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dkadastra's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty great overview about how the gospel is about more than just personal salvation.
retiredlibrarylady's review against another edition
2.0
A dense read, full of Biblical citations. She is showing what God wants for the world. It includes some measure of personal change, but calls for everyone to embrace a different way of living. Thus, impossible. I found the meditations unhelpful for me. I found the chapter on race to be the best (for me personally, but of course that's always the case in my reviews) even though she had a minor error about Rosa Parks (she was a seamstress, not a maid) and was oversimplifying about white reactions to her. I hear that she is awesome in person and obviously many liked the book.
reemeyer's review against another edition
5.0
A broader, more beautiful vision of the Gospel
Lisa Sharon Harper is a wise guide, leading me beyond four spiritual laws to a gospel that begins in Genesis 1 with God's "Very Good" and ends in Revelation when all is made new. Along the way, she shares a vision for how the very good gospel can and should transform the relationship between all things (families, genders, the earth, ethnic groups, even our relationship with death.) Highly recommend.
Lisa Sharon Harper is a wise guide, leading me beyond four spiritual laws to a gospel that begins in Genesis 1 with God's "Very Good" and ends in Revelation when all is made new. Along the way, she shares a vision for how the very good gospel can and should transform the relationship between all things (families, genders, the earth, ethnic groups, even our relationship with death.) Highly recommend.
gjones19's review against another edition
5.0
This book was beautiful from start to finish! Many Christians settle for a “truncated gospel” that is much too small, but Harper offers a glimpse into a holistic gospel of restoration of all things!
riaryan's review against another edition
4.0
The Very Good Gospel is very good indeed! A refreshing examination of the fact that the Gospel doesn't start in the New Testament, but at the outset of creation. Lisa's commentary on the first 2 chapters of Genesis alone is the best I've read on the subject. A hopeful book that wrongs can be righted.
latviadugan's review against another edition
4.0
Harper has given us a book with wisdom and value on every page. Combining biblical exegesis, historical insight, and personal testimony, she articulates the impact of the gospel on her as an African-American woman, yet also as a prophetic call eliciting a response from all of us.
In the first three chapters she draws on Genesis 1-3 to trace the biblical concept of shalom and how it was lost. She also discusses the idea of dominion and its relationship to being made in the image of God. The Gospel isn't merely about God's rescue, but his rule; not only about his grace, but about his governance. “The Good News was both about the coming of the Kingdom of God and the character of that Kingdom.”
The remainder of the book unpacks the implications of this in chapters such as “Shalom with God,” “Shalom Between Genders,” “Shalom and Race,” and “Shalom Among Nations” among others.
While Harper’s exegesis is generally evangelical, her applications might be considered left of center. Some would call this a faithful following of the gospel. Others might see it as appropriating the gospel in support of contemporary agendas. Each reader will have to ask whether or not Harper draws legitimate lines between the biblical concept of shalom and complex contemporary relationships with other nationalities, races, genders, family members, creation, ourselves, and God.
I have one criticism. Intentional or not, I believe Harper confuses shalom and the gospel. Though related, the two are not synonymous. The apostle Paul explicitly defines the gospel in Romans 1:1-4 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-6 as having to do with Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah and Lord, who died, rose again, and its now seated at the right hand of the Father. Any book on the gospel that doesn't address these two passages from Paul is not yet complete. This book is more about shalom than the gospel.
To be fair, she concludes the book looking at Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1). “When we encounter one of our Trees of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, we must look to Jesus. He is our Creator. He is the author of shalom. He can show us the way to life.”
Jesus chose death on the cross (Hebrews 12:2). “’To ask for forgiveness is to die a small death.’ Yes. And I suppose humility is a small death too, the death of supremacy. Trust is a small death, the death of control. Truth is a small death, the death of lack of accountability. Reparation is a small death, the death of autonomy. To embrace the ‘other’ is a small death, the death of self-absorption.”
And now Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 12:2). “The path of the Cross, and the small deaths of repentance ... lead to life and resurrection. And in the light of resurrection, the big death has no sting. This gives me hope.”
My criticism is that this clear Christological center doesn’t appear until the final pages of the book. Had this proclamation been made at the beginning and had it been the thread that weaved the chapters together, her gospel would have been even more compelling. But better late than never.
Don't let this criticism keep you from reading the book. It's an important contribution to our understanding of the gospel and the degree to which it has impacted our lives and changed our thinking.
In the first three chapters she draws on Genesis 1-3 to trace the biblical concept of shalom and how it was lost. She also discusses the idea of dominion and its relationship to being made in the image of God. The Gospel isn't merely about God's rescue, but his rule; not only about his grace, but about his governance. “The Good News was both about the coming of the Kingdom of God and the character of that Kingdom.”
The remainder of the book unpacks the implications of this in chapters such as “Shalom with God,” “Shalom Between Genders,” “Shalom and Race,” and “Shalom Among Nations” among others.
While Harper’s exegesis is generally evangelical, her applications might be considered left of center. Some would call this a faithful following of the gospel. Others might see it as appropriating the gospel in support of contemporary agendas. Each reader will have to ask whether or not Harper draws legitimate lines between the biblical concept of shalom and complex contemporary relationships with other nationalities, races, genders, family members, creation, ourselves, and God.
I have one criticism. Intentional or not, I believe Harper confuses shalom and the gospel. Though related, the two are not synonymous. The apostle Paul explicitly defines the gospel in Romans 1:1-4 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-6 as having to do with Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah and Lord, who died, rose again, and its now seated at the right hand of the Father. Any book on the gospel that doesn't address these two passages from Paul is not yet complete. This book is more about shalom than the gospel.
To be fair, she concludes the book looking at Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1). “When we encounter one of our Trees of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, we must look to Jesus. He is our Creator. He is the author of shalom. He can show us the way to life.”
Jesus chose death on the cross (Hebrews 12:2). “’To ask for forgiveness is to die a small death.’ Yes. And I suppose humility is a small death too, the death of supremacy. Trust is a small death, the death of control. Truth is a small death, the death of lack of accountability. Reparation is a small death, the death of autonomy. To embrace the ‘other’ is a small death, the death of self-absorption.”
And now Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 12:2). “The path of the Cross, and the small deaths of repentance ... lead to life and resurrection. And in the light of resurrection, the big death has no sting. This gives me hope.”
My criticism is that this clear Christological center doesn’t appear until the final pages of the book. Had this proclamation been made at the beginning and had it been the thread that weaved the chapters together, her gospel would have been even more compelling. But better late than never.
Don't let this criticism keep you from reading the book. It's an important contribution to our understanding of the gospel and the degree to which it has impacted our lives and changed our thinking.