Jesus Shock

by Peter Kreeft

"Jesus Shock is the second in a series of short works on seminal concerns of the impact that Jesus Christ made in the world. The first work, The Philosophy of Jesus, explored philosophy in light of Jesus, rather than the other way around. The present work investigates the reception Jesus received both in His lifetime and continuously to the present time, not only from His enemies, but from His friends, a reception of shock, astonishment, even disgust." Jesus-Shock shows the reasons why to this day the name of "Jesus" stirs up controversy, even revulsion, in polite society. In the true spirit of ecumenism, it also points the way toward a true rapprochement among His modern-day disciples.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Christian, Theology, Spirituality, Christianity, Nonfiction

134 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Peter Kreeft is an American philosopher and prolific author of over eighty books on Christian theology, philosophy, and apologetics. A convert from Protestantism to Catholicism, his journey was shaped by his study of Church history, Gothic architecture, and Thomistic thought. He earned his BA from Calvin College, an MA and PhD from Fordham University, and pursued further studies at Yale. Since 1965, he has taught philosophy at Boston College and also at The King’s College. Kreeft is known for formulating “Twenty Arguments for the Existence of God” with Ronald K. Tacelli, featured in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics. A strong advocate for unity among Christians, he emphasizes shared belief in Christ over denominational differences.

Reviews

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Kreeft's diagnosis is spot on in that one of our sins is that we have made Christianity boring. We are complicit in our complacency. Our lack of wonder and joy shows that we don't know Jesus. We are fighting about the little things instead of proclaiming the great things.

Kreeft writes that Jesus was never boring and his wonderful chapter detailing so many instances of Jesus-Shock in the Gospel points this out. There was constant astonishment regarding him wherever he went. There were no neutral actions regarding those who met him.

Kreeft has such great phrases using eloquence to make you stop and think. For me to stop and pray and wonder and rejoice.

[Monica Aho · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fabulous book, and one that I highly recommend. The only reason I didn't give it five full stars is that I felt like it borrowed too much from C.S. Lewis, who was obviously a huge influence on this author. Regardless - Kreeft is powerful. The image that stays the most with me is that of a Socrates hypothetically going to modern day Harvard and wondering where all the Christians are. "You've been struck by lightning... where are the burn marks?" Why are we still "normal" if we're claiming to be Christian??? I remember those moments in my own life when God became much more than a theoretical image in my head, became REAL, CONCRETE, with true SUPERNATURAL POWER. Yes, it makes me sound loony-bird. But it SHOULD, because Christianity is anything but rational. And it's anything but boring, and the status quo. If it's too rational, then I don't think we've truly internalized what we're claiming to be true. That GOD came down to EARTH in the form of a MAN! That's crazy!

Really, I'm going back and forth between giving this book 4 stars and 5 stars. I think if I would've read this before Mere Christianity, I would hands down give it a 5. Regardless, you all should read it.

[Adam Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an astonishingly good little book. Catholic theologian Peter Kreeft is always interesting to read, and this sharp, punchy little book is no exception. At times he came across as a cross between G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis, a comparison I'm sure he'd appreciate.

The book is about how shocking Jesus is, how the mere mention of His name in conversation changes everything about that conversation forever. It is a means by which Kreeft tears down all our safe ways of "Christianizing" Jesus until He isn't quite so shocking any more. It's about how all truth and all theology and all of the Christian religion is ultimately about nothing more than an encounter with a living, resurrected, divine Person, and how we can lose sight of that fact too easily. He challenges the prevailing wisdom by pointing out that we meet with Jesus in the Church and her Sacraments (as a Catholic, he differs with my own view a bit, but his main point is that we must see Christ as really present in the Eucharist particularly, and the point is well taken).

I really recommend it as a book that will shake you up.

[Taunia Piknjac Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Kreeft

[Trevor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Peter Kreeft spends a large portion of this book attempting to convince Protestants to become Catholic so they may partake in the "true Eucharist" of the "true Church." However, Kreeft doesn't seem to understand Protestants. For one thing, he always refers to "Protestants" as if they are one unified group that generally shares the same beliefs. He rarely differentiates between mainline and evangelical Protestants or between different denominations and movements. This makes his summaries of Protestant beliefs mostly come off as confusing and naive.

Rather than attempt to summarize Kreeft's argument, I'll share some of the more mind-boggling quotes that display his lack of understanding of Protestantism:

- "What was the bitterest controversy of the Protestant Reformation, both between Protestants and Catholics and between different Protestant denominations, the one that had both sides calling the other not just heretics but devils?... It was about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist." (pp. 28-29)

No Kreeft, it really wasn't. I agree that this was a major controversy but it certainly wasn't the primary one, especially considering that Lutherans and Catholics both believe in the Real Presence, even if they don't agree on Transubstantiation.

- "Justification by Faith has already been negotiated. The doctrine of sola fides, which all Evangelicals regard as the essence and sine qua non of Protestantism, the doctrine that Luther thought justified breaking with Rome... - this issue has been solved and overcome! ...If you look at the Joint Statement on Justification, approved by the Vatican and many official Protestant authorities, especially Lutherans, you will find that this miracle has indeed taken place." (p. 105)

Oh boy. The Joint Statement on Justification did not "solve" sola fides. I assume Kreeft means that Lutherans realized they were mistaken and rejected the doctrine. Honestly, nearly every Lutheran I've met rejects the Joint Statement on Justification.

- "Luther did not deny the real presence. Nor do Lutherans today. Nor do Anglicans." (p. 112)

Thank-you. Now can you please reassess your previous statements that use "Protestant" as a blanket term? No?

- "Modernism always sets in, given enough time. Even Southern Baptists will be Modernists in another century or two. There are many Catholic Modernists too, but they are officially condemned by the Church. The Catholic Church is the only church that has never succumbed to any heresy in all her history." (p. 113-114)

What. No. Come on Kreeft. You're a philosopher. You should know that's cheating.

- "Protestants usually believe (1) that there are only two sacraments, not seven; and... (2) that the sacraments do not give grace objectively, by themselves, ("ex opera operato"), as God Himself does, but subjectively, by the individual's own faith and piety. Protestants believe that the sacraments are like ladders that God gave to us by which we can climb up to Him." (p. 114-115)

I don't know of any Protestant that believes this. Lutherans do believe in only two sacraments but we believe they are means of grace. We certainly don't believe they are "ladders by which we can climb to God." Evangelicals, on the other hand, tend to reject the term sacrament and believe Communion and Baptism are ordinances, symbols that represent our relationship with God and the Church.

- "Protestant 'churches' do not have apostolic succession in any one of the three divinely appointed Old Testament offices of prophet, priest, or king." (p. 118)

Come on Kreeft. Protestants don't believe in apostolic succession. You should know that.

There's more but I'll stop here. Kreeft has the same problem that most converts do: he never understood the religious group he was originally a part of but now thinks he's some kind of expert. It's embarrassing and really patronizing.

[Patrick O'Hannigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm told that "Kreeft" is Dutch for "lobster," and Peter the Lobster has written another keeper with this book, which he describes as an attempt to answer the question, "Why is Jesus the most controversial and most embarrassing name in the world?" (The short answer is that whether you believe Him or not, Jesus is the only man in history by whom you cannot be bored and to whom you cannot be indifferent; He cleaves even time in two).

Kreeft has a gift for shedding light on commonplace sayings. For example, all of the best writers in any genre wrestle ultimately with the good, the true, and the beautiful, but Kreeft contrasts those perfections with sentences like "Deep truth heals your mind, and deep goodness heals your will, but deep beauty wounds your heart." From there it's a short and inevitable step to his impassioned defense of medieval cathedrals ("Stonemasons did not build them; faith built them...They were His houses; that's why they had to be better than men could possibly do. They had to be transgressions of the possible and imports of the impossible. Like the Cross.")

Stylistic quirks keep this perceptive book from being ranked among my favorites, but -- to be fair -- those quirks are probably occupational hazards for any honest philosopher. I was flummoxed by Kreeft's insistence on "Seven Beginnings" and "Seven Postscripts," and sometimes impatient with the baroque syntax that creeps slowly up the trellis of his fondness for alliteration. Although he strives to write simply and for a non-specialist audience, Kreeft can be maddeningly comprehensive.

On the other hand, Kreeft's gospel-grounded description of the different ways that Jesus shocks people and his chapter on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist are masterful. "Jesus Shock" is a contribution to apologetics that punches far above its weight.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes we laugh about the fact that in a 2nd grade Sunday School class, the answer to every question, the safe answer which every kid can throw out if he doesn't know for sure because chances are, he'll be right, is "JESUS!!" And He is. He is the answer to everything, the subject of everything, the center of everything. For a Christian, all things ought to revolve around Him. In His light, all things are illuminated, made clear, put in perspective, given right importance. Dr. Kreeft points out that Protestants have the fire without the fireplace, while Catholics have the fireplace without the fire. We need to come together! But come to us, come to the Catholic Church. Why? Because the Catholic Church has something that no Protestant church has: Jesus present in bodily substance in the Eucharist. This is a game-changer, as Dr. Kreeft points out. We become like Christ as we eat Him, literally, as we eat Him, as He told us to do in John 6, over and over again. You can't be lukewarm toward the Catholic Church. To be perfectly logical, either the Catholic Church is a nuthouse with people bowing down to a white wafer of bread - idolatry!! - or it is the house of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of the very God Himself. If you believe the former, run away and throw stones as you run. If you believe the latter, come in. Bring your wonderful enthusiasm for Jesus, your gorgeous hymns, your deep desire to share Him with others and remind Catholics what they have had for 2000 years: Jesus in their midst. Come! Come! We need each other so badly and the world needs Jesus so badly. End the divide, the protest. Come home.

[Stephen Weierman · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a fine example of bad theology; it is Catholic apologetics at its worst.

I was excited by the premise, because the Gospel is radical, or "shocking." But the book rapidly degenerates into why the belief in the "real presence" of Christ in the Eucharist is the real shocker, why it's not idolatry (his argument on this is almost childish, saying Protestants are the real idolaters in their failure to recognize the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist), and why the Roman Catholic church is the one true apostolic Church.

He greatly generalizes Protestants, lumping them all into one category that very closely resembles modern "evangelical" Christians. He argues that no one challenged the authority of the Bishop of Rome until the Reformation (I guess he's never heard of the East-West Schism, or the Great Schism), that the Catholic Church is the only church that never fell victim to heresy (many Protestants would disagree). His discussion of the Eucharist makes no distinction between the notion of "real presence" and transubstantiation.

My greatest frustration with this work is the arrogance and lack of ecumenical understanding contained within. It fails in its apologetic task, in that it does not provide a compelling argument that would persuade non-Catholics to join the Roman Catholic Church. It only serves to preach to the choir.

Full disclosure: I am a former Roman Catholic. I left the Catholic church for the United Church of Christ in 2005.

[Joseph Serwach · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title is startling. Why would you want to read a book called "Jesus Shock?'' But I trusted the friend who gave it to me so I opened it up and read a fascinating point: Jesus Christ remains the most controversial man in human history: if you just utter his name, the temperature in the room will immediately rise or fall depending on who you're talking with.

Peter Kreeft, a Boston College philosophy professor, is a master at crafting arguments on how people of faith can interact with those who would rather not discuss someone as controversial as Jesus.

The former Calvinist turned Catholic is able to explain the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism in a single paragraph: debate over the importance and meaning of the Eucharist.

He is able to explain well what motivated Judas to betray Jesus and how similar feelings today divide individuals from the church and religion to this day.

If you have questions about faith, Jesus Shock is filled with compelling answers worth exploring.

[Noonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A "must read" for any serious Christian. Kreeft is easy to understand, maybe too easy. Meaning: he gets into your head and it flows to your heart without being sappy or churchy. The shock comes to you as he opens your eyes and your mind to what the Church is really all about. And Who Jesus really is.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never looked at "beauty" the same way whether it be outside in the woods or looking at a great masterpiece after reading this book. Peter Kreeft always has me on my knees with his descriptions, insights and explanations into understandings of our Lord that I never thought about. He never ceases to amaze me.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my new favorite books! a raw, emotional, concrete, convicting look at the Catholic faith. a must read for all Catholics and any protestant seeking to know more truth about Catholicism.

[Zachary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jesus-Shock will appeal to conservative Christian readers set in their spiritual ways looking for something to point to and say, “Now this guy’s got it!” It is not, however, despite Peter Kreeft’s claims, a book that will change the mind of any liberally minded religious person. The writing is what one might expect from a hardline religious academic; Kreeft’s tone throughout his discourse moves from beautifully intellectual to archaically simplistic, especially when he is forced to use hyperbole to excite his narrative. Many of his short, stubby sentences, meant to punch with spiritual force, are terribly overused, ultimately diluting their impact on the reader. The repetitive declamations along the lines of “He is truth” or “He is absolute” tend to irritate, rather than inspire. What is more, Kreeft sometimes makes hyperbolic statements injected with fire and brimstone that only serve to discredit what seems like an earnest attempt to answer why Jesus is so controversial and uncomfortably embarrassing for educated, intelligent Christians today. For example, while discussing the importance of beauty in our lives, Kreeft claims “The National Endowment for the Arts funds many diverse projects, but almost all of them have one thing in common: a hatred of beauty, a snobbish contempt for ordinary human nature and ordinary people’s aesthetic hunger.” Really? Taken out of context, this bold statement harms Kreeft’s reputation as a writer more than is rightfully deserved, but he himself decontextualizes the National Endowment’s attempts at earnest patronage by making such a claim. Kreeft goes on to call these patrons “anti-beauty jihadists,” and one cannot help but squirm at what comes across as crass and offensive.

Perhaps we should expect this of Kreeft, who presents himself as a hardline, conservative Catholic; in effect he tells his readers point blank that there is no other kind of Catholicism, no other kind of Christianity, worth spending one’s live devoted to as much as a Catholic faith unfailingly tied to the infallibility of the Church. Kreeft consistently denounces modernist, broadminded Catholics and their questioning of traditional dogma. By the end of the book he cannot control his disdain for these near heretics and finally resorts to labeling them “flaky, airy, [and] liberal” in opposition to “solid, orthodox, [and] conservative Catholics.” Kreeft’s denouncement of liberal Catholics echoes another trend in the book, namely, his generous use of labels. Kreeft loves labeling the people he talks about, referencing everyone from heretics, modernists, and pantheists to socialists and democrats, all of whom he seems to dislike. His labeling pigeonholes millions of people into his carefully worked out academic categories while frustrating any open minded, fearful-of-generalizing-people-with-one-word readers.

Not surprisingly Jesus-Shock stirs its readers most when Kreeft lumps Jesus’ most powerful acts together in a chapter broken up by how shocked the Galilean’s contemporaries were at his miracles, teachings, and selflessness. However, the shivers these stories send up one’s spine come from the words of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, not Kreeft. The chapter only goes to show that the most exciting things written about the mysterious figure of Jesus remain the Gospels themselves, with hundreds of thousands of very interesting, if not life changing, books written to accompany them. Unfortunately, Jesus-Shock barely crosses the threshold of capturing one’s attention, and with so many new religious books written in the conversational style Kreeft aims for by captivating Christian modernists like Rob Bell, Jesus-Shock fails to have the profound impact its author passionately desires.

Nonetheless, Kreeft should be given credit for sticking to his guns. Kreeft, a Protestant Calvinist turned Roman Catholic, is highly critical, while nonetheless tolerant, of his former faith’s interpretation of the Eucharist. It is here, when Kreeft demonstrates his academic background and profound understanding of Christian history as he touches upon the theological divide between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, that he is most convincing. While, personally, I cannot wholly subscribe to his apocalyptic either-or understanding of Jesus’ identity and what the Eucharist means, one must admire the way in which he backs up his claims. If I were a Protestant, however, I may not come away from this book very happy with Kreeft; despite his repeated assurances that Protestants can and are saved despite their lack of faith in the Eucharist, his assertions come precariously close to constituting an anti-Protestantism diatribe.

If Jesus truly were the Son of God, God incarnate, and the Savior of the world from sin and destruction and all we have to do is believe in and follow him in order to enjoy extraordinary joy here on Earth and eternal life in some beautiful, metaphysical world that we can only call heaven, then that should shock us. And, when one reflects that the world into which Jesus was born, the world dominated by the Roman Empire and its militaristic, hyper sexualized culture, is eerily similar to ours, Jesus’s words, which were radical and revolutionary two millennia ago, ought to still be shocking us. Kreeft only briefly, almost nonchalantly, makes note of this, and this critical point becomes lost beneath his dramatic and bombastic prose. Perhaps, had he refrained from trying far too hard not to emulate the bland preachers he rightly abhors, he may have jolted us a little more.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read, sprinkled lightly with Kreeft's usual humour.

This book was so Christocentric and to the point (the point being Jesus). It was a lovely reminder of the centre of our faith and of our lives.

Some worthwhile lines from the book:

"The Church is not in the world; the world is in the Church as the setting is in the play. God made the universe in order to make saints, and the Church is 'the communion of saints.' The universe is God's saint-making machine, and the Church is its product."

"I often wondered at the cause of those dreary, faithless Modernist parishes and 'Catholic' colleges whose religion is all vague, abstract slogans and ideologies ('compassion,' 'peace and justice,' 'sharing and caring,' 'celebrating community,' etc.). They always focus on what we do, both in the liturgy and in the world, instead of what God does. The faith in the Real Presence is so missing that they don't even know what's missing. They're so dead that they don't know they're dead."

There's also an excellent juxtaposition, about one or two paragraphs long, at the end of Chapter 4 between the Eucharist and the movement for "freedom" of one's body today.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't resist reading the books that are given to me by our faith formation director. I know he knows good stuff. Plus, I know Peter Kreeft's writing well enough to know that I will benefit from any of it. This book was a good little shot in the arm for my faith at this point in time - when I haven't read anything really convicting or challenging recently. I was tempted to skim past the stuff I feel like I know (haha) but I'm glad I didn't - and the majority of the book, especially the final part - was needed information. I wish every Catholic would read this, and every Protestant too - it would make for some great discussion.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good, short book. It started off kind of slow but it had some really good points in it. The author talks about how Jesus was received in his lifetime both from his friends and his enemies, usually with some sort of shock, astonishment or even disgust. The second half of the book focuses on how the Eucharist is the biggest dividing point between Catholics and Protestants. The author discusses this topic in depth and makes a lot of good points about how people view the Eucharist, both from a Protestant perspective and a Catholic perspective.

[Goodthelife · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the quiz at the very beginning, this book grabs you and shakes up your priorities. It explains why the name of Jesus causes Shock wherever it is said. And it explains so wonderfully the role of the Eucharist. It also addresses -- and I've never seen this addressed before -- the role of beauty in the Church and why the members of the Church spent so much time and energy and money building the beautiful cathedrals of the middle ages, and why the Church still holds the role of beauty in this same way today. So much good meat in here... definitely want to read again.

[Matthew Hill · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was suggested reading for a class offered at our church... However, after slugging through 30 pages of Peter Kreeft's unfounded opinions and elliptical writing style I was through. I was very surprised to see so many gushlingly positive reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads, as I did not care for this book at all. Honestly, the only person who would be shocked by the wild assertions contained in this book would be Jesus himself. Save your money and your time. This is book is currently being offered for the price of shipping, which should tell you something.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book since it was #1 on Matthew Kelly's "books that changed my life". I finally finished this book after many months of trying to read it, giving up and reading something else, and then picking it back up. The author's writing style did not work for me. He has a very "intellectual" air and made me feel stupid much of the time. This really surprised me since Kelly's book are so reader-friendly. He also rubbed me the wrong way by having a chapter called "The Data" with no numbers! Perhaps this book is good for theologians, but not for engineers like myself.

[A. Dewitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be good for someone wanting to learn or relearn about the Catholic faith. Short book, easy to read but better to read a little, then stop and think for awhile instead of just cruising through it.
He is a prolific author, Catholic apologist and professor of philosophy at Boston College. Was present at two talks given yesterday at Sacred Heart Seminary and he is a good speaker, too with a quick wit and good humor!

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Kreeft is one of my favorite authors and speakers, and this brief book contains many of the thought-provoking ideas I've come to expect of Kreeft. Good overall. I must admit that, as a Protestant, I wasn't sure what to make of the extraordinary emphasis he puts on the Real Presence in the Eucharist. But I have to appreciate anyone who writes a book as Christ-centered as this one, even if I don't buy into all of its theology.

[Ddavis3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Really reminded me of how important my faith is.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and understand with insights I had never considered. Enjoyed this book. Love this author.

[Cameron O'hearn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shocking and converting.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this as a thank you from a missionary we know and love. Great book - will be passing this one along to my eldest dd first.

[Barbara Conn]

Great book -- everyone should read.

[Kirk Newland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful treatise on the centrality of the Eucharist. Read this if you want to set your spirit on fire.

[Herb Dulzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book twice so far. It has a permanent space on my bookshelf. If everyone reads this the world will be a better place.

[Patrick May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenges the (unfortunate) status quo on the Eucharist.

[Sam Fink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scary! Invigorating! So strongly motivated and so simple. Everyone should read this book!