Jesus: safe, tender, extreme (by Adrian Plass)

(Amazon UK link)

'Jesus: safe, tender, extreme' is the most recent offering by Adrian Plass, my favourite modern British Christian writer. His style is informal but thought-provoking. His anecdotes are always interesting, and his honesty is refreshing.

He's best known for his humorous fiction. But I like his more serious work just as much, and was not disappointed by this. The book is in three main sections, looking at different aspects of Jesus: his safety, his tenderness, and his tendency to be 'extreme'. Plass explains what he means, without pomposity or religious jargon, and describes ways in which he experiences these.

The author often talks about his failures as well as the occasions when he got things right. He also explains his thought-processes as he comes to different ways of looking at the Bible. He quotes several passages of Scripture, not as proof texts but as examples of what he is writing about, or for further thought.

Highly recommended to Christians of all varieties. It would also be a good read for anyone wanting to know more about Christianity. Indeed, I would recommend it even to anyone who can't stand Christians but who is secretly fascinated with Jesus.