ePub Jesus Made in America: A Cultural History from the Puritans to "The Passion of the Christ" by Stephen J. Nichols in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Lord; not a logoBy E. J. BostonStephen Nichols writes with wit; wisdom; and knowledge. You will find yourself laughing aloud and soon after shaking your head at the truth of his insight. His style is easy to follow. His information is accurate. He relates information in such a way that you can imagine yourself in the era he discusses without ever having been there. But much more importantly; he helps you understand the era... even our own.Book thesis: This book attempts to draw attention to the explicit ways cultural forces have shaped the identity of the American evangelical Jesus.His thesis is thoroughly supported throughout the book--eight chapters each delve into a different era; with only slight overlap between three chapters; but even so the area he addresses is always unique and offers a broad spectrum through which to view the cultural climate. Nichols provides great insight in discerning the cultural impact on Evangelical Christian understanding of the person of Jesus and calls Christians to think deeply on the person of Christ and restore him to his true position: Lord; not logo. He traces history so well that one can follow cultural trends and begin to say; "Oh... so that's where that idea came from!" Like blonde Jesus. Or anti-establishment Jesus. The Puritans; the Founders; the Colonial frontiersmen; the Victorians; the Liberal-Conservative (theologically) era; contemporary Christian music; Jesus in the cinema; WWJD and t-shirts; and politics--Nichols covers all of these in depth; drawing undeniable connections between circumstances that occurred and prevalent mindsets of the day. There is no doubt you will walk away from this book with a firm grasp on how Jesus has been perceived throughout cultures; but more importantly you will begin to see how your culture has been affecting your perception of Jesus and you can start to evaluate what is true to Christ and what you have unwittingly tagged him with.This book will help you understand Christ better.12 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Very well done...By Seth McBeeI have become a huge fan of Stephen Nichols. He is very good at writing about history without making it terribly boring. I have read three of his books so far and every one of them was very well done. This is one that I didn't really know what to expect but was excited to read it.What Nichols does is spends the first half or so of the book walking the reader through how particular cultures and people in the past have really shaped our thinking and their thinking of Christ. He starts with the Puritans; then to our founding fathers; the Victorians and the modernists of the early 20th century.After Nichols goes through these with precision he then gives the reader insight on how we have specifically been affected; or infected; depends on how you see it; through Contemporary Christian Music; Hollywood; Consumerism and Politics.This part of the book was very informative as Nichols shows how the history of each one of these has led us to where we are currently with Jesus and culture and he doesn't leave any stone unturned. He questions things such as Thomas Kinkade; Precious Moments; The Passion of the Christ; CCM Music Festivals; WWJD bracelets; Christian T-Shirts; Dobson and the extreme politics pulling on Jesus from both sides.I believe that Nichols unpacks some things that are very worrisome in our day in age where Madonna actually has become a prophetess; even though she falls into the same trap:Christianity is becoming more of a currency than a beliefSadly; I think she is right.This book is extremely well done and I would recommend this to any reader to show what is happening in front of our own eyes and the danger of falling into consumerism Christianity.This might have been Nichols best book to date. Highly Recommended.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A PLIABLE AMERICAN SAVIORBy AJCJesus Made in America: A Cultural History from the Puritans to the Passion of the Christ (Paperback)by Stephen J. Nichols is one of many books; as of late; showing how American's view of Jesus is shaped more by their own world view and cultural surroundings; than it is by the Gospels or ancient Church teaching. While it may sound as if Dr. Nichols has stumbled on nothing new here; he does a great job in bringing the reader a concise history of how America's view of Jesus has changed since the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock; or the Spanish settled St. Augustine; Florida for that matter (funny how our history is shaped by an English Protestant point of view; but I digress.) Anyway; reading this book I did not know whether to laugh or cry. I would be lying if I did not say in my walk; I too; have gotten caught up in America's Jesus; but this book did me the service of showing me why. I think most mature Christian's; meaning those educated in the Fatih; leave the Jesus of popular behind eventually. But; many Americans who profess a Christian faith practiced find their savior in a Jesus shaped by popular culture and nick nacks they see at their local "Christian" bookstore. Bookstore in itself being a misnomer as these once fine places have emptied the shelves of reading materials for the most part and become commercial enterprises that use Jesus to sell Kitsch. And; this certainly comes through in Dr. Nichol's fine work. The book presents a timeline from the Puritans until the present day of how the image in the minds of Americans has changed throughout our history. This book is a great work on American Church history.