In Dirty God: Jesus in the Trenches, Johnnie Moore draws on both Scripture and his extensive experience with other cultures and religions to show how the God of the Bible is unique in his willingness to be near us in all of our messiness. Moore outlines the central importance of the doctrine of grace while introducing readers to a humble and human Jesus who reaches out to us at our worst and pulls us up to our best.
Grace, Moore argues, is something that is both gotten and given, and the two-part structure of the book allows readers to explore both of these dynamics. By offering hope rather than condemnation and showing the practical applications of grace in today’s world, Dirty God will appeal to both the committed Christian and the spiritual seeker looking for a more authentic faith. Challenging and engaging, Dirty God is sure to establish Johnnie Moore as an emerging voice for Millennial and Gen-X evangelicals for years to come.
While I will be honest and say that I often gravitate toward fiction (sometimes the less thinking the better ya know?), I was struck by the picture and thought behind this book when I saw it as a review option on Booksneeze. I was ready for something that made me think and this book did not disappoint.
In this call to action, Moore focuses on the idea of Grace. Grace that is overwhelming, grace that goes above and beyond our humanness, grace that is modeled on the grace that Christ showed to us.
There is so much hurt in this world. So much disease. So much injustice. Are we adding to it or helping to take it away?
I think that Moore has some really timely reminders about what our lives as Christians are supposed to look like. While it is easy to look at someone's life and pick apart what they are doing wrong, there is something about a log and a speck that comes to mind. Is our job to be God's rule enforcers, or is our job to be God's hands and feet to bring His love to our broken world?
While that's a hard idea for my little rule-loving soul to take in fully, I want to err on the side of love. To the least of these is what we do to Christ. Since I myself am a least, I will try to be love incarnate to those I encounter.
Moore has some pet projects that he mentions in the book, and that is great. Instead of just giving a vague prescriptive, he gets down and dirty and tells us 'look, this is something you can actually DO'. Maybe those things aren't your thing. Cool. Go do that thing that is your thing. Just go. Do. Be His Hands and Feet, because that is ultimately what He wants from us.
Grace. Mercy. Love. Mighty mighty love. And grace in the dirty parts of life.
*this book was provided for me to review by Booksneeze. the opinions are all my own*
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