Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence
- Downloads：7447
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-09 13:21:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Diana Butler Bass
- ISBN：0062659537
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Jennifer
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I can't rate this book。 Some parts were good， some were over my head， and some were just boring。 I can't rate this book。 Some parts were good， some were over my head， and some were just boring。 。。。more
Betsy Gonwa
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Interesting。 I related to her journey and how her image of God changed。 Very relatable and I imagine it depicts the journey of many and not just Diana Butler Bass
Tina Simmons
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such goodnessI loved this book。 Diana Butler Bass writes with such beauty and cadence， it’s difficult not to be swept away by her descriptions。 Her “Jesus experiences” were touching and beautiful。 I was truly intrigued by her journey。 Ms。 Bass is in the generation before me - and again I was flabbergasted by what men said to her。 We’ve come so far， yet the journey is still not through。 This was a marvelous look at different ways to experience Jesus。
April Bumgardner
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So thankful I stuck with this。 Freeing Jesus starts out moderately well， but continues to build and improve with each section。 Diana Butler Bass calls this a memoir theology。 She argues that many of the firmly accepted theologians of both ancient and more modern times practice this。 We just forget to value personal experience in describing our theology and appreciating it。 The conclusion is the most beautiful and encouraging portion of the book。 She reminds us to love all the Jesuses from each s So thankful I stuck with this。 Freeing Jesus starts out moderately well， but continues to build and improve with each section。 Diana Butler Bass calls this a memoir theology。 She argues that many of the firmly accepted theologians of both ancient and more modern times practice this。 We just forget to value personal experience in describing our theology and appreciating it。 The conclusion is the most beautiful and encouraging portion of the book。 She reminds us to love all the Jesuses from each stage in our lives， never push them aside， they are always present， here with us as he is present。 Recognizing the goodness and fruit that may be coming from the pandemic is heartening。 Opening ourselves to how Jesus works in the quotidian， the ordinary， knowing a Jesus is the world， in the mess， in everything， that is freeing。 。。。more
Sharon
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I have read almost all of DBB’s books and I follow her blog。 At first I had trouble with the first chapter or two， as I felt the theology was too simplistic; maybe too much memoir and lack of theology。 None of DBB’s other books were like this， in my opinion。 However， once I got past the beginning， I was hooked， deeply engaged， and found the book well worth the reading。 I’m going to an on-line seminar with the author about this book for Lent。
Kathy
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I could relate to much of her journey。 It was insightful and helped me to revisit my past and examine my present。 She presents several ways that we “know” Jesus。 I do not always come to the same conclusions but zI appreciate her opening the conversation。
Cindy Steflik
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We read this book for our spiritual formation group at church。 Diana Butler Bass has had quite a spiritual journey and shares it in her newest book "Freeing Jesus"。 I love the beginning where she is in church and asks "Where are you God" and his answer is "get me out of here！"。 She shares her thoughts of Jesus as Friend， Teacher， Savior， Lord， Way and Presence。 Her insight is into what it means to have Jesus IN your life is refreshing and delightful。 A must read for anyone wanting to grow in the We read this book for our spiritual formation group at church。 Diana Butler Bass has had quite a spiritual journey and shares it in her newest book "Freeing Jesus"。 I love the beginning where she is in church and asks "Where are you God" and his answer is "get me out of here！"。 She shares her thoughts of Jesus as Friend， Teacher， Savior， Lord， Way and Presence。 Her insight is into what it means to have Jesus IN your life is refreshing and delightful。 A must read for anyone wanting to grow in their Faith。 。。。more
Danielle
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The was a very well written and researched book that addressed many of the concerns I have felt myself in the current state of "the church"。 I could have done with more theological exploration and look forward to seeking out some of the concepts introduced in this book for a deeper study。 I didn't love all the personal anecdotes in the book， it came across a bit like "this is my experience so it is correct"。 But I get that it's a theological memoir so a certain amount of that is to be expected。 The was a very well written and researched book that addressed many of the concerns I have felt myself in the current state of "the church"。 I could have done with more theological exploration and look forward to seeking out some of the concepts introduced in this book for a deeper study。 I didn't love all the personal anecdotes in the book， it came across a bit like "this is my experience so it is correct"。 But I get that it's a theological memoir so a certain amount of that is to be expected。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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This “memoir theology” is a beautiful work， full of touching personal moments， fascinating information， and a bold new way to look at Jesus and our faith。
Meredith Goins
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I listened to this on Audible land really enjoyed her inflection as she narrated her own writing。 The emotion and pain she shared in relation to some of her history （no spoilers here！） made this book a great candidate for a re-read。
Stephanie
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I was meant to read this book right now 💛
Eric Hays-Strom
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I picked up this book expecting to enjoy it。 Expecting to have it touch me。 Expecting to find something that I misplaced somewhere along the way。It met all my expectations。。。 and then some！ Like one of the other authors I read recently， I find mysel wishing I could meet with her over a cup of coffee somewhere for an hour。 "Oh， hi！ Fancy meeting you here。 I really loved reading your book。。。。"I lost Jesus some years ago。 We were in large crowd， I turned around and he was gone。 Okay， that's not tru I picked up this book expecting to enjoy it。 Expecting to have it touch me。 Expecting to find something that I misplaced somewhere along the way。It met all my expectations。。。 and then some！ Like one of the other authors I read recently， I find mysel wishing I could meet with her over a cup of coffee somewhere for an hour。 "Oh， hi！ Fancy meeting you here。 I really loved reading your book。。。。"I lost Jesus some years ago。 We were in large crowd， I turned around and he was gone。 Okay， that's not true。 I don't know where I lost him。 I don't even know when I lost him; I just woke up one day and he wasn't in my life any more。 I guess at some point I decided I didn't need him any more because I was getting along smashingly well in a relationship with God。 Seriously！ My life， however， seems less without Jesus。 I'm a Christian afterall。 And I don't know what or how to believe in him any more。 So I turned to "Freeing Jesus" as perhaps a way of relocating that。I think it worked！ We'll see。 。。。more
Skylerhayes
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I don’t get the vibe that this author is a radical deconstructionist。 But this book helped me radically deconstruct。 There are so many nuggets of wisdom in here， i will be chewing on this for a long time to come。 I loved her anecdotes， and sometimes in faith expositions like this they are terrible。 But hers make sense and add layers and humor。 The first portion of the book had me laughing out loud， but then it turns quite serious。 I really recommend this！
Lynn
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Worth the read！ You won't find answers but through this author's personal Faith journey you will find many insights which may help you in your own journey。 Worth the read！ You won't find answers but through this author's personal Faith journey you will find many insights which may help you in your own journey。 。。。more
Nancy
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This book would make a very interesting adult book study for a church。 Enjoyed learning more about the author's life。 This book would make a very interesting adult book study for a church。 Enjoyed learning more about the author's life。 。。。more
David
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I've read Butler Bass in essay and article form before， but had never attempted any of her books。 I'm glad I did。It was， as Presbyterians say by way of compliment， thought-provoking。 Her writing， warm and witty and personal， a bright honest reflection of her own convoluted journey through American Christianity。 More importantly， as I can say as someone who inhabits the fading oldline， it speaks to one of our primary failings: we don't really seem quite as intense about the Jesus thing as we migh I've read Butler Bass in essay and article form before， but had never attempted any of her books。 I'm glad I did。It was， as Presbyterians say by way of compliment， thought-provoking。 Her writing， warm and witty and personal， a bright honest reflection of her own convoluted journey through American Christianity。 More importantly， as I can say as someone who inhabits the fading oldline， it speaks to one of our primary failings: we don't really seem quite as intense about the Jesus thing as we might be。 It's， er， kinda mission-critical， and often gets lost in our endless committee work and earnest efforts to be addressing the Issue-Du-Jour。Is it a book of Christology？ No， not at all， thank you Jesus。 Instead， the book very personally leads us through each of the ways of understanding Jesus highlighted in the subtitle， as they've played out through the author's own spiritual journey。 Her appreciation for tradition， her scholarship， and her warm spirit are evident throughout。。。as is her love for Jesus， in the way that she best understands his nature， teachings， and Way。 Did I agree with it all？ No， because it's her witness， dagflabbit， not a dry soulless treatise pontificating about some presuppositional apologetic arcana。 Sure， the word "kin-dom" still makes me roll my eyes。 I also wrestled， as I do more often of late， with the progressive idea that what people want in faith is just to be told， hey， yeah， everything's a mess， whatcha gonna do？ Be real， sure， but if the image of Jesus as Rock makes you think of crashing boulders， I'm not sure you and I understand that parable about building on the rock quite the same way。 But so what？ Again， it's her story， and she tells it charmingly。A three point seven five。 。。。more
Ryan
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Many of us had our first exposure to Jesus while singing “Jesus Loves Me” in Sunday School or VBS。 He is shown to be loving， wise， and a great teacher and friend。 Then when we are old enough most of that is lost in layers of fear， threats， and conditional love， the complete opposite of where we started。Diana Butler Bass strips these layers away in Freeing Jesus and starts on the foundation we had so long ago when love was so much simpler。 Jesus isn’t reimagined， but seen from what is actually in Many of us had our first exposure to Jesus while singing “Jesus Loves Me” in Sunday School or VBS。 He is shown to be loving， wise， and a great teacher and friend。 Then when we are old enough most of that is lost in layers of fear， threats， and conditional love， the complete opposite of where we started。Diana Butler Bass strips these layers away in Freeing Jesus and starts on the foundation we had so long ago when love was so much simpler。 Jesus isn’t reimagined， but seen from what is actually in the Bible， not all the extrapolations that come across the pulpit。She gives very detailed accounts from her own life over time to show her own development as a Christian and how her perspective of Jesus changed over time。 I believe this book can bring hope to many of us， helping us to not only love Jesus， but also to love and accept ourselves as we are。Thanks to HarperOne and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Holly Anderson
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I will be reading this one again。The beginning did not jump out at me。 I did not know where we were going。But somehow Bass jumped I to my life experience and delivered a Jesus I know。 And a Jesus I want to know better。Lovely。
Virginia Birks
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While I agree with the author’s conclusions， I’m still trying to figure out the audience for the book。 Plus how to catalog it: it appears to be more autobiography than about Jesus。
John Benson
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While I am the son and grandson of Lutheran pastors and was a regular church-goer before the pandemic， I am not that attracted to religious books usually。 So many of them are written from the personal salvation perspective and miss out on how Christians can deal with the issues of the day。 This is the second of Diana Butler Bass' books that I have read and they resonate more with me than most religious writing。 She is a theologian and in this book， she looks at all the metaphors about Jesus that While I am the son and grandson of Lutheran pastors and was a regular church-goer before the pandemic， I am not that attracted to religious books usually。 So many of them are written from the personal salvation perspective and miss out on how Christians can deal with the issues of the day。 This is the second of Diana Butler Bass' books that I have read and they resonate more with me than most religious writing。 She is a theologian and in this book， she looks at all the metaphors about Jesus that have influenced her life at different times in what she calls a "memoir theology。" Most of the Christian writing follows the evangelical narrative of Jesus as Savior and for some years that was how she lived her life。 For those of us in more mainline denominations， the metaphors of Jesus as Friend or Teacher have influenced our lives。 This is a very interesting exploration of all the ways Christians can see Jesus and God told through her own life and explorations。 。。。more
Kendal Barbee
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Refreshing。 "Freeing Jesus" will not give you steps or prompts for how to "free Jesus，" and it's not filled with scripture passages or pat answers。 Diana Butler Bass offers a unique perspective on faith through her own journey and struggles。 As a scholar and theologian， she reveals how her own deconstruction allowed her to examine the orthodoxy and doctrine she grew up with and later chose as her vocation。 Her examination of certain stories and passages in the Bible （just a few， not in a sacchar Refreshing。 "Freeing Jesus" will not give you steps or prompts for how to "free Jesus，" and it's not filled with scripture passages or pat answers。 Diana Butler Bass offers a unique perspective on faith through her own journey and struggles。 As a scholar and theologian， she reveals how her own deconstruction allowed her to examine the orthodoxy and doctrine she grew up with and later chose as her vocation。 Her examination of certain stories and passages in the Bible （just a few， not in a saccharine way） also provides insight that most people don't have， but she subtly weaves her narrative into these foundational passages and provides translations of words that have been misinterpreted by many。 She shares her brokenness and some of the trauma she has experienced personally to give substance to a Jesus that she discovered in unlikely places。 She also gives historical and cultural context to what was happening in the world from the 60's through the present day， and in the Christian church。 She offers a perspective that shines a light on the reality of Jesus as portrayed in the Bible and the Jesus that she knows。 It's personal， radical， thoughtful， and genuine。 。。。more
Erin Isgett
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I like reading a few pages of a faith-centered book each morning with my devotion time， and this morning I finished "Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend， Teacher， Savior， Lord， Way， and Presence" by Diana Butler Bass。 Reading about her life experiences and her growing and evolving relationship with Jesus provided me the opportunity to consider my own， and I'm grateful for that。"In seminary， I asked a professor why we only read theology written by men--books by Augustine， Anselm， Aquinas I like reading a few pages of a faith-centered book each morning with my devotion time， and this morning I finished "Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend， Teacher， Savior， Lord， Way， and Presence" by Diana Butler Bass。 Reading about her life experiences and her growing and evolving relationship with Jesus provided me the opportunity to consider my own， and I'm grateful for that。"In seminary， I asked a professor why we only read theology written by men--books by Augustine， Anselm， Aquinas， Calvin， Luther， and Wesley。 He told me that women did not write theology。"I quickly replied， 'What about Perpetua？ Julian of Norwich？ Hildegard of Bingen？ Teresa of Avila and Catherine of Siena？'"He replied， 'That's not theology。 That's memoir。'"I fell silent， unsure what to say。"I stewed over that remark for a long time。 It is clear that we call it 'theology' when men write of Jesus。 But we call it 'memoir' when women do？"。。。Of course， women are not the only ones whose experience has not counted in the making of theology--men and women of color， indigenous people， LGBTQ people， disabled people， working-class people， laity， anyone outside of the academy， the poor and outcast。 For centuries， church authorities silenced all these theologies by discounting the experiences of most Christian people， consigning them all to some category of 'less than' the few men whose experiences were deemed normative to interpret the experiences of the rest of us。 As a result， Christianity has lost the wisdom of millions and millions of faithful people whose journeys with Jesus may have reshaped the faith and perhaps inspired the church to live more justly and compassionately。" 。。。more
Missy
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Chapter 1: "Modes married into a clan whose family's name was 'Reuel，' meaning friend of God。""God made male and female to he friends， companions and lovers， and to bring forth children， just so no one will ever be lonely again。"Chapter 3: "Paul's letters explore six different theological versions of Christ's work on the cross。 And sometimes， he combines them。 Each of these metaphors offers a slightly different angle for understanding atonement。。。。Yet protestant Christians， and even a good numbe Chapter 1: "Modes married into a clan whose family's name was 'Reuel，' meaning friend of God。""God made male and female to he friends， companions and lovers， and to bring forth children， just so no one will ever be lonely again。"Chapter 3: "Paul's letters explore six different theological versions of Christ's work on the cross。 And sometimes， he combines them。 Each of these metaphors offers a slightly different angle for understanding atonement。。。。Yet protestant Christians， and even a good number of Catholics， are not aware of the multiplicity of images for atonement and are instead stuck in the single story of sacrifice。"Chapter 5: "The more constricted my doctrine became， the more constrained my heart felt。""I let go of the need to he so darn certain about things。""The opposite of faith isn't doubt， it is certainty。"Conclusion:"For centuries church authorities silenced all of these theologies by discounting the experience of most Christian people， consigning them all to some category of Less Than， the few men whose experiences were deemed normative to interpret the experiences of the rest of us。 As a result Christianity has lost the wisdom of millions and millions of faithful people whose journeys with Jesus may have reshaped the faith and perhaps inspired the church to live more justly and compassionately。。。our frame is so narrow。 And Jesus' is so wide。 If only we knew all the Jesuses who have been hidden from view。 All the Christs never heard。 Thankfully more voices count now。 The experiences of many are arising to bring every Jesus to light the world。""The true believer begins with herself。" 。。。more
Barbara
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This book gave our Women's Bible Study much for fruitful discussion。 A chapter was given for each of the 6 Jesuses mentioned in the subtitle。 Diana also mentioned other Jesuses and some of the members of the group came up with additional ones。 We have yet to discuss the last two chapters: Presence and the Conclusion。 This book gave our Women's Bible Study much for fruitful discussion。 A chapter was given for each of the 6 Jesuses mentioned in the subtitle。 Diana also mentioned other Jesuses and some of the members of the group came up with additional ones。 We have yet to discuss the last two chapters: Presence and the Conclusion。 。。。more
Andy Barnett
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What an open and revealing account of a journey to Jesus。
Jan Cain
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I recommend this read to all of my friends who grew up going to church， especially if one holds bitterness towards the organized church。 The author is thoughtful and gracious yet also does the deep-dive study into what the Bible says in a historic context and in the original language。 I found this read very freeing。
John Lawson
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An engaging theological memoir。 An easy and enjoyable read。
Kendra Andrus
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This is a powerful book about the theologies of Jesus told through the author's actual life story and Journey of Faith。 The conclusion is particularly fabulous and I love her point about all theology being seen and shared through personal experience。 This is not just a spiritual memoir， this is a memoir theology！ It's a beautiful and transformative read。 This is a powerful book about the theologies of Jesus told through the author's actual life story and Journey of Faith。 The conclusion is particularly fabulous and I love her point about all theology being seen and shared through personal experience。 This is not just a spiritual memoir， this is a memoir theology！ It's a beautiful and transformative read。 。。。more
Anna Hanson
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Finding what you seekMs。 Bass begins with an audacious thought - that Jesus is telling her to “get me out of here” - a church， the place most likely to host him; through her journey from earliest days of faith to her continuing growth， she shows the reader that while Jesus may be in a church， Jesus is also in our hearts， journey， and world。 She illustrates the freedom in recognizing that our understanding of God grows as we ourselves grow， revising our childhood images and wrestling with the tim Finding what you seekMs。 Bass begins with an audacious thought - that Jesus is telling her to “get me out of here” - a church， the place most likely to host him; through her journey from earliest days of faith to her continuing growth， she shows the reader that while Jesus may be in a church， Jesus is also in our hearts， journey， and world。 She illustrates the freedom in recognizing that our understanding of God grows as we ourselves grow， revising our childhood images and wrestling with the times we’ve been deeply disillusioned or disappointed， yet the one we seek is with us through it all。 。。。more
Carolyn
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