The magnum opus of one of today’s most important Christian philosophers.
—Stephen Post, PhD, author, Dignity for Deeply Forgetful People; Founding Director, Center for Medical Humanities at Stony Brook University
This compelling exploration will help readers grow closer to Jesus.
—Stephen Finlan, PhD, UCC pastor; noted biblical scholar
This masterful book lets us more fully understand the life of Jesus.
—Rev. Hoyte L. Wilhelm, elder of the United Methodist Church
Seekers of all backgrounds will find Jesus living on these pages as we’ve never seen him before.
—Angie Thurston, Harvard Fellow in Spirituality and Leadership
Wattles’ passion for Jesus is infectious. If you are serious about spiritual growth, this book is for you.
—Paul McKenna, MDiv, golden rule educator
Discover anew the living Jesus—our world’s greatest teacher—in this riveting work of short, lucid chapters that explore his life. And learn how to follow in the way of Jesus’s example: living the gospel of love in the kingdom of God, and knowing the joy of serving in God’s universal family. Authored by a university professor and gospel evangelist, this unique depiction shows us how to live like Jesus: fresh, alive, original, spontaneous—and as a wellspring of love, mercy, and service.
Endorsements
This work is the magnum opus of one of today’s most important Christian philosophers. For two decades I have followed the work of the author, who is among the most devoted Christian and spiritual teachers alive today. Jeffrey Wattles presents a highly developed perspective on Christian living that will be a guide for the perplexed.
—Stephen G. Post, PhD, Founding Director, Center for Medical Humanities, Stony Brook University; author, Dignity for Deeply Forgetful People and Pure, Unlimited Love
Written with great imagination and care, this creative book shows how an attentive relationship with Jesus is able to inspire people—from committed Christians to seekers from other religious traditions—to live a more joyful and flourishing life. But while many books merely inform or inspire, this one delivers on its promise to help readers actively cultivate a faithful practice. It is a rare work of grace and love that embodies the virtues it seeks to communicate.
—Matthew T. Lee, PhD, Professor of the Social Sciences and Humanities, Baylor University
This book shows us Jesus with the mind of a scientist, the heart of a philosopher, and the spirit of a peacemaker. Seekers of all backgrounds—and especially independent thinkers—will find Jesus living on these pages as we’ve never seen him before, inviting us to bring our whole selves to a life of love and the liberating quest for truth.
—Angie Thurston, Harvard Fellow in Spirituality and Leadership; Executive Director, Sacred Design Lab
I needed to read this book. Jeff Wattles’s passion for Jesus is infectious. And it has infected me. I do not need another intellectual treatise about Jesus, but rather a way to deepen my relationship with Jesus, and this book has done just that for me. If you are serious about spiritual growth, this book is for you. If you are keen to experience the love, freedom, and joy promised by Jesus, read this hope-filled book cover-to-cover.
—Paul McKenna, Mdiv, creator of the interfaith Golden Rule Poster; 50-year interfaith veteran
This is a compelling exploration of the teachings and the faith of Jesus. Wattles brings out the elements of joy and spiritual growth that are central to the gospel. This book will help people grow closer to Jesus by understanding his choices, his priorities, and his inner peace.
—Stephen Finlan, PhD, UCC Pastor; biblical studies scholar, author of Salvation Not Purchased, The Family Metaphor in Jesus’ Teaching, and The Drama of Job
Dr. Wattles’s work offers readers a masterful and beautifully written book integrating heart, mind, and soul that allows us to more fully understand the life of Jesus. [It reveals] the great potential for people to live lives of love, goodness, and joy with others through the risen Christ—in a world that so desperately yearns for us to do so.
—Rev. Hoyte L. Wilhelm, retired elder of the United Methodist Church
As an engineer and inventor with 33 patents, I appreciate Jeff Wattles’s logical extrapolations from the biblical narrative. These include his fascinating inferences about the missing years of Jesus’s life, Jesus’s scientific attitude toward nature and society, and the philosophical depths of the gospel. Wattles, in contrast with other philosophers of religion, utilizes these extrapolations to suggest new ways for human cooperation with the divine, and he even unveils to the reader their own inner potential for emulating Jesus’s curiosity and willingness to explore things scientific. In addition, the author explains to the reader how to explore truth in its fullness. First, we must choose his more adventuresome philosophic approach to avoid dangers of extreme dogmatism and skepticism. And then we must set out with a spiritual core of truth and a scientific periphery, and then build a philosophical bridge between them.
—Geoff Taylor
Jeffrey Wattles masterfully bridges history, philosophy, and spirituality, inviting readers to discover Jesus in a whole new light.
—Brad Jagger, senior pastor and adjunct professor
The book is organized as if we were learning along with Jesus—about daily life, spirituality, personal relationships, and one’s relationship with the Creator. The author even invites us to contemplate the nature of truth, beauty, and goodness as an avenue within prayer, aiding us in discerning God’s love and guidance as we seek to do his will in our daily life. What I find most attractive is the author’s agenda of getting the movement for the gospel of Jesus back on track. I am emboldened by his advocacy for spiritual unity, interreligious dialogue, spirit-filled values, and especially hope and faith in Jesus’s spirit guidance.
—Pamela Chaddock, interdisciplinary activist and lay theologian
What a refreshing voice for reason and compassion in an age of sound bites and clickbait! Dr. Wattles imparts fresh interpretations to the wealth of familiar facts about Jesus’s life and teaching. Interestingly, he includes a chapter on ‘Jesus’s Scientific Knowledge’ and endorses reason and science as compatible with faith. Wattles writes from years of both scholarly research and practical classroom teaching experience. The book is very accessible with short, clearly written chapters and questions that allow the reader to engage more deeply. Here is a sincere and fresh voice from a philosopher who is also a spiritual believer.
—Bettina Gray, interfaith leader and co-founder of the North American Interfaith Network
Jeff Wattles offers us a deeper appreciation of the gospel of Jesus! We see that living according to that gospel requires that we first experience the power of God’s unconditional love. Jeff also shows that Jesus brought a richer, deeper perspective in our understanding of the nature of God. For all of that I am grateful!
—Gard Jameson, PhD, Professor of Asian Philosophy, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
This work helps deepens our relationship with God by illuminating the way of Jesus, which leads us to experience deeper spiritual unity with our fellows, especially those very different from us. Professor Wattles reveals how to live according to the greatest law of all: love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
—The Rev. Mary Blessing, Episcopal Priest in the Diocese of El Camino Real
