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Jesus of the East: Reclaiming the Gospel for the Wounded
Why does our theology of salvation focus on forgiving sinners, but not on healing those wounded by sin? Much of Western Christianity has subdued the narrative of Jesus as a Palestinian Jewish healer and liberator who served the sick and oppressed. But the Jesus of the Gospels is a revolutionary who stands with the sinned against, the wounded, and the marginalized. In Jesus of the East, author Phuc Luu re-narrates the life of Jesus to show how he made it his work to topple systems that privileged the few and disregarded the many, especially the poor and lowest. In this provocative book, Luu offers a counter-narrative to Western Christianity, which for centuries has legitimized colonization and violence to prop up the powerful at the expense of the masses. Pulling from the tradition of the early Eastern church, the present work of theologians of the oppressed, and Luu’s own experiences as a Vietnamese immigrant, Jesus of the East offers a transformative vision of healing for the world. For those living in the land between pain and hope, Luu’s prophetic words will renew our imaginations and draw us closer to the heart of God.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 16, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 21, 2021
Has to be one of the best theological books I have read in a longtime and it isn't lost on me that it comes from a voice that is not particularly established in writing (that of a Vietnamese man). This is a book that combines very insightful theology with the therapeutic reminder of who we are as children of God. All good theology should remind us of the love and action of God, and this book knocked it out of the park.
Filled with a great criticism of Western thinking, localized in Christian theology, this book offers a new way of believing and moving. Coming from the restoration view of "han" in Korean/ Vietnamese theology, I learned that the focus of our time with God is to be reminded that God is about the restoration of the wounded. A different shade from liberation theology, but of the same cut. God works in the benefit of us through opportunities of healing.
In reflecting on the book, I learned so much, but was most grateful for the Christian lens provided to look at current issues with. I have not read a book that has done an adequate job of that, but this is something that I can cherish and look to for answers in my day to day. Truly, some of the hard hitting questions that faith has given me in my time, are answered/ faced by Phuc Luu in the midst of this book. Can't recommend this enough.
Filled with a great criticism of Western thinking, localized in Christian theology, this book offers a new way of believing and moving. Coming from the restoration view of "han" in Korean/ Vietnamese theology, I learned that the focus of our time with God is to be reminded that God is about the restoration of the wounded. A different shade from liberation theology, but of the same cut. God works in the benefit of us through opportunities of healing.
In reflecting on the book, I learned so much, but was most grateful for the Christian lens provided to look at current issues with. I have not read a book that has done an adequate job of that, but this is something that I can cherish and look to for answers in my day to day. Truly, some of the hard hitting questions that faith has given me in my time, are answered/ faced by Phuc Luu in the midst of this book. Can't recommend this enough.
February 5, 2024
I'm torn on Jesus of the East: Reclaiming the Gospel for the Wounded. There is so much to be gained here from Phuc Luu, especially in understanding the fundamentally relational nature of God. This book is so good when arguing from the positive: the views of the Eastern Fathers, Luu's own experiences, and especially Asian-American theologians. When arguing from the negative, I found the book less-than-compelling.
First, the positive:
1. A distinctly Asian theology, emphasizing the idea of "Han" or woundedness. God's work in Jesus is about bringing healing to humanity's pain, and wholeness to all of creation. There is also the category of the sinned-against, those who have suffered deep pain at the hands of others. They are Jesus' priority.
2. Sin is what causes us to be out of harmony with the world and our created intent. It violates the law of love toward God and others.
3. Jesus restores the divine image through recapitulation (Irenaeus). Jesus, as both the divine image and our representative, is able to make us new again and restore the image and likeness of God that was marred in us. He does so by bringing us back into relationship with the Father and destroying the enmity that we held toward God through sacrificial love. God is so generous in his creation of us.
4. The healing that Jesus brings is holistic, shalom. Through the restoration of the divine image, creation itself is also restored. Through his embodiment, Jesus heals the physical human body at every stage. The re-creation of the divine image allows us to see others as they truly are.
5. God is committed to non-violence, and Jesus brings healing by destroying cycles of violence through self-sacrifice. He suffers Han at the hands of men, choosing rather to destroy death by death.
The negative:
1. I really wanted to give JOTE five stars, but it repeatedly argues against caricatures of arguments or people. This was particularly egregious when talking about penal substitutionary atonement. I would have much preferred a nuanced argument against PSA than literally the worst form of PSA preaching. If "the myth of redemptive violence" bothers you but you want to understand the atonement in its sacrificial/substitutional nature, check out The Mosaic of Atonement: An Integrated Approach to Christ's Work.
2. Church history is not uniform. Presenting the eastern fathers as a unified whole is misleading. Further, it seems disingenuous to hold up the Eastern Fathers when they support a narrative or theme, but not talk about the instances when they don't. For instance, on the atonement, Athanasius says:
"Thus, taking a body like our own, because all our bodies were liable to the corruption of death, [Jesus] surrendered His body to death instead of all, and offered it to the Father. This He did out of sheer love for us, so that in His death all might die, and the law of death thereby be abolished because, having fulfilled in His body that for which it was appointed, it was thereafter voided of its power for men." - On the Incarnation, 2.8.
Luu argues that the Fathers didn't see God as operating out of a forensic framework. Fair. But Athanasius clearly understands death as the consequence of sin (the "penal" aspect). Further, Jesus suffered death in the place of all (substitution), offering his body to the Father (atonement).
All in all, I really loved JOTE. My criticisms are meant as an encouragement to read in dialogue with Phuc Luu and his ideas. I take his reactions with a grain of salt, understanding that he's trying to correct big failures in evangelical visions of Jesus (very good) but also overcorrects.
First, the positive:
1. A distinctly Asian theology, emphasizing the idea of "Han" or woundedness. God's work in Jesus is about bringing healing to humanity's pain, and wholeness to all of creation. There is also the category of the sinned-against, those who have suffered deep pain at the hands of others. They are Jesus' priority.
2. Sin is what causes us to be out of harmony with the world and our created intent. It violates the law of love toward God and others.
3. Jesus restores the divine image through recapitulation (Irenaeus). Jesus, as both the divine image and our representative, is able to make us new again and restore the image and likeness of God that was marred in us. He does so by bringing us back into relationship with the Father and destroying the enmity that we held toward God through sacrificial love. God is so generous in his creation of us.
4. The healing that Jesus brings is holistic, shalom. Through the restoration of the divine image, creation itself is also restored. Through his embodiment, Jesus heals the physical human body at every stage. The re-creation of the divine image allows us to see others as they truly are.
5. God is committed to non-violence, and Jesus brings healing by destroying cycles of violence through self-sacrifice. He suffers Han at the hands of men, choosing rather to destroy death by death.
The negative:
1. I really wanted to give JOTE five stars, but it repeatedly argues against caricatures of arguments or people. This was particularly egregious when talking about penal substitutionary atonement. I would have much preferred a nuanced argument against PSA than literally the worst form of PSA preaching. If "the myth of redemptive violence" bothers you but you want to understand the atonement in its sacrificial/substitutional nature, check out The Mosaic of Atonement: An Integrated Approach to Christ's Work.
2. Church history is not uniform. Presenting the eastern fathers as a unified whole is misleading. Further, it seems disingenuous to hold up the Eastern Fathers when they support a narrative or theme, but not talk about the instances when they don't. For instance, on the atonement, Athanasius says:
"Thus, taking a body like our own, because all our bodies were liable to the corruption of death, [Jesus] surrendered His body to death instead of all, and offered it to the Father. This He did out of sheer love for us, so that in His death all might die, and the law of death thereby be abolished because, having fulfilled in His body that for which it was appointed, it was thereafter voided of its power for men." - On the Incarnation, 2.8.
Luu argues that the Fathers didn't see God as operating out of a forensic framework. Fair. But Athanasius clearly understands death as the consequence of sin (the "penal" aspect). Further, Jesus suffered death in the place of all (substitution), offering his body to the Father (atonement).
All in all, I really loved JOTE. My criticisms are meant as an encouragement to read in dialogue with Phuc Luu and his ideas. I take his reactions with a grain of salt, understanding that he's trying to correct big failures in evangelical visions of Jesus (very good) but also overcorrects.
April 19, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. It helps to come to this book with some background knowledge of church history and of the different theological views of the atonement.
I love the author’s heart of compassion for the suffering, oppressed and marginalized people of the world. He beautifully and passionately points to the way of Jesus as the way of sacrificial love and peaceful nonviolence. He appropriately calls out the Western church for the harms that its alliance with empire have wrought over the centuries. He rightly calls for the American church to reckon with its history of participation in genocide against Native Americans, race based slavery and segregation, its ongoing complicity with racism, antisemitism, xenophobia and homophobia and its attempts to suppress that history. When Luu denounces these wrongs and addresses issues like poverty, immigration, gun violence, predatory lending, unequal access to healthcare and education, police brutality, and our incarceration rates; when he cites some of my heroes like Henri Nouwen, John Perkins and Dietrich Bonhoeffer and when he advocates for restorative justice, I’m ready to stand up and shout, “Preach it Brother!” But when he maintains that in order to participate in the restorative work of the Kingdom of God we must align our theology to his, I have to sit back down because I can't follow him there.
I think Luu makes a valid point that questionable theology can harm the vulnerable of our society. We can prioritize forgiving the perpetrator over caring for the victims of sin, especially when the sinner is a person of power and privilege. When we see sin as primarily individual and personal, we can turn a blind eye to systemic and corporate sin that keeps people in bondage to exploitation and poverty. Luu correctly states that overemphasis on the hereafter hinders participation in the Kingdom of God here and now, although I think he swings too far in the other direction. I don't recall him clearly affirming the promise of a future bodily resurrection and life everlasting that we confess in the Apostles Creed.
He raises some compelling questions about the doctrines of original sin as introduced by St. Augustine of Hippo and penal substitutionary atonement, as introduced by Martin Luther and John Calvin. With regard to theories of atonement, he may be right when he suggests that the Bible doesn’t provide a clear systematic theology to explain what exactly happened at the cross. But he overstates his case and paints with too broad a brush when he blames penal substitutionary atonement for the violence and injustice in the history of the West and particularly in the US. Although it’s the predominant theory of atonement in the American church, it’s not the only one that influences our culture and values. If you listen to the language of our hymns, gospel songs and contemporary worship music, for example, you’ll usually hear a blending of elements from different views of the atonement. The various theories of atonement are complex, have been debated over the centuries, overlap to some extent, and most have some basis of Biblical support. Luu presents several that he seems to prefer, but avoids mentioning that some of them originated in the West.
With his broad brush, he creates some false dichotomies between Western Christianity (bad) and Eastern Christianity (good), the Eastern Church fathers (correct) and the Western Church fathers (errant), a Jesus of the East (an accurate portrayal) and a Jesus of the West (inaccurate). His Jesus of the East seems based on a mixture of historic Eastern Orthodoxy and an intriguing Korean theology called Minjung, but it’s unclear how these converge to provide a unified and superior understanding of Jesus.
I love the author’s heart of compassion for the suffering, oppressed and marginalized people of the world. He beautifully and passionately points to the way of Jesus as the way of sacrificial love and peaceful nonviolence. He appropriately calls out the Western church for the harms that its alliance with empire have wrought over the centuries. He rightly calls for the American church to reckon with its history of participation in genocide against Native Americans, race based slavery and segregation, its ongoing complicity with racism, antisemitism, xenophobia and homophobia and its attempts to suppress that history. When Luu denounces these wrongs and addresses issues like poverty, immigration, gun violence, predatory lending, unequal access to healthcare and education, police brutality, and our incarceration rates; when he cites some of my heroes like Henri Nouwen, John Perkins and Dietrich Bonhoeffer and when he advocates for restorative justice, I’m ready to stand up and shout, “Preach it Brother!” But when he maintains that in order to participate in the restorative work of the Kingdom of God we must align our theology to his, I have to sit back down because I can't follow him there.
I think Luu makes a valid point that questionable theology can harm the vulnerable of our society. We can prioritize forgiving the perpetrator over caring for the victims of sin, especially when the sinner is a person of power and privilege. When we see sin as primarily individual and personal, we can turn a blind eye to systemic and corporate sin that keeps people in bondage to exploitation and poverty. Luu correctly states that overemphasis on the hereafter hinders participation in the Kingdom of God here and now, although I think he swings too far in the other direction. I don't recall him clearly affirming the promise of a future bodily resurrection and life everlasting that we confess in the Apostles Creed.
He raises some compelling questions about the doctrines of original sin as introduced by St. Augustine of Hippo and penal substitutionary atonement, as introduced by Martin Luther and John Calvin. With regard to theories of atonement, he may be right when he suggests that the Bible doesn’t provide a clear systematic theology to explain what exactly happened at the cross. But he overstates his case and paints with too broad a brush when he blames penal substitutionary atonement for the violence and injustice in the history of the West and particularly in the US. Although it’s the predominant theory of atonement in the American church, it’s not the only one that influences our culture and values. If you listen to the language of our hymns, gospel songs and contemporary worship music, for example, you’ll usually hear a blending of elements from different views of the atonement. The various theories of atonement are complex, have been debated over the centuries, overlap to some extent, and most have some basis of Biblical support. Luu presents several that he seems to prefer, but avoids mentioning that some of them originated in the West.
With his broad brush, he creates some false dichotomies between Western Christianity (bad) and Eastern Christianity (good), the Eastern Church fathers (correct) and the Western Church fathers (errant), a Jesus of the East (an accurate portrayal) and a Jesus of the West (inaccurate). His Jesus of the East seems based on a mixture of historic Eastern Orthodoxy and an intriguing Korean theology called Minjung, but it’s unclear how these converge to provide a unified and superior understanding of Jesus.
July 4, 2020
Such a fantastic book!
I have been following Phuc Luu’s work around good news for the han-ridden for years, and I’m thrilled that he’s published his work in such an accessible, engaging format.
Jesus of the East is filled with serious, impactful theology - examining the ongoing allure of Gnosticism and the ways that Augustine’s theory of original sin have shaped our modern western Christianity. The theology Phuc presents is sound, biblically rooted, and rife with implications for how we live, from his meaningful emphasis on the life of Jesus to presenting an atonement theory that doesn’t perpetuate the myth of redemptive violence.
All that being said, what moved my rating from 4 stars to 5 is the eminent readability of this book. It’s one I can easily recommend to family and friends (and already have). Night after night, I stayed up reading later than I intended because Phuc’s conversational tone is so digestible, while sacrificing nothing in terms of content.
Far from being remote and abstract, Jesus of the East considers current racial oppression, social movements, and other current forces for justice through the radical lens of the kingdom. The true good news, he says, is that there is healing and restoration for the sinner, the sinner-against, and all of creation.
I have been following Phuc Luu’s work around good news for the han-ridden for years, and I’m thrilled that he’s published his work in such an accessible, engaging format.
Jesus of the East is filled with serious, impactful theology - examining the ongoing allure of Gnosticism and the ways that Augustine’s theory of original sin have shaped our modern western Christianity. The theology Phuc presents is sound, biblically rooted, and rife with implications for how we live, from his meaningful emphasis on the life of Jesus to presenting an atonement theory that doesn’t perpetuate the myth of redemptive violence.
All that being said, what moved my rating from 4 stars to 5 is the eminent readability of this book. It’s one I can easily recommend to family and friends (and already have). Night after night, I stayed up reading later than I intended because Phuc’s conversational tone is so digestible, while sacrificing nothing in terms of content.
Far from being remote and abstract, Jesus of the East considers current racial oppression, social movements, and other current forces for justice through the radical lens of the kingdom. The true good news, he says, is that there is healing and restoration for the sinner, the sinner-against, and all of creation.
November 7, 2021
For many in the Western church, Jesus is a Western construct. We don’t always realize it, because it’s been the case since virtually the Romanization of Christianity with Constantine and evolved as the Europeanization of Christianity became the Americanization of Christianity as time moved forward. Almost altogether lost was the brown-skinned, Palestinian liberator who stood as a counter to oppressive systems and whose salvation held massive implications for the present world. Jesus of the East, written by Phuc Luu, is a paradigm-shifting realignment of how we view Jesus, the gospel, and salvation. It’s challenging, insightful, and liberating. It’s bound to make some people uncomfortable (for who wants to be told that their theology is wrong?), but for many Luu’s words will be a healing balm that sheds new but actually ancient light on the person of Christ.
Jesus of the East balances this eastern perspective of Jesus with a manifesto of the harm that the western perspective has done and how it has been weaponized against ethnic, sexual, and religious minorities. In talking about the enfleshment of Christ and the importance of the body in Christianity, Luu raises the issues of police violence, Native American relocation, warfare, and more. He cogently and effectively shows how Western Christianity’s focus on the afterlife has excused any number of evils in this life.
Luu rightly reframes Jesus’s ministry as one in which he enters into the lives of the wounded and suffering. Using the Korean concept of han—a deep woundedness of unresolved victimization that results anger, hatred, and violence—to explain the cycle of suffering that Jesus came to end. Luu draws on Korean history to bring nuance to the term, uses examples from Korean theologian Andrew Sung Park to illuminate the term biblically, then applies it in particular to racial issues in the United States. The result is a call to image Jesus, to reenvision the Kingdom, and bring about healing.
The Kingdom that Jesus of the East calls its readers toward is one intrinsically focused not on the next world, but this one. Not one praying to God to get them out of this existence, but to be used through this existence to redeem it. It moves faith from the personal to the communal, encouraging readers to see how it calls us to stand against oppression, tear down unjust systems, and bring peace and justice to the downtrodden.
Through it all, Luu shares his story, ending each chapter with a personal vignette that ties to the chapter’s theme. I thought these could have been better integrated into the story, but they do show Luu’s personal connection to the topic and helps readers understand the personal zealousness that runs through the work.
Jesus of the East is an exceptional work. It’s worth wrestling with and seriously considering. Luu asks readers to reconsider the dominant strain of theology that they’ve been taught is the only one and, while doing so may be uncomfortable, breaking those chains of oppression is so liberating. This is a gospel that truly is good news and Luu preaches it with zeal and confidence.
Jesus of the East balances this eastern perspective of Jesus with a manifesto of the harm that the western perspective has done and how it has been weaponized against ethnic, sexual, and religious minorities. In talking about the enfleshment of Christ and the importance of the body in Christianity, Luu raises the issues of police violence, Native American relocation, warfare, and more. He cogently and effectively shows how Western Christianity’s focus on the afterlife has excused any number of evils in this life.
Luu rightly reframes Jesus’s ministry as one in which he enters into the lives of the wounded and suffering. Using the Korean concept of han—a deep woundedness of unresolved victimization that results anger, hatred, and violence—to explain the cycle of suffering that Jesus came to end. Luu draws on Korean history to bring nuance to the term, uses examples from Korean theologian Andrew Sung Park to illuminate the term biblically, then applies it in particular to racial issues in the United States. The result is a call to image Jesus, to reenvision the Kingdom, and bring about healing.
The Kingdom that Jesus of the East calls its readers toward is one intrinsically focused not on the next world, but this one. Not one praying to God to get them out of this existence, but to be used through this existence to redeem it. It moves faith from the personal to the communal, encouraging readers to see how it calls us to stand against oppression, tear down unjust systems, and bring peace and justice to the downtrodden.
Through it all, Luu shares his story, ending each chapter with a personal vignette that ties to the chapter’s theme. I thought these could have been better integrated into the story, but they do show Luu’s personal connection to the topic and helps readers understand the personal zealousness that runs through the work.
Jesus of the East is an exceptional work. It’s worth wrestling with and seriously considering. Luu asks readers to reconsider the dominant strain of theology that they’ve been taught is the only one and, while doing so may be uncomfortable, breaking those chains of oppression is so liberating. This is a gospel that truly is good news and Luu preaches it with zeal and confidence.
June 22, 2022
Luu does a fantastic job of educating his reader on the history of how we got to our version of modern-day white Christianity, how it became a religion to absolve the conqueror than comfort and avenge the conquered. He articulates so well certain theological inconsistencies common in the white church and is not afraid to face hard questions head on, refusing to settle for the meaningless answers that too many of us have become numb to. This book is full of hope and conviction; it gives me new eyes to see Jesus for who he truly was when he lived on the earth and who he has always been and will always be.
April 23, 2023
I read this book in Santa Barbara last year, in the midst of a season of intense fear / wandering. Luu's "decolonizing grasp" on what it might mean to be a person of while moving out from underneath the institutional strongholds so many are leaving behind was helpful and encouraging.
July 19, 2021
Really really good takes here. I’ve never read about the theology perspective in terms of geography with Jesus of the East vs Jesus of the West. Very convicting to be reminded out the Western Jesus constructed from colonizing Christianity built on power. The author reminded me refreshing restructuring of new ways to look at sin and the cross.
I’ll give a few QOTB bc these capture it better than I can:
“Christians must abandon the faith of the conquerors and colonizers and return to a faith that brings healing to the hurting, and wholeness where damage has been inflicted by oppressive forms of Christianity. These forms of oppressive religion have condoned the presence of sexual predators among the clergy while also seeking to claim the moral high ground by advocating for unborn fetuses. They have refused to ordain women and LGBTQ* people but have supported men who abuse their power in relationships with women, persons of color, and persons who do not identify in sexually binary or heteronormative ways. They seek to proclaim ‘truth’ of Christianity, but are easily given to false narrative, ‘alternative facts’, the denial of scientific evidence, and blatant and continual lies.”
“Perhaps a better question than whether Christianity will survive in today’s age is the question of which kind of Christianity and whose Jesus will be passed down to our theological descendants?”
“Theology, like history, is written by the victors.”
I’ll give a few QOTB bc these capture it better than I can:
“Christians must abandon the faith of the conquerors and colonizers and return to a faith that brings healing to the hurting, and wholeness where damage has been inflicted by oppressive forms of Christianity. These forms of oppressive religion have condoned the presence of sexual predators among the clergy while also seeking to claim the moral high ground by advocating for unborn fetuses. They have refused to ordain women and LGBTQ* people but have supported men who abuse their power in relationships with women, persons of color, and persons who do not identify in sexually binary or heteronormative ways. They seek to proclaim ‘truth’ of Christianity, but are easily given to false narrative, ‘alternative facts’, the denial of scientific evidence, and blatant and continual lies.”
“Perhaps a better question than whether Christianity will survive in today’s age is the question of which kind of Christianity and whose Jesus will be passed down to our theological descendants?”
“Theology, like history, is written by the victors.”
November 3, 2020
Phuc Luu writes with such poignancy. He interweaves theology, history, narrative and personal reflection with a poetic presence that is unique and captivating.
He draws on Eastern Christianity as well as the Korean understanding of “han” (those who have been sinned against) to portray Jesus as one who atones for death itself. He suggests that the Eastern Fathers saw sin as a symptom of death (and not the other way around), and that Jesus reconciles all to Himself through solidarity with those who are wounded and sinned against.
He ends the book with a vision of healing that goes beyond the confines of liberal and charismatic evangelicalism. He points to justice work and reconciliation as a means toward understanding the triune God, healing our woundedness, and breaking the cycles of sin.
This is definitely in the top 10 books I’ve ever read and I’ll be recommending this book to people for years to come. What a gift Phuc Luu has given us!
He draws on Eastern Christianity as well as the Korean understanding of “han” (those who have been sinned against) to portray Jesus as one who atones for death itself. He suggests that the Eastern Fathers saw sin as a symptom of death (and not the other way around), and that Jesus reconciles all to Himself through solidarity with those who are wounded and sinned against.
He ends the book with a vision of healing that goes beyond the confines of liberal and charismatic evangelicalism. He points to justice work and reconciliation as a means toward understanding the triune God, healing our woundedness, and breaking the cycles of sin.
This is definitely in the top 10 books I’ve ever read and I’ll be recommending this book to people for years to come. What a gift Phuc Luu has given us!
February 1, 2021
Jesus of the East describes something I've rarely found in Christian circles - an Asian-American theology. Phuc Luu examines the person of Jesus as viewed through Eastern eyes - as perhaps he was meant to be seen. He examines and begins to untangle how Evangelical theology is often a Western, colonial one - how this "Jesus of the West" is, perhaps, not Jesus at all. Luu also offers an alternative the the Western Jesus, and offers a different theology that is rooted in history and orthodoxy yet often goes unnoticed by western Christians.
I also love how he unpacks the notions of han and dan, of suffering, forsakenness, and redemption, bringing in Korean minjung theology to a discussion often dominated by whiteness.
I wish we had more space given to how the Kin-dom of Jesus might look like, found in Chapter 7. However, I also recognize that at least in America, this is still a new and burgeoning field, so perhaps it is still in its infancy.
I also love how he unpacks the notions of han and dan, of suffering, forsakenness, and redemption, bringing in Korean minjung theology to a discussion often dominated by whiteness.
I wish we had more space given to how the Kin-dom of Jesus might look like, found in Chapter 7. However, I also recognize that at least in America, this is still a new and burgeoning field, so perhaps it is still in its infancy.
January 11, 2021
A must read!
Jesus of the east is a necessary and inspiring counter to American evangelicalism's distortion of Jesus. Some key themes, each worth the price of the book alone:
1. The gospel is for the sinned-against first and foremost.
2. Decolonizing the faith.
3. Presenting Jesus through non-white, non-western lenses.
4. The Korean concept of "han" helps understand the cultural impact sin has on cultures, and how Jesus came to heal sin.
5. This book eviscerates theology that isn't rooted in the radical life and teachings of Jesus, including dangerous ideologies like Original Sin and Penal Substitutionary Atonement.
SO GOOD!
Jesus of the east is a necessary and inspiring counter to American evangelicalism's distortion of Jesus. Some key themes, each worth the price of the book alone:
1. The gospel is for the sinned-against first and foremost.
2. Decolonizing the faith.
3. Presenting Jesus through non-white, non-western lenses.
4. The Korean concept of "han" helps understand the cultural impact sin has on cultures, and how Jesus came to heal sin.
5. This book eviscerates theology that isn't rooted in the radical life and teachings of Jesus, including dangerous ideologies like Original Sin and Penal Substitutionary Atonement.
SO GOOD!
December 10, 2021
An excellent, thought provoking look at the Scriptures from a non-Western perspective that, I feel, accurately points out where the West has warped the gospel; in turn how the West presents Jesus to the world.
July 12, 2020
Personal and provocative. Challenging, clear-eyed, and compassionate. Inviting and intellectual. Thoughtful and timely.
Read
August 4, 2020so helpful!
December 26, 2022
I had to read this for class and I really enjoyed it
Read
August 2, 2023Luu draws on insights from postcolonial and Eastern Orthodox theology to correct errors in Western Christendom's narrow gospel and encourage a more holist, healing good news of Jesus.
May 15, 2021
I liked this book so much that I ended up giving away my print copy to a friend in need before I’d finished it — I read the rest on Kindle. The writing is richhhh, both style and material. No, I don’t agree with all points and some are built on what I believe to be over-generalizations (hence the removed star), but don’t let that sway you from reading this mind-bending work. I’d call it nonsense if a Western Christian stepped away without challenging at least a handful of their current perceptions. I intend to continue study of Korean and Vietnamese theologies thanks to this good, good book.
May 23, 2023
It took me a while to read this book, simply because I had to keep rereading and processing the ideas in it, so that I really considered what Phuc was saying. But my goodness, this book has changed me for the better. This is an entirely new way of thinking about God and theology that I was NEVER taught, and is incredibly in line with the sections of Jesus' life that I've never known how to rightly interpret.
I would recommend EVERYONE EVER to read this book (obviously and the 4 Gospels, but besides actual scripture, this book is on my required reading list). Incredibly done, incredibly conversational, easy to follow, and full of compassion around weighty concepts. Honestly, this reads like a new Mere Christianity for a better theology (if we're making comparisons).
I would recommend EVERYONE EVER to read this book (obviously and the 4 Gospels, but besides actual scripture, this book is on my required reading list). Incredibly done, incredibly conversational, easy to follow, and full of compassion around weighty concepts. Honestly, this reads like a new Mere Christianity for a better theology (if we're making comparisons).
August 10, 2020
This book explores the question of why Western Christianity focuses on the healing and restoring of the sinner, when Eastern Christianity focuses on the healing and restoring of the sinned against. Very timely in this day of Black Lives Matter, Me too Movement, and abuses by the Catholic Church. We all need to love our neighbors and seek restoration for those on the margins and outside of society.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews