Jesus Manifesto: A Review

Thomas Nelson publishers were kind enough to ask me to review an advanced reader's copy of Len Sweet's and Frank Viola's Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ. I truly enjoyed the book. It is a refreshingly passionate defense of a christocentric theology which is not afraid to affirm the full deity and full humanity of Jesus, which are indispensable to a truly transformative christology. The book is a call to revival that can only come about with a singular and unwavering commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and his mission in this world. It is a book filled with quotables, sermonic-type reflections, and insightful reflections on the essential necessity of the supremacy and sovereignty of Jesus Christ. As they write in the Introduction,

The body of Christ is at a crossroads right now. The two common alternatives are to move either to the left or the right. It's our observation, however, that we are living in a unique time, when people are frozen as they look in either of those directions. When they look to the left, they decide that they cannot venture there. When they look to the right, they feel the same.

Whether they realize it or not, people are looking for a fresh alternative-- a third way. The crossroads today, we believe, is one of the moving forward or backward.

What we will present in this book, therefore, is razor-sharp, cut-glass clarity of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Alpha and the Omega. We will show that He is that third way-- and the only way-- that we can forge a secure path into the future. If the church does not reorient and become Christological at its core, any steps backward will result in a surge (advanced copy, xix-xx).

Sweet and Viola do a fine job of living up to the agenda they put forth. Other than finding the book to be somewhat repetitive in places, it is well written, substantive, and passionate in tone.

It is a good read.

The following comes directly from the publisher:

“Thomas Nelson is releasing a new book called Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola. This book will be on special discount from Amazon.com on June 1st, the date of the release. You can learn more by going to www.theJesusManifesto.com. Endorsements by Rowan Williams, Matt Chandler, Calvin Miller, Ed Young, Jack Hayford, Shane Claiborne, Ed Stetzer, Reggie McNeal, Mark Batterson, Gregory Boyd, David Fitch, Steve Brown, Dan Kimball, Margaret Feinberg, Mark Chironna, Francis Frangipane, Todd Hunter, Alan Hirsch, Chris Seay, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Anne Jackson, Craig Keener, Ken Ulmer, Tommy Barnett, Sally Morgenthaler, and others.