Mark Galli, editor at Christianity Today, thinks so. His new book, Jesus Mean and Wild: The Unexpected Love of an Untamable God, now out with Baker, enters the fray about Jesus with some unexpected themes.
I read this in ms form and blurbed the book: “Galli reads widely, writes winningly, and expounds Jesus convincingly. Finally, a Jesus who was potent enough to cause commotion and even (temporary) chaos.”
Very few authors have a single sentence that tells the whole book in crisp form. Knowing this line should not prevent you from reading the book, but here’s a line to which we can react right now. What do you think of this his opening line to chapter 1? “God loves you and has a difficult plan for your life.” Bingo! The whole book.
When it comes to the big picture, Galli sides with Tozer-types (though with more balance) rather than Yancey-types in this book. I always thought Tozer was cranky, but I needed to read him; I liked Yancey but thought there was more to say. Keeping God’s love and the yoke of the kingdom in balance is no small task — most fail in the attempt.
Emerging Christians should like the prophetic side of this book though they may well think he overdoes it; traditional evangelicals will enjoy hearing someone say Jesus isn’t always “lovy-dovy.” Emerging folks or Brennan Manning or mainline types might not like the book but need it; holiness type evangelicals might like it but might not need it.