael
Paul Michael, winner of several Earphones Awards, has also won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He has acted on stage, radio, television, and in feature films in Canada, Great Britain, and the United States. He has had leading roles in series and made-for-television movies and has guest starred in such series as VIP and Alias. He has been nominated for a Canadian Emmy and has recorded over 150 audiobooks, including the international bestseller The Da Vinci Code.