An Undevotional: Jesus Is Still Speaking Through the Gospel of Luke

In the same spirit as his previous book Big Jesus Watson takes us on a journey through the Gospel of Luke with a touch of humor and a wheelbarrow full of insights and information. Watson believes nothing is more pretentiously self-pious than to write something and call it a devotional unless one has already been canonized as a saint. An Undevotional is not a spoon-fed offering of theological niceties but rather a head-spinning array of possibilities into the mind and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth with contemporary applications. At times irreverent at all times interesting this book is un-indispensable for Jesus devotees and un-devotees alike. As a priest ordained after nine long years in Roman Catholic seminaries I am somewhat allergic to devotional writings. They bring to mind hair shirts and self flagellation or overly sentimental ohs and ahs. If you are a pure-like-the-first-snow nun or anointed-to-worship-in-tongues born again Christian you may find this undevotional not only unsatisfactory but also unholy. However if you happen to be one of those who try to make sense of the ancient story of Jesus in this very postmodern world Jimmy Watsons book might just be the straw you need to clutch at. Unconventional but easily understandable this undevotional makes it possible to be a sane believer once again. --Marek Bożek. Pastor of St. Stanislaus Polish Catholic Church in St. Louis Jimmy R. Watson is the senior pastor at Immanuel United Church of Christ in Ferguson Missouri. He has served congregations in Texas Missouri Indiana and Kentucky. He is the author of Big Jesus: A Pastors Struggle with Christology.