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ereidsma's review against another edition
2.0
Prototype included some great points and perspective; it gave me insight on God. Writing seemed somewhat repetitive.
beyondevak's review against another edition
4.0
Prototype is a beautifully written book that strived to convey a message about identity, relationship and outreach. The base lesson, however, seemed to be two-fold. First, the author wanted us to appreciate our status as the beloved of the LORD. Second, I believe he wanted readers to see that all of our efforts are linked to Him [the LORD] through the very heart of Christ.
The author did a wonderful job of offering up Scriptural references throughout the pages of this book, but he did not do so in such a way that it was overwhelming. He presented insightful viewpoints that influenced much in the way of deep thought and reflection. He introduced nuances from the lives of notable people, such as Elijah, David and Jesus Himself, which made the content personal and relevant.
Mr. Martin's voice was direct, and his style was straight. He did not hold back, in my opinion, from saying what needed to be said. He gave hard truths on the ways, thoughts, and actions of people, and he gave necessary truths related to devils and other sources of negativity.
I would have no problem recommending this book to others. In it, I believe people will find meaning, purpose, direction, and encouragement.
Notable Quote: "Coming awake to God is nothing to be afraid of...It's about coming home to who you really are."
I received a complimentary copy of this book and the small group DVD from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The words I have expressed are my own.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
The author did a wonderful job of offering up Scriptural references throughout the pages of this book, but he did not do so in such a way that it was overwhelming. He presented insightful viewpoints that influenced much in the way of deep thought and reflection. He introduced nuances from the lives of notable people, such as Elijah, David and Jesus Himself, which made the content personal and relevant.
Mr. Martin's voice was direct, and his style was straight. He did not hold back, in my opinion, from saying what needed to be said. He gave hard truths on the ways, thoughts, and actions of people, and he gave necessary truths related to devils and other sources of negativity.
I would have no problem recommending this book to others. In it, I believe people will find meaning, purpose, direction, and encouragement.
Notable Quote: "Coming awake to God is nothing to be afraid of...It's about coming home to who you really are."
I received a complimentary copy of this book and the small group DVD from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The words I have expressed are my own.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
adamrshields's review against another edition
5.0
Short Review --- Prototype: What Happens When You Discover You're More Like Jesus Than You Think? by Jonathan Martin - Excellent book on living the life of a Christian. The best thing about the book is Martin's personal writing style that is completely devoid of theological language, while maintaining a pretty high level of theological content. This is probably the best general Christian living book I have read this year. If you read a lot of Christian living and/or theology books the general themes are probably not new, I can see hints of NT Wright, Richard Beck, and Hauerwas as well as others. I think at root this is a book that is trying to illustrate the Cristus Victor and Moral Influence models of the atonement without ever mentioning either them or the word atonement.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/prototype/
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/prototype/
kynak's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. The only reason I didn't give it more stars is that I had a hard time following his train of thought. But there were times where his words grabbed me by the throat.
bookrecsondeck's review against another edition
4.0
Emphasized how Jesus is our prototype and to always remember our identity in Him. I was unfamiliar with some of the references he made to songs and movies, I was also confused about the letter at the end
lmbartelt's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful and poetic description of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. A must-read for anyone who is confused about what it means to follow Jesus or who needs reminding of who they are in Christ. One of my top 10 books this year.
bassoonosaurus's review against another edition
5.0
I was torn between reading slowly to absorb it all and getting completely caught up. So I read it in 2 days and vowed to read it again. :)
indiaswanderings's review against another edition
This book calls to light the brokenness within each person in such a genuine way. Martin has a constant tone of love and humilty that makes the reader feel as though they are sitting around a campfire listening to him pour his heart out about his love for God and God's love for all of us. It's honest and real. It highlighted a lot of the things that I have personally struggled with in my life. I personally think that everyone should read it and you will know when the time is right to do so.
beejai's review against another edition
5.0
Since I haven't quite finished the Bible yet, I can honestly say this is the best book I've read all year. Granted, I'm only reading half what I normally do, but still... I'd recommend this book to anyone.
Jesus is the prototype for what it means to live fully human. Jonathan Martin starts with this premise and then explores different formative moments in his own life and experience where God demonstrated to him what it means to follow after Christ in this adventure that is our own humanity.
Very readable. Very applicable. Often I read books start to finish, cover to cover, over a short space of time. I couldn't with this. God kept challenging me in my own life as I read and I could not, I would not move forward until I had an opportunity to apply what God was showing me in my own life. Grab yourself a copy of this book and you'll know exactly what I mean.
Jesus is the prototype for what it means to live fully human. Jonathan Martin starts with this premise and then explores different formative moments in his own life and experience where God demonstrated to him what it means to follow after Christ in this adventure that is our own humanity.
Very readable. Very applicable. Often I read books start to finish, cover to cover, over a short space of time. I couldn't with this. God kept challenging me in my own life as I read and I could not, I would not move forward until I had an opportunity to apply what God was showing me in my own life. Grab yourself a copy of this book and you'll know exactly what I mean.
cocoonofbooks's review
4.0
Shortly before starting on this book, I had a personal realization that I needed to stop trying to "be a better Christian / person" through my own sheer willpower, and that what I most needed was to better internalize God's love and mercy for me so that I would be better able — and motivated — to live it out. That's essentially what Martin is talking about when he talks about Jesus as the prototype for a new kind of human — one who believes that he is perfectly loved by God before he does anything to "earn" it.
Martin offers some suggestions of how to get to that point, as well as stories of what it looks like when you get there (even just for a moment). He tells stories from the church where he is pastor, in the same vein as Shane Claiborne and Nadia Bolz-Weber, where society's outcasts come together to put flesh on God's love in their community. I found it inspiring in a way that didn't seem totally out of reach.
Martin says in his closing that this wasn't intended to be a memoir, though he does share stories about his life. I did feel that that aspect of the book was a little shallow — Martin tells detailed stories of the unsavory parts of his parishioners' pasts, but then he just says about himself that he's no different, that his life has parts just as dark, yet for all his talk of authenticity he declines to elaborate, making me think it's mostly a rhetorical device and he does, in some way, see himself as above these people whose stories he tells. When he tells personal stories it's mainly about something that made him cry, which maybe as a guy he finds vulnerable, but it's kind of par for the course in this sort of book.
Anyway, I thought overall that it was a very good reflection on Christian identity and community. I'd consider rereading this, or at least going back and reviewing my highlights.
Martin offers some suggestions of how to get to that point, as well as stories of what it looks like when you get there (even just for a moment). He tells stories from the church where he is pastor, in the same vein as Shane Claiborne and Nadia Bolz-Weber, where society's outcasts come together to put flesh on God's love in their community. I found it inspiring in a way that didn't seem totally out of reach.
Martin says in his closing that this wasn't intended to be a memoir, though he does share stories about his life. I did feel that that aspect of the book was a little shallow — Martin tells detailed stories of the unsavory parts of his parishioners' pasts, but then he just says about himself that he's no different, that his life has parts just as dark, yet for all his talk of authenticity he declines to elaborate, making me think it's mostly a rhetorical device and he does, in some way, see himself as above these people whose stories he tells. When he tells personal stories it's mainly about something that made him cry, which maybe as a guy he finds vulnerable, but it's kind of par for the course in this sort of book.
Anyway, I thought overall that it was a very good reflection on Christian identity and community. I'd consider rereading this, or at least going back and reviewing my highlights.
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