Compassionate Creator: Becoming Human for Me

by Bruce Morton

Jesus' birth and early years paint the portrait of the God who acts differently than we expect. The young Nazarene brings us face-to-face with issues that require more than reading a brief text message. Jesus' story urges us to make sense of His uncommon birth and life in light of first-century Roman and Jewish culture. His birth presses on us to think about the unimaginable: Did the Creator of the universe come to a tiny blue dot in the cosmos? Did God become human?

It is a story saturated with love and hope for many. It is also the story of a land caught up in social, political, and spiritual struggle. The joyful birth of a tiny little boy contrasts with the pressures that bear down on Joseph, Mary, and many others. They also pierce Jesus' life as He grows up. The Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John beckon us to consider our compassionate Creator in His world and by so doing dare to see our world and ourselves more clearly.

182 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2019

About the author

Bruce Morton serves as an Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Faulkner University, Montgomery, Alabama. Much of his attention as a teacher goes to helping Freshmen and Sophomores better understand the biblical worldview.

This work has helped him better grasp the questions and issues on the minds of 18-24 year-old young adults. Many of them, like many others in the U.S., wonder what to make of the Gospels and much of the New Testament. They see that the counter-cultural example of Jesus carries more depth than is often attributed to Him and to His teachings.

In addition to teaching on a university campus and in church settings, he also enjoys being a husband, father, and grandfather. He is married to a precious Christian woman. Bruce and Sharon have an oldest daughter and two sons. They also have a son-in-law, two daughters-in-law, and two grandchildren. He and Sharon are followers of Jesus and are dedicated to keeping His teachings. Their six children have a like faith.

Reviews

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible. This is the type of book I wish was required in my college religion and religious history classes.
This is a book. About history, religion, and knowledge.
I consider it to be one of those books everyone should read at least once in their life, despite what they believe in. It was history. Facts. It was one of those books you read in a college class and think, "Wow, I actually liked that book."

Looking at it, it wouldn't be anywhere near the realm of the books I'd choose to pick up and freely read. The only time I found myself reading genres such as philosophy, religion and history was when I was studying for those classes in college. However, there's a reason I think about Plato's Republic, or this book more than I do any of the cheesy chick-lit romances I usually read. That's because it was compelling, eye-opening and something completely different than what I'm used to.
This book wasn't a run-down of Jesus' birth, life and death. It is a philosophical book that forces the reader to consider the gray spaces and "between the lines" of the events that transpired during that time. It opens the reader's mind to critical analysis and creative thinking; did God become human and a father to Jesus after he was born on Earth?

Aside from the philosophy, history and religion; this book was incredibly inspiring. Coming from someone who's struggled with religion in the past, wrapping my head around the ideas and concepts that follow religion, it was... beautiful to see the way Bruce Morton painted the world in this book. It felt as if I were picking his brain for his perspective on the world.

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway, and it has quickly become one of the best books I've read in a long time. Put it on the list up there next to "Atlas Shrugged" because it was fantastic. Highly recommended.

[Michael Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruce Morton is an assistant professor at Faulkner University and was an undergraduate college classmate of mine at Freed-Hardeman University. Bruce has written an engaging explanation of the Christian beliefs that Jesus was the Son of God incarnated as human. He builds a persuasive popular level eleven chapter narrative, buttressed by more than twenty pages of endnotes that address issues more in depth. Four appendices discuss extra-biblical matters like the trustworthiness of the Gospels, pseudepigraphal treatment of Jesus' life, and the role of Mary in relation to Jesus and Christians. Appendix A is a discussion guide that would be helpful when using the book for a Sunday School class. Morton engages scientific research and observations about nature as relevant to the biblical assertion that Christ was Creator but also stresses the compassionate, yet disciplined, core of his teachings.

[Ann Lannon]

As of yet I have not received the book.