“He wants his religion back.” Those were the words appearing on the front cover of Jesus Brand Spirituality: He Wants His Religion Back, by Ken Wilson, which persuaded me to buy the book. In an age when Christianity seems to be so widely misrepresented as a set of conservative political beliefs and a rigid code of behaviour enforced by disapproval and negativity, any message about grace and abundant life is to be welcomed.

The author explains the Christian faith in four dimensions. The active dimension is about repairing the world and finding healing along the way. The contemplative dimension is about being mystically wired and communing with God through prayer. The Biblical dimension is about finding our place in God’s story and understanding how Jesus transformed that story. The communal dimension is about the importance of relating to other people and what is really meant by love.

The book presents a gentle and creative overview of Christian spirituality which is certainly more true to the original than are popular assumptions about Christianity. I am not a big fan of the author’s use of “Jesus brand”, but he does explain that the false claims that some people make about what Jesus stands for are like trademark infringements. This book is well worth reading.

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