Book Review

“The Gospel You Never Heard,“ What a Protestant Bible written by Jews says about God’s work through Christ, by David I Rudel

I had mixed feelings about the book. At times it seemed the author was working on a study of certain words without really knowing exactly where he was going with it. For example he begins by questioning that Jesus was the only way to heaven, but then he never gives a solid answer nor does he return to the question.
Another example is that he never seems to answer the question that is on the cover of the book, Who goes to hell?

On the other had he does a good job of emphasizing and putting a new perspective on many words that we relate with the gospel. 'Repentance' is not faith but a changed direction in life, too many times we fail to distinguish the difference between faith and repentance. I like how John Wesley distinguish the two he said that salvation is the house, faith is the door and repentance is the front porch. In too many evangelical circles we have failed to cross the front porch.
Another word the writer stresses is 'salvation'. Salvation is not saved to go to heaven but saved to live a new life which was preceded by faith and repentance.

I would have liked to seen the author do a better study on the word sin. For I feel a lot of theological controversy surrounds a working definition for sin. For example some questions for sin that needs to be answered would be, What sins are we accountable for? Do we and must we sin everyday? And if we have to sin everyday how does that equate with us having salvation from sin?

I would give the book 2 stars