Book Note - The Jesus Way by Peter Walker

The Jesus Way: The Essential Christian Starter Kit by Peter Walker. Monarch Books, 2009.

Dr Peter Walker was lecturer at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford. In his academic capacity he has focused a lot on Jerusalem and the Holy Land*. In fact, he has written the book that I think anybody studying Eschatology should read carefully - Jesus and the Holy City: New Testament Perspectives on Jerusalem (Eerdmans, 1996). However, as a churchman he has written many more books to help Christians understand the Bible and how to be disciples of Jesus. The Jesus Way is in this later category. Walker focuses on two chapters of the Bible - Luke 24 (Learning from Jesus Himself) and Acts 2 (Learning from the Apostles). This in itself is helpful as the reader has two chunks of Scripture to meditate on while reading the book.

The contents are:

1. Enjoy Jesus' Resurrection
2. Accept His Forgiveness
3. Welcome His Spirit
4. Feed on His Scriptures
5. Participate in His Meal
6. Bear Witness to His Reign
7. Share with Jesus' People
8. Worship His Majesty
9. Follow His Teaching
10. Live His Life
11. Resist His Enemy
12. Trust Him for the Future

I think this book is an excellent modern introduction to the Christian life. The teaching contained in it is solid, minus gimmicks and to the point. It would be very useful to new adult Christians and, with the addition of a good study Bible and a healthy local Church, would set a good foundation for growth and maturity in the faith.

* See the following books edited by Walker.

1. Jerusalem Past & Present in the Purposes of God (Cambridge: Tyndale House: 1992; 2nd ed., Carlisle: Paternoster, 1994)
2. The Land of Promise: biblical, historical and theological perspectives (ed. with P.S. Johnston; Leicester: IVP, 2000)
3. The Bible and the Land: Israeli, Palestinian and Western perspectives (ed. with M. Wood & L. Loden; Bethlehem: Musalaha, 2000)
4. The Gospel and the Land of Promise: Christian Approaches to the Land of the Bible (ed. with Philip Church, Tim Bulkeley, Tim Meadowcroft; Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2011)