The Jesus You Can’t Ignore by John MacArthur

This book refutes the notion that Jesus was meek and mild in the sense that He tolerated everyone and castigated no one. It carefully builds the case that Jesus was not always nice, demonstrated particularly in His dealings with the religious leaders of His day, whom He decried in the strongest terms. While Jesus was never pugnacious, neither was He tame.

This book was enlightening to me only in the sense that, while I knew that the general culture values “tolerance” and “diversity”, I was not aware there exists a great deal of pressure in evangelical circles to be accepting of all religious persuasions. I do not move in such circles nor have I read about such pressure, so this was news to me.

MacArthur’s most recent work would be persuasive to someone who believed Jesus would not disagree with, much less dishonor, anyone who opposed Him. If that is a belief you hold, then this book is for you. If you do not have such a question, MacArthur’s book is hardly interesting, as it speaks convincingly about something you already believe.

I found the book repetitive, with the result it was longer and less effective than it could have been. While it presents biblical truth accurately, I did not find it appealing.