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Why Jesus?
Why Jesus? is a concise and easy-to-read study of the very real questions surrounding Jesus that your guests might be thinking about when first attending your church or
Who is Jesus?
Why do we need Him?
Why did He have to die?
Why is He relevant to my life today?
These booklets are an effective evangelistic tool to pass out to guests at your services or at Alpha, sharing the Gospel in a warm and relevant way. Alpha is based on a pattern found in the New Testament of people bringing their friends, family, and work colleagues to meet Jesus. Alpha is an easy way to say to friends, Come and see, come and explore your questions, come and hear about Jesus, come and see for yourself. Everyone is welcome at Alpha, but the program is designed especially for people who would not describe themselves as Christians or church-goers.
Who is Jesus?
Why do we need Him?
Why did He have to die?
Why is He relevant to my life today?
These booklets are an effective evangelistic tool to pass out to guests at your services or at Alpha, sharing the Gospel in a warm and relevant way. Alpha is based on a pattern found in the New Testament of people bringing their friends, family, and work colleagues to meet Jesus. Alpha is an easy way to say to friends, Come and see, come and explore your questions, come and hear about Jesus, come and see for yourself. Everyone is welcome at Alpha, but the program is designed especially for people who would not describe themselves as Christians or church-goers.
43 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 1991
About the author
Nicky Gumbel
181 books90 followersNicholas Glyn Paul Gumbel, known as Nicky Gumbel, is an English Anglican priest and author in the evangelical and charismatic traditions. He is known as the developer of the Alpha Course, a basic introduction to Christianity supported by churches of many Christian traditions.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 24, 2026
Received for free at a Chinese takeaway, and I must admit I am disappointed. I know very little about the author, but the blurb tells me he’s both Oxford and Cambridge university educated, and yet in this book, he fails to answer the question posed by the book title.
Two stars because the pork chow mein was good but free prawn crackers may have been more appreciated.
Two stars because the pork chow mein was good but free prawn crackers may have been more appreciated.
October 31, 2018
Straight forward, down the line, simple and yet not simplistic explanation of why we need Christianity, what Christianity is, what Christianity does for you, and what expectations are there for the Christian life. A whole lot packed in to the short space, as a great and general introduction to the faith, but with enough to challenge you to accept, or deny, or to even do further research.
February 5, 2021
A wonderful reminder of "Why Jesus?" It is a basic text that gives you the reasons for faith in Jesus and discusses some of the most common questions people have about Jesus. We will be giving to people who are guests at our church as part of our guest gifts.
June 14, 2012
simple introduction to christianity.
April 15, 2024
Writer at one point says even non-Christians acknowledge the resurrection, then lists exclusively Christian writers. Also gives the fact that we use BC/AD dates as a reason for becoming Christian?
August 12, 2024
Básicamente sustancioso!
November 26, 2020
Whilst I have my faith and I’ve retained it largely through the experiences I’ve had, I’m by no means an intellectual in faith matters. I admire those who can expound less emotional and more evidential reasons for following Jesus, but I’ve never been able, on an intellectual or confidence level, to do the same. There are many who are more capable than I am at filling this gap and one such person is Nicky Gumbel, who took over the running and administration of the Alpha Course 3 decades ago.
His book, or perhaps more accurately a pamphlet, titled “Why Jesus?” comes from this course and sets out some of the reasons for following Jesus. In a very short booklet, Gumbel talks through the reasons why he feels we need God in our lives, the objections that may be raised and what He has done for us and why he is worth following. Should you be at that point in a faith journey, he also gives you the way you can invite God into your life – it’s a potentially life changing book in a very short space.
As someone with faith, everything that is here makes sense to me and it’s a path I’ve followed. Some aspects of the book aren’t entirely relevant, partly because I’ve already followed the path, partly because they describe situations I was never in to start with. However, much of the booklet is largely generic, so it’s unlikely that anyone will fail to find anything they can relate to at all.
Perhaps the one downfall of the book is that space constraints force it to be a bit generic and rather brief. There isn’t time for much intellectual arguments and there isn’t the space to cover more detailed objections or a wide enough range of them. This is a decent introduction for an Alpha Course, but can’t replace actually having a discussion with the opportunity to ask questions and it can only perform as a taster and a brief introduction and it also doesn’t have much room for emotional arguments, which much of a faith journey can relay on. It’s a decent resource as a starting point, but can’t ideally be used as a standalone resource, as it doesn’t have the depth for that.
His book, or perhaps more accurately a pamphlet, titled “Why Jesus?” comes from this course and sets out some of the reasons for following Jesus. In a very short booklet, Gumbel talks through the reasons why he feels we need God in our lives, the objections that may be raised and what He has done for us and why he is worth following. Should you be at that point in a faith journey, he also gives you the way you can invite God into your life – it’s a potentially life changing book in a very short space.
As someone with faith, everything that is here makes sense to me and it’s a path I’ve followed. Some aspects of the book aren’t entirely relevant, partly because I’ve already followed the path, partly because they describe situations I was never in to start with. However, much of the booklet is largely generic, so it’s unlikely that anyone will fail to find anything they can relate to at all.
Perhaps the one downfall of the book is that space constraints force it to be a bit generic and rather brief. There isn’t time for much intellectual arguments and there isn’t the space to cover more detailed objections or a wide enough range of them. This is a decent introduction for an Alpha Course, but can’t replace actually having a discussion with the opportunity to ask questions and it can only perform as a taster and a brief introduction and it also doesn’t have much room for emotional arguments, which much of a faith journey can relay on. It’s a decent resource as a starting point, but can’t ideally be used as a standalone resource, as it doesn’t have the depth for that.
October 3, 2025
For context, I read the expanded content version which is 30 pages instead of 20...
So, for starters, I really love the Alpha course and content and find it to be an incredibly invitational and hospitable environment for those trying to ask questions and seek clarity around Jesus. That being said, this pamphlet/brochure reads much more like a tract (which feels very counter to what Alpha is), and (perhaps due to size alone) comes across very trite and simplistic. It assumes one type of reader and doesn't give space for how someone might be approaching the topic (again, it's a pamphlet so can't really, but that makes me just wonder if it's necessary or helpful to begin with). It also feels like it's speeding someone to a prayer/decision and not giving space for lingering questions/concerns (the "why not" section that discusses why someone might say theyre not ready kinda just sped past reasons someone has by saying "you dont know when your last chance will be" and felt very much like teying to force a decision- again very much NOT like the rest of the alpha course and content).
Again, I love the Alpha course and content, but this booklet felt much more like the Gospel tract category of evangelism which was a bit of a surprise.
So, for starters, I really love the Alpha course and content and find it to be an incredibly invitational and hospitable environment for those trying to ask questions and seek clarity around Jesus. That being said, this pamphlet/brochure reads much more like a tract (which feels very counter to what Alpha is), and (perhaps due to size alone) comes across very trite and simplistic. It assumes one type of reader and doesn't give space for how someone might be approaching the topic (again, it's a pamphlet so can't really, but that makes me just wonder if it's necessary or helpful to begin with). It also feels like it's speeding someone to a prayer/decision and not giving space for lingering questions/concerns (the "why not" section that discusses why someone might say theyre not ready kinda just sped past reasons someone has by saying "you dont know when your last chance will be" and felt very much like teying to force a decision- again very much NOT like the rest of the alpha course and content).
Again, I love the Alpha course and content, but this booklet felt much more like the Gospel tract category of evangelism which was a bit of a surprise.
November 11, 2023
A beautiful book on why we should receive The life of Christ. He further expresses why people may be resistant to this message, the excuses they could give, and the fears in their heart. To me, it is a detailed explanation of why you should, and you have to receive The life of Christ. 4.5 ⭐️
February 12, 2020
Great quick read that covers the “jist”
This is a good companion for the alpha course. Gave some fresh spins on a few things and some good refresher on others. Worth the money
This is a good companion for the alpha course. Gave some fresh spins on a few things and some good refresher on others. Worth the money
January 13, 2026
Beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews