A Review of “The Jesus Manifesto”- by Sweet and Viola

There is no more noble or needed theme to be studied, preached or dedicated to than the centrality of Christ and His Lordship. The fact that we need to be reawakened often to that theme speaks to our tendency to drift into doctrinal and practical dreaminess, and so any book written with that intent is worth giving a serious look. Unfortunately, this book by Sweet and Viola, two well respected teachers and leaders, fails to live up to the hope of a solid examination of how Jesus has slipped from the central focus of the church and what we need to do to regain that focus. It reads like an unending series of sermons or sermon snippets. There is no clear development of any one idea, and little of practical application to help us renew our sense of the majesty of Jesus. It is as if the mere piling on of concepts and quotes will somehow add up to a more glorious Savior.

While I agree wholeheartedly with the direction of the authors, the effort to glean much of substance from this book was exhausting.