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Prodigal Gospel: Getting Lost and Found Again in the Good News
The good news is bigger and better than we imagined. Is the gospel good news for us today? Many Christians―especially young Christians stepping into a world and a church devastated by division, scandal, and abuse―are asking this question and deciding it simply isn’t. For many, it seems like our faith has little to offer the world around us. Our gospel has become too small―it looks nothing like the Jesus who embodies good news in the flesh. How do we recover this gospel? When we turn to the parable of the prodigal son―a story of elaborate parties, upside-down kingdoms, and reunited families―we can hear in Jesus’ own words a clear presentation of what he is doing, of a truth that is bigger and better than we’ve imagined. In these pages, author and pastor Jonny Morrison invites us on a journey to help us find ourselves and Jesus in the welcoming arms of this familiar parable, zooming out to show how this story shapes the entire story of Scripture. Along the way we discover the radically inclusive power of the gospel that upends religions, disrupts empires, heals the wounded, and empowers the marginalized. This is, after all, Jesus’ news to tell, and when we truly listen to him tell it, we can be found again in the surprising, disarming, challenging gospel that is truly good news.
200 pages, Paperback
Published May 7, 2024
3 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 15, 2024
By the time I had finished the introduction to Prodigal Gospel I knew this book would be different from other theological books and would challenge the ways I have thought about God and the gospel.
Using sections of the Bible and historical church context, Jonny shares a gospel that is truly good news for all. A gospel of a loving God who is fully revealed in Jesus and in the image of the father in the parable of the prodigal son. Refuting the common view of God as a judge, turned against humanity, waiting for a debt to be repaid, Jonny shares the truth of a restorative gospel where "God is always for us and always turned towards us". A true gospel of hope, restoration and a never giving up loving God.
Whether you were raised in church, like me, or are just curious about God, this is a must-read book. You will not regret it.
Using sections of the Bible and historical church context, Jonny shares a gospel that is truly good news for all. A gospel of a loving God who is fully revealed in Jesus and in the image of the father in the parable of the prodigal son. Refuting the common view of God as a judge, turned against humanity, waiting for a debt to be repaid, Jonny shares the truth of a restorative gospel where "God is always for us and always turned towards us". A true gospel of hope, restoration and a never giving up loving God.
Whether you were raised in church, like me, or are just curious about God, this is a must-read book. You will not regret it.
May 25, 2024
A beautifully deep and personal take on faith. This book reinvigorated my faith journey and brought me back to the beauty found in the Bible’s stories.
September 15, 2024
Morrison’s enticing writing propels the claim that the “good news of the gospel is that God is just like Jesus, who is resorting all things and inviting all of us into his life right now” (42). Through personal stories, simple explanations, and a creative exegesis of the Prodigal Son scripture and missiology of parties, Morrison can conclude that “maybe the issues at the heart of the gospel aren’t debt, guilt, penalties, or violations of the law but relationships, wounds, and disconnection” (50). The idea of sin shifts from disobeying the law to disunioning intimate relationships with the divine.
The central aim of this book desires to lead those who have been hurt by Christians, false narratives of God, and misreadings of the gospel through differentiating between the legal gospel and the restorative gospel. The former a courtroom and the latter a hospital or welcome home party (112). Morrison clearly defines the opposing narratives, but stressing the Luke 15 prodigal son story cannot disprove the validity of Penal Substitution atonement theory.
Morrison is aware of this and argues “God is God and therefore can do anything. But if God "must” punish us because of holiness, righteousness, or justice, then we have made holiness, righteousness, or justice god” (116). While this is ontologically true, it also undermines Morrison’s earlier claim that God absorbs loss and heartbreak. Does God have to absorb? With the above quotation in mind, can we say anything meaningful about what God must do?
Alongside a confusing theology, Morrison fails to define moral infraction consistently. This is most clear when he writes “Sin as moral infraction is too weak of an understanding. It does not adequately express the severity of sin. Sin matters because it causes us and others real herm. That’s why God cares about it” (162). Is sin seen through a consequentialist-type lens? Clearly not, why would God lavish so many presents at a party. Earlier in the book Morrison haphazardly summarizes the intent of ancient Near Eastern law as a hammer needing to be wielded by a patriarch (52). This approach is ungracious to ancient cultures and unreflective in legal nuances and intent.
Finally, I was disappointed in the little emphasis Prodigal Gospel had on the Holy Spirit. Granted, Luke 15 cannot add much to pneumatology, but I lie where Morrison does, asking “Speaking of which, where’s the Spirit?” (117).
The strengths of this book are the beauty of the anecdotes, the simplicity of its atonement message, and the missional call to host the other graciously through expanding a table and making room for mistakes. Personally, as someone who struggles with the current relationship they have with their sibling, Morrison's exegesis of the older son hit me square in the heart: “We hide our loss, our wounds, our pain behind a smoke screen of justice, equity, protection, and good logic. We wield the pain of our father to justify our actions, all the while hiding the fact that we hurt too” (78).
The simple goodness of this book cannot support its weak arguments for an unclear atonement theory, but it is more than worth the read. Thank you Jonny for writing another astounding and formative read.
Quotes
“You can’t earn sonship. You can’t cover wounds in money. You can’t pay for resurrection. Those are all gifts. All we can do is receive them, or not. That’s what makes this love disquieting and uncomfortable—we could even call it a judgment. If we could earn our place in the family, then we’d have some measure of control. But control is what got us here.” (64-65)
The central aim of this book desires to lead those who have been hurt by Christians, false narratives of God, and misreadings of the gospel through differentiating between the legal gospel and the restorative gospel. The former a courtroom and the latter a hospital or welcome home party (112). Morrison clearly defines the opposing narratives, but stressing the Luke 15 prodigal son story cannot disprove the validity of Penal Substitution atonement theory.
Morrison is aware of this and argues “God is God and therefore can do anything. But if God "must” punish us because of holiness, righteousness, or justice, then we have made holiness, righteousness, or justice god” (116). While this is ontologically true, it also undermines Morrison’s earlier claim that God absorbs loss and heartbreak. Does God have to absorb? With the above quotation in mind, can we say anything meaningful about what God must do?
Alongside a confusing theology, Morrison fails to define moral infraction consistently. This is most clear when he writes “Sin as moral infraction is too weak of an understanding. It does not adequately express the severity of sin. Sin matters because it causes us and others real herm. That’s why God cares about it” (162). Is sin seen through a consequentialist-type lens? Clearly not, why would God lavish so many presents at a party. Earlier in the book Morrison haphazardly summarizes the intent of ancient Near Eastern law as a hammer needing to be wielded by a patriarch (52). This approach is ungracious to ancient cultures and unreflective in legal nuances and intent.
Finally, I was disappointed in the little emphasis Prodigal Gospel had on the Holy Spirit. Granted, Luke 15 cannot add much to pneumatology, but I lie where Morrison does, asking “Speaking of which, where’s the Spirit?” (117).
The strengths of this book are the beauty of the anecdotes, the simplicity of its atonement message, and the missional call to host the other graciously through expanding a table and making room for mistakes. Personally, as someone who struggles with the current relationship they have with their sibling, Morrison's exegesis of the older son hit me square in the heart: “We hide our loss, our wounds, our pain behind a smoke screen of justice, equity, protection, and good logic. We wield the pain of our father to justify our actions, all the while hiding the fact that we hurt too” (78).
The simple goodness of this book cannot support its weak arguments for an unclear atonement theory, but it is more than worth the read. Thank you Jonny for writing another astounding and formative read.
Quotes
“You can’t earn sonship. You can’t cover wounds in money. You can’t pay for resurrection. Those are all gifts. All we can do is receive them, or not. That’s what makes this love disquieting and uncomfortable—we could even call it a judgment. If we could earn our place in the family, then we’d have some measure of control. But control is what got us here.” (64-65)
January 13, 2025
If you have ever believed or been shown a version of Jesus that didn’t quite fit, or if you have ever escaped a hurtful religious tradition bogged down by stuffy rules that only seem to add privilege to the already privileged, you will want to give this book a read. Simply put, the purpose of the book is to explore what the gospel might look like if God was an inclusive, radically loving deity who cared about all of creation, and whose main goal was to bring about reconciliation and redemption for all of mankind. Carefully researched and backed by sound theology, this book suggests a more cruciform version of the gospel that will challenge what you thought you knew about God, and give you reason to get to know Him more.
June 7, 2024
This book has so many good views on this very popular parable. You will read the parable differently from now on after reading this book. The especially good chapter is how we view God as a judge and how whole theology theories have been formed around that image of God (penal theory of atonement). You will not be able to unsee this more correct view of God.
July 18, 2024
This was an incredibly thought-provoking, yet orthodox, consideration of God, sin, and the gospel. The curiosity, nuance, and kindness with which Jonny approaches this message is refreshing and encouraging!
November 7, 2024
Thoughtful and deep, this book was ideal for a small group discussion. I’ve had to reevaluate a few things as I’ve read, which is a testament to the quality of the book as a whole. I really enjoyed it overall!
December 5, 2025
Dr. Morrison is a pastor-theologian who has experienced the love of Jesus, teaches the love of Jesus, and seeks to embody the love of Jesus. He is a gift to Salt Lake City and this book is a gift to anyone who reads it.
April 28, 2024
Morrison's reading of the Prodigal Son helped me see some dynamics of the parable I hadn't seen before. I'm grateful for this work. Full review forthcoming in Anabaptist World.
September 4, 2024
Good quick read.
August 28, 2024
A refreshing and deeply personable telling of the gospel. Jonny is an excellent story teller and entertaining writer. More importantly though he has a gift of igniting the joy of the gospel. I have struggled with religious trauma, as I am sure many others have, and this book tied back to my love of my faith. It brought me back to why I have continued to want to follow Jesus. That feeling of being able to come home and be loved and celebrated instead of shamed or shunned is such a beautiful part of our relationship with God that I think gets overlooked. I appreciate the author bringing this narrative to the forefront and creating such a compelling story.
March 25, 2025
Gave me a new perspective on the story of the prodigal sons, God the father, and the gospel. An easy read that would be great for a Bible study!
July 18, 2025
A beautiful way to think about the gospel and love God has for all of us. Jonny does an incredible job of showing the gospel in a way that I find is easier to connect to.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews