Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile is the latest offering by Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan and well known for his Nooma videos, and Dan Golden. The book indeed reads like a manifesto. More accurately, it reads like a sermon.

This work is very persuasive. It’s clear the authors want their audience to come away with the understanding that God listens and responds to the cries of the oppressed and that God desires to respond through the church. Thus, the authors call Christians, particularly in America, to a higher level of social activism and participation as a result of a renewed appreciation of God’s concern for social justice as demonstrated throughout the Scriptures.

They demonstrate that throughout the Scriptures God has sided with the oppressed over and against the sinful empires, such as Egypt, Babylon, and Rome. They show also Christians in America they’re living in the midst of another empire. Today, America is an empire. The authors pull no punches as they trace parallels between America and Rome, particularly in the area of using and justifying military force to bring about peace. In light of this, Bell and Golden call American Christians to live as citizens of God’s Kingdom rather than of this empire of consumption.

The authors challenge the American way of life, history, military action, and social indifference throughout the book. Many readers will stumble over the tone of this challenge, which seems to oversimplify issues and flippantly condemn complex issues and decisions. This is where the manifesto tone of the work really comes into play. At no point do the authors introduce debate or opposing viewpoints. They simply assert the truths they see from Scripture as they should be applied in our present context. This boldness is a two-edged sword that gives persuasive strength to the work while undercutting its credibility.

Stylistically, the work is interesting. Undoubtedly, Rob Bell is a gifted communicator. He has a unique style and flair. Most audiences enjoy the journey as Rob Bell builds a message layer by layer before punching home his main points in the conclusion. This book reads like a sermon. It is written in a colloquial style, which includes one sentence, and even one word, paragraphs. Many will find this appealing. However, it can be distracting. Jesus Wants to Save Christians does not read like, and is not communicated, as a written work. Instead, it’s stream of consciousness preaching. It’s very good stream of consciousness preaching, but it’s more sermon manuscript than book—or even manifesto. For that reason, I’d highly recommend getting this as an audio book. This is a message designed to be heard and internalized, rather than read.

Make no mistake, the content is certainly worth hearing and will challenge your presuppositions about God, country, and the proper response to the poor in our midst and around the world. In Jesus Wants to Save Christians, Bell and Golden distill the work of writers like John Howard Yoder, N. T. Wright, and Ronald Sider into a helpful primer and introduction to the discussions about social justice as it relates to Evangelical faith. It reminds us right doctrine must be joined with right practice to be authentically Christian.
Summary by Daniel Adkinson