With understanding that I am only mostly through this book, let me share with you a few thoughts on Being Jesus in Nashville by Jim Palmer. It appears to be a book about how Jim wrote a book. It was this book, in fact. Jim wrote a book and people, publishers to be specific, didn't like the book. So Jim continued writing this book, but wrote a book within this book about how and why other people didn't like this book, leaving him feeling compelled to write this book all the more.
Is that clear as mud?
Good, because that's about how I felt going through this book. Although, I must admit, Jim warns us that reading this book without reading his first two books would be like walking on a movie halfway through. You'll catch on, but you'll have to catch up.
Okay, that could be a ploy to sell what's left of the first two books still on shelves, but since he's a pretty good storyteller, I doubt it. This book builds on experiences that he has already explored. He does a good job of catching readers up without saying, 'Hey, remember when I wrote about this in my last book?'
So, having said that, let's jump into some review. Jim's purpose, at least one of them, is to write of his experiences in trying to be Jesus in Nashville. If that sounds innocuous, beware. I think Jim means the literal Jesus, which could be why the publishers have a problem. Now I don't want to dissect this entirely, partly because space would not allow me to do justice for his argument. But Jim appears to go too far in his assessment of just how God is living in us versus God being us. Yeah, I could be interpreting Jim wrong, or I could be basing this on context, something I've been teaching my kids about.
My real issue is when Jim, early on, so easily dismisses church in his search for Jesus, as if the two are mutually exclusive. Ok, he may have found his way to Jesus. I won't even begin to judge what he's found. Let's take that at face value, since that is all we can do with anybody. He may have been able to find Jesus outside the church, but what about the millions who won't?
What about the many who don't see a difference between Jesus and His bride? What about them? And while we're thinking about it, what about the many inside the church who could use critical thinkers who will help reveal the truth amidst all the fog?
With each surpassing chapter, just when one has gotten somewhat adjusted to the previous idea, another springs on you. For example, in chapter seven when he decides that man is good and perhaps not in need of salvation. I'm all for questioning the basics if it will help grow our faith, but perhaps if Jim had not left his community of believers behind, what he simply calls religion, then maybe someone could have pointed out to him that his new solutions don't seem to add up to answering the old problems of humanity, namely sin and suffering. If we are okay, then something else is very wrong.
I could go on, but I feel I may have lost you already. As I go to finish this book, I may come back and course correct here, as the purposes and topics for this book are multi-layered. It's interesting, but be prepared to disagree with a lotta bit here and there. I received this book for free from my good friends at SpeakEasy.
Jim’s blog: http://www.divinenobodies.com/
Video snapshots of Being Jesus in Nashville: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
#SpeakeasyBeingJesus
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