Who (or What,) has Stolen Jesus from You?

* I was provided an Advanced Reader Copy of Stolen Jesus in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

"We tend to see ourselves primarily in the light of our intentions, which are invisible to others, while we see others mainly in light of their actions, which are visible to us; we have a situation in which misunderstanding and injustice are the order of the day. -E.F. Schumacher, A Guide for the Perplexed

Us humans are pretty good at distorting the truth. Not intentionally, mind you, but everyone sees things according to their own experiences, biases, upbringing. The biggest problem with "religion" is in the application of this quote-we put qualities and characteristics on Jesus that should't be there and don't allow Him to be who He is: All Good, All Loving, All The Time.



Jami Amerine, author of the new memoir Stolen Jesus, writes about the different ways that Jesus was 'stolen' from her by putting characteristics onto Him that were never intended to be there. And, Oh my, can I relate.

Do you only know an Americanized Jesus? "Who is this Jesus who funds trips to water parks with a payment of a ham sandwich to a homeless guy, and destroys a doctor who laid down his life for the least of these?" I sure hope not.

Or what about certain denominations or practices that requires more of us than He does? "...I would almost instinctively question any doctrine that was "cross plus." Jesus saved you on the cross... Oh, and you also need to do this and this and this to earn that salvation. The work depends on you, not Him." Our salvation is not up to what we do, it's about what He did for us. Period. Full stop.

This book has me undone. In a period of uncertainty and change, reading Stolen Jesus was a sweet moment of "Me too," a coffee date with a real friend, a heart to heart with a sister who just gets it, a Q&A with a Christian mentor who has more answers than I do. For me, it boils down to this:

"Failure Is an Option. The first step was to simply succumb to my broken state. I was and am a wreck. Admitting this was both liberating and humiliating. I knew I wanted to change, but the profound epiphany was that I didn't have to."

The love of Jesus compels us to change but doesn't require us to change. The blood worked. We are free if we choose to believe. That's all.

                                        *****

You can purchase Stolen Jesus from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your favorite local retailer. It's officially available today!

I also highly recommend following Jami's Facebook page Sacred Ground, Sticky Floors and the blog, Sacred Ground, Sticky Floors. And as a bonus, here is a sampling of what you'll read each week on her blog: An Open Letter to My Children: You're not that Great