Jesus And The Family [Hardcover]

There are few more loaded words in American life than family. Jesus grew up in one and honored his parents in fulfillment of the commandments. But his teachings on family life stand among the most jarring things he ever said. Jesus invites serious followers to hate mother and father. He predicts discipleship will bring division rather than peace to family life. He completely recasts the definition of kinship as whoever does the will of God. In an era when families face unprecedented challenges sticking together for the long haul, Jesus's words at first glance seem to welcome disintegration of the Christian household rather than offering healing and a clear way forward. This book examines the off-putting words of Jesus in the wider context of radical allegiance and baptismal priority. In a country where family devotion is akin to honoring the national flag, Honeycutt unpacks an old word for a new generation of Christians called to place Jesus first in all things. It's only then that we'll be able to truly help those who share a common roof and lineage. Honeycutt sees Jesus slowly turning his gaze toward American family life, and sure enough, bombs explode in every chapter. Honeycutt employs his wit, insight, and engaging writing style to disclose how the gospel of Jesus exposes the superficialities of our conventional family dynamics and continually calls us to a deeper faith and a richer life together. --Thomas G. Long, Candler School of Theology In Jesus and the Family we discover that the dilemmas and struggles of being a family today are not unique to our time, but are a part of God's wider, deeper story of forgiveness and hope. I couldn't help but think as Frank wrote about the significance of Mary's pondering over the birth of Jesus just how many parts of his book caused me to pause and ponder what it means to live as disciples of Jesus today. --Bishop Herman Yoos, SC Synod of the ELCA Jesus just could not play Mr. Good Guy. That sweet soulÃU