What Jesus Intended: Finding True Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion

by Todd D. Hunter

Have you lost your footing in church? Or has the church lost its footing? Many of us feel unsteady, disoriented, even crushed after an endless string of scandals within the walls of a place meant to offer compassion and safety. Others feel forced to draw back or distance ourselves from the church. All the while, our instincts tell us this is not what Jesus wanted for his people. But what did he intend? After four decades of ministry, Anglican bishop Todd Hunter is no stranger to betrayal and pain in the church. Still, he has hope. He believes more than ever that Jesus is who the world needs and that Jesus has plans for his followers. In What Jesus Intended, Hunter offers a vision for emerging from the rubble of bad religion and rebuilding faith among a community of sincere believers. By unpacking the purposes of Jesus, we can expose twisted, toxic religion for what it is and embrace the true aims of the gospel. Come for a fresh hearing of Jesus—one that offers us the healing and goodness we've always longed for.

Genres: Christian, Church

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 18, 2023

About the author

Bishop Todd Hunter of the Anglican Mission in the Americas, is the founding pastor of Holy Trinity Church, an Anglican church in Costa Mesa, California and author of Christianity Beyond Belief (IVP 2009), Giving Church Another Chance (IVP Spring, 2010) and The Outsider Interviews (Baker Books, Summer 2010). Todd is also the founding director of Churches for the Sake of Others, the West Coast church planting initiative for The Anglican Mission in the Americas. Prior to his work with the Anglican Mission in the Americas, Todd founded Three is Enough, a small group movement that makes spiritual formation doable.

Reviews

[Amanda (aebooksandwords) · Rating 3 out of 5]

In “What Jesus Intended: Finding True Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion,” author Todd Hunter shares in the experience of believers who are disenchanted and disillusioned with the church in the face of disappointment, deconstruction, church hurt, and even scandalous events. Yet he wants believers ready to give up on the church to know it is meant to be something Jesus intends it to be that we all live out together vs what man has often made it.

In the book, he shares about getting out of the “rubble of bad religion” and into a faith community that seeks “the true aims of the gospel.”

I appreciated how the book shares others’ stories as it communicates how we too can keep our heads above the water even as the waves rise around us, a metaphor the author uses well to describe such challenges.

At times I couldn’t tell which audience the book was meant for, but I did find many gems throughout, such as:

“Life hurts. Tragically, spiritual malpractice rubs the sore, increasing the pain. Bad religion is not just wrong thinking isolated in an individual. Its effect is more like the multicar pileups that occur in foggy, mountainous driving conditions. The fog of bad religion causes heartache and suffering to reverberate in every direction. The throbbing in one’s soul is life altering.”

This book hopes to enable us to “gain a fresh hearing from Jesus” despite church malpractice that so abounds, helping the reader “rescue the reputation of Jesus from the rubble of bad religion,” while “revealing His aims” for human life as He intended it.

The author expresses rightly that “Saying to victims of church abuse ‘not all Christians are bad’ is re-wounding. It dismisses their specific experience in a deluge of well-meaning but defensive statistics.”

One thing that stood out oddly to me was the defining of “repent” in Chapter 5 only as “rethinking all of life.” While this fits well within the definition of the word, it lacks clarity by not including a mention of turning from sin to God’s ways.

Chapter 5’s explanation of various parables was insightful and inspiring, especially the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds in light of evil and the problem of pain.

Some things I also appreciated:

“We either use Jesus for our purposes or we find purpose as we follow Jesus into the story of God.”

“We want God to judge and stop the evil that appears in the news, but we are protective of our own thoughts, words, and deeds, and don’t with the same urgency ask God to intervene in our hearts.”

“No one, not even the one most understandably cynical about church, is excluded from the love and embrace of the God revealed in Jesus. Neither are occasional sinners, the barely religious, or those fleeing the church. The church can rest in God’s longing, searching embrace of the Good Shepherd—and a core aspect of that rest is ceasing judgmentalism and adopting welcoming love.”

Thank you to IVP for sending this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Suzanne Kehlenbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Jesus Intended?? Indeed!!

I have so many good things to say about this book but I am going to keep it simple. I never really thought about Jesus having "aims". But He truly does. This quote from the book talks about Good Religion and Jesus' aims: "Nothing in the contemporary ills of the church should eclipse this truth - Alignment to the aims of Jesus is fundamental to Christian Spirituality. Pursuing alignment with the aims of Jesus is the path on which we discover good religion, find the true and good life, and become humanity as God intended." Amen!!

"Bad religion binds and constricts humanity. Jesus unbinds and makes us free." A thousand times yes!

"God is not interested in the religious image created by one's lip service or posturing. He is interested in what is real, what is at the center of our being, what is in our heart." If I could rent a billboard in downtown Tampa and put that quote on it I would.

And finally "One of the foremost aims of Jesus is to heal the evil of bad religion and the despair we feel in the face of the human atrocities that invade our personal lives and bombard our news feeds. Jesus aims to breathe new life into our desire to follow Him and to be agents of God's good purposes in the world."

If you have been wounded by the church, if you are seeking, if you are totally unchurched - read this book. It will help. God bless!

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Jesus Intended
Finding True Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion
by Todd D. Hunter
Pub Date 18 Jul 2023
InterVarsity Press,IVP
Christian| Nonfiction \(Adult\)| Religion & Spirituality



Netgalley and Intervarsity Press have provided me with a copy of What Jesus Intended for review:


Do you feel as though you are losing your footing in church? Has the church lost its footing? An endless string of scandals within the walls of a place meant to offer compassion and safety has left many of us feeling unsteady, disoriented, even crushed. Others feel compelled to withdraw or distance themselves from the church. However, our instincts tell us this is not what Jesus intended for his followers. What did he intend?


In his four decades of ministry, Anglican bishop Todd Hunter has experienced betrayal and pain. Despite all that, he remains hopeful. His belief in Jesus is stronger than ever, and he believes that Jesus has plans for his followers.


Hunter describes a way to emerge from the ruins of bad religion and rebuild faith among a community of sincere believers in What Jesus Intended. Through unpacking Jesus' purposes, we can expose twisted, toxic religion for what it is and embrace the gospel's true aims. Experience the healing and goodness we've always longed for through Jesus.



I give What Jesus Intended five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

[Grace Prasetyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up as a pastors’ kid for many years and deeply loved my experience of church. I have so many fond memories of different churches throughout my childhood years, and beautiful memories of rooting myself in a Christian community in college. I experienced beauty, love, and Jesus. But unfortunately, not everyone’s experience of church (or Church with a capital “C”) is like this.

My own experience with church as an adult has not been that smooth-sailing either. I have wrestled for years with the disconnect I feel between church-on-Sundays and our life serving in the slums.

Recently, I found reading What Jesus Intended by Todd Hunter to be very helpful. It seems important, as the author honestly reflects on the good and the ugly of church experiences— sharing stories from his own life and testimonies from people he has journeyed with. And, while there seem to be many reasons that people are leaving the church, in this book Hunter invites the reader to keep embracing Jesus and His faith community. This book seeks to help the reader engage a variety of different questions, seeking answers from Jesus along the way.

Questions serve as titles for many of the chapters. Questions such as: “Am I the only one who thinks like this?,” “Can I trust the Church to be an instrument of restoration?”, and “I feel pain, cynicism, and despair—Where is Jesus?” 

I am grateful for this new book (releases July 18th from IVP) and the contribution it makes to help all those who want to seek after Jesus.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Written for those who have been disillusioned by the church and bad religion, offering hope that the rediscovery of Jesus and his aims can sustain and restore us.

The number of people who no longer identify with a church, even if they still identify as “Christian” is staggering. The last decade has been particularly disastrous with numerous sex and power abuse scandals and the embrace of partisan politics of the left and the right. It has become popular to use the post-modern language of deconstruction with regard to one’s faith. In some cases, those deconstructing have left Christianity altogether, often times for a personally designed eclectic and ethical spirituality. For others, this has led to a “reconstruction” centered on the teaching of Jesus, a renewal of a gospel centered faith focused around loving God and neighbor.

Similar to me, the author came to faith during the Jesus movement and all of the heady hopes of the 1970’s and 1980’s and finds himself looking back with the nagging question I’ve also struggled with: “Nothing in my generation has worked?” And the question for both of us is, “why have you remained a Christian?” Why don’t we deconstruct or just throw in the towel? In Hunter’s case, he saw plenty of what he calls “bad religion” as a leader in several church movements. He proposes that what brought him through the experience of bad religion was the good Jesus to whom he kept returning, and this made the Bible freshly compelling. He contends that this can bring his readers through to a reconstructed, vibrant faith as well.

The book is organized around questions that have been raised in focus groups Hunter hosted with those struggling with the disappointments and hurts they’ve experienced with the church:

Can I find faith again?
I am failing to connect to faith and church.
I’ve lost the religious plot line.
I feel pain, cynicism, and despair–where is Jesus?
What about all the bad things done in God’s name?
Can I trust the church to be an instrument of restoration?
How can I find vibrant faith?
Why is consistent spiritual growth so difficult?
Is there an authentic community of faith?
Do my religious reservations and churchly hesitations disqualify me?

Hunter’s encouragement as we consider these hard questions isn’t simply the facile Sunday School truism, “Jesus is the answer to all our questions and we should trust him.” What Hunter does is dig deeply into the identity, the story, the eternal life that empowers the church in caring mission, that finds its source in Jesus. He explores what it means to follow this Jesus, to repent of our own implicatedness in bad religion, and to recognize the oft-hidden goodness of Christ-followers quietly pursuing his kingdom aims.

The book does what it urges in offering exercises and prayers that direct us back to Jesus. While Hunter allows all our questions and objections about the bad religion we’ve seen and experienced to be aired, he also makes it unmistakeably clear that Jesus’s aim was to proclaim and inaugurate God’s kingdom and this involves an invitation to which we must give a response. He is both the destination of our journeys and the path, the way on which we may walk, if we will.

The one question I find myself left with is, if Jesus is so great, good, beautiful, and compelling, why are his people so rarely like him? Why does it seem like so many miss the point and exchange hs goodness for bad religion? How can so many read their Bibles regularly and miss Jesus? So many young people I know struggle with this. As Russell Moore has observed, it is not that many young people can’t or won’t believe in Jesus; it’s that the church doesn’t believe in Jesus, doesn’t believe its own gospel. Perhaps all we can do is come to Jesus saying, “I believe; help my unbelief.”

________________________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.

[Josh Olds · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of What Jesus Intended: Finding True Faith in the Rubble of Religion left me a bit uncomfortable. On one hand, I absolutely believe that the name of Jesus has been co-opted for the purpose of power. On the other, it leaves me thinking of the “No True Scotsman” fallacy that basically defends one’s position by saying “Well, no true ______ would ever do that.” Moreover, with perhaps a few exceptions, those who are using the name of Jesus absolutely believe they are following what Jesus intended. I would surmise that if we dug deeply enough into author Todd Hunter’s own theology, we would undoubtedly find ways in which his beliefs of what Jesus intended are different than mine. The setup in the title creates an “us vs. them” mentality where Hunter appears to be discounting those he believes are twisting the words of Jesus, asking the doubters and deconstructers to instead listen to his version as the “true faith.”

But if past the title, you’ll see that Hunter isn’t exactly trying to do that. Instead, he points out where the church has failed while naming them as the church. He admits that the church has often gotten things wrong and continues to get things wrong. He acknowledges that churches of virtually every background have been plagued with scandals related to sex and power. He validates the concerns that many people—especially young people—have about the institutional church. And then he lays out a blueprint for a different type of church.

Each chapter of What Jesus Intended balances between the acknowledgment of “bad religion”—often using examples from Hunter’s own experience—and how these examples don’t align with the characters or person of Jesus. What Jesus Intended is grounded in Hunter’s personal experience, including his own disillusionment with the church. He describes his journey through church hurt caused by various scandals involving extramarital affairs, drugs, and spiritual abuse, leading him and his wife to spend several years unaffiliated with any church community. I found that part to be very impactful personally a pastor currently unaffiliated with a church community. Each chapter also ends with some insightful questions for reflection and practice, helping readers take some steps to making practical change in how they approach or think about church.

In the end, What Jesus Intended is encouraging and empathetic. In simply reading Hunter’s own personal story readers can rest assured that they aren’t alone and that their reservations about the church are shared by someone who hold the title of Bishop. It reminds readers that there is another way of doing church. This book isn’t a manual on ecclesiology or missiology. It doesn’t get down deep in what needs to be done to revive the church institutionally. Rather, Hunter’s intention is to be exhortative and compassionate, offering a hopeful path for Christians seeking to rediscover their faith through a deeper understanding of Jesus's character and intentions.

[Courtney Bernard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3 Stars
Release Date: 18 July 2023
Format: E-Book
Publisher: InterVarsity Press,IVP
Read More Reviews Here

"What Jesus Intended: Finding True Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion" by Todd D. Hunter attempts to shed light on the essence of true faith in the midst of religious chaos.

While the book does offer some commendable aspects, such as well-researched citations and references and being Bible inspired, I feel that it falls short of understanding who its intended audience is.

One of the book's strengths is its extensive use of citations and references, which adds credibility to the author's arguments. Todd D. Hunter supports his claims with well-documented evidence from various religious texts and notable scholars, giving readers an opportunity to delve deeper into the subject matter. The thoroughness of his research is evident and provides readers with a solid foundation for further exploration.

However, I felt the book's biggest flaw is its failure to understand its audience. Hunter assumes a level of knowledge and familiarity with religious concepts that may alienate or confuse readers who are new to Christianity. The assumptions about readers' prior experiences with the church hinder the accessibility and engagement of the book.

"What Jesus Intended" lacks a cohesive structure and clear direction. The book meanders between personal anecdotes, theological discussions, and historical analyses without a consistent thread to tie them together. As a result, readers may find it challenging to follow the author's train of thought and discern the main points he intends to convey.

Despite its shortcomings, "What Jesus Intended" does contain valuable insights and thought-provoking ideas. Hunter's emphasis on the importance of a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ rather than mere adherence to religious practices is commendable. Additionally, the book raises valid criticisms of institutionalized religion and challenges readers to reexamine their faith in light of Jesus' teachings.

Final Thoughts: While the book excels in providing well-researched citations and references, its lack of clarity about the intended audience hampers its effectiveness. It may still be of value to readers well-versed in religious discourse, but those seeking a more accessible exploration of faith might find themselves lost amidst the rubble of this book.


Disclaimer: Thank you Netgalley and InterVarsity Press,IVP for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Kristjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A re-examination of what Jesus meant when He commanded christians to love, and how dogma and tradition can sometimes get in the way of this. Each chapter covers a brief vignette to illustrate slight variations on the theme that can feel a bit repetitive by the end; although this could also be seen as baby steps toward an end goal where some readers are already further along their journey and don’t need as much hand holding or convincing (I am already well aligned how this concept was presented, so it did drag a bit for me). Each chapter title is a good summary of the topic contained there in, followed by a few verses of scripture, an introduction to the personal encounter before diving into a Jesus centric discussion on WWJD, because upon how the author interprets the ministry of Jesus found the the Gospels … and just as important, how such a response ultimate worked in the situation introduced at the start of the chapter. Finally, at the end of each chapter, there is a Practical Exercise (Reflection Questions) and a prayer that wraps it all up. Although not pitched as such, this book is probably more effective when taken slowly and one chapter at a time, allow time for meditation before moving on.

Introduction
1. Am I the Only One Who Thinks This? How the Church Failed Us
2. Can I Find Faith Again? A Fresh Proposal Regarding Jesus
3. I Am Failing to Connect to Faith and Church: Jesus’ Self-Identity Is Our Rescue
4. I’ve Lost the Religious Plot Line: Jesus Knew He Was Living in an Unfolding Story
5. I Feel Pain, Cynicism, and Despair - Where is Jesus? Jesus; Orientation to the Kingdom of God
6. What About All the Bad Things Done in God’s Name? Jesus Taught That Eternal Life Empowers Good Religion
7. Can I Trust the Church to Be an Instrument of Restoration? Jesus Was a Healer
8. How Can I Find Vibrant Faith? Jesus’ Teachings Point Us to a New Way of Life
9. Why is Consistent Spiritual Growth So Difficult? Jesus’ Emphasis on the Centrality of the Heart
10. Is There an Authentic Community of Faith? Jesus Intentionally Called and Sent a People
11. Do My Religious Reservations and Churchly Hesitations Disqualify Me? Jeuss Walks with Us on a Journey of Doubt

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#WhatJesusIntended #NetGalley

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid Work Within Its Field. For those already familiar with the arguments presented here - at an extremely high level, essentially that religious leaders rarely know what the hell they are doing and tend to create "bad religion", but Jesus Himself is "good religion" - this is fairly standard stuff, presented in the fairly typical Christian Living genre format of some essay around a given topic with a few application questions at the end of the chapter. At least as someone well versed in what Mr. Hunter was talking about, there was nothing particularly ground breaking here, but perhaps this is the presentation that will allow some to approach the topic - in which case I'm fairly certain Mr. Hunter and I would agree that it would have been worth it for that reason alone.

The star deduction here is for the rampant proof texting, but it is rare to find a book in this particular genre without this practice.

And the other thing I felt I needed to call out here was the devotion of the final chapter to a particular ministry... where it turns out that its leader is one of Mr. Hunter's mentors, as he mentions just pages later in the Acknowledgments. This to me felt at least a touch improper, perhaps another similar minstry could have been highlighted there rather than one so closely personal to Mr. Hunter. But this is far from an allegation of actual impropriety, simply something that pings my own ethical philosophy - which I never hold anyone else to.

Overall a solid work in its field, and one worth considering even if you *are* familiar with the general arguments. Very much recommended.

[Rick Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his book "What Jesus Intended," Todd Hunter offers a fresh and compelling vision for Christian faith in the 21st century. Hunter, an Anglican bishop with over 40 years of ministry experience, argues that the church has often lost its way, focusing on rules and regulations rather than the radical love and compassion of Jesus. Along the way Hunter shares his own struggles with faith, which makes him relatable and trustworthy.

Hunter begins by exploring the concept of "bad religion." He defines bad religion as "anything that claims to be about Jesus but doesn't actually reflect his character or teachings." Hunter argues that bad religion is not only harmful to individuals, but it also damages the church as a whole. He calls on Christians to reject bad religion and embrace "true faith."

True faith, Hunter argues, is based on the following principles:
Grace: The belief that we are saved by God's grace, not by our own works.
Inclusion: The belief that all people are welcome in the kingdom of God.
Love: The belief that we should love our neighbors as ourselves, even those who are different from us.

Hunter's book is a timely and important message for the church today. In a world that is increasingly divided, Hunter offers a vision for Christian faith focused on the person and work of Jesus.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

** full review on hazelgee.com **

This book has me quite conflicted. Whilst reading, my rating went from four stars, to three, to two, and back to three. Allow me to elaborate.

Hunter steps up to the plate with the aim of bringing Christians back to who Jesus really is and "rescue his reputation from the rubble of bad religion". Quite the tall order, but Hunter decides it's worth the effort -- and I agree.

Overall, I found this book thought-provoking, interesting, and flawed. I think it is worth reading for the excellent parts, but I wouldn’t feel too guilty about doing some skim-reading in the third quarter. Also, allow yourself to cringe at the *possibly, allegedly, just my opinion, don’t sue me* “fake” conversations. The points made are still worth considering, so try to forgive the author for their uncomfortable delivery.

What Jesus Intended: Finding True Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion was published on 18th July 2023. I received a free copy of this book from InterVarsity Press via NetGalley for review purposes.

[MG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Todd Hunter many years ago when he was working with John Wimber and the Vineyard network of churches. I found him refreshingly authentic, warm, personable, deeply Christian, and quick to laugh. Now that he is an Anglican bishop, he does not seemed to have changed that much. Here is tackles what he discovered were the biggest obstacles to faith for the younger generation of adults who have seen many examples of "bad religion." While I found his answers balanced and wise, I am not sure that Todd has really wrestled with what is broken in the church to cause all of these examples of bad religion to begin with. So while his pats on the back and reassurances about how things are supposed to work are fine, we never really hear an explanation for why so many Christians behave poorly, speak in terms of hate and judgment, and believe things Jesus would be against. So three stars for the content with one star added because Todd is such a wonderful person and Christian leader.

[Steve Wegman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Todd tells several stories of people who have been harmed by church or christians, or even their perception of God and tries to help point them back to Jesus as a way to good, useful religion.

The stories that open every chapter are all compelling and then Todd epxounds on how drawing closer to Jesus would work to help improve each situation. My medium rating is not a knock on his writing ability or the work he did here, just that I don't care for that type of writing. I love the stories, but then the expounding puts me to sleep. Probably my problem.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A vision for the true purposes for the church as the Body of Christ.
Ideal for anyone flagging in their faith or to grow in their faith.
“Pursuing alignment with the aims of Jesus is the path on which we discover good religion, find the true and good life, and become humanity as God intended”
A helpful and insightful book.
Thanks @bishoptoddhunter @ivpress & @netgalley for the eARC

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the stories of people who are disillusioned with church. I didn't feel as though his "answers" flowed from the problems people have experienced. Probably wouldn't recommend the book to anyone.

[Deb Handrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book resonates with the Jesus I have come to know during my own unraveling and then rewoven way of being.

[Mary Niedermeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of potential but was also a slog to read because the editing was very poor.

[Brandi Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid read. Todd Hunter’s goal in this book was to help those disillusioned by the Church to rediscover the aims of Jesus through His earthly ministry. He likened the bad religion of the Pharisees to that of some modern-day churches, speaking to their similarities and how Jesus’ teachings and way of life was completely counter-cultural. His point in doing so is to help the reader to take their eyes off the bad religion they may have experienced in the churches they’ve attended and to place their focus on Jesus.

Hunter set the stage by sharing some ways that the Church has failed us that may lend to the disillusionment and wariness some Christians may toward it. In the following ten chapters, he introduces us to different aspects of Jesus’ teachings, ministry, or character that serve as a healing balm to the hurts reader’s may have experienced at the hands of the Church.

I appreciated the author constantly pointing the reader back to Christ while being incredibly compassionate and empathetic about the many ways that bad religion can impact us. I also loved the real-life stories that he told—they served as really great anchors for the chapters. Finally, I was a fan of the end-of-chapter reflection questions and prayers.

This book would be most beneficial for the person who’s ready to give up on the Church because of the erroneous teachings, abuse, or hypocrisy that they’ve endured/witnessed. I also think that anyone who desires to walk with or witness effectively to this group of believers would benefit from reading it. Totally worth the read!

I received an eARC of this book for free from NetGalley and IVP in exchange for this honest review.