Jesus Untangled - A book review

I am a long time admirer of Keith Giles and his work, from every book and blog of his I have read I honestly can’t think of another person whose views across the board are as similar to my own as his are. So I was very excited to receive a review copy of his latest and greatest work thus far entitled Jesus Untangled: Crucifying our Politics to Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb.

This book is very well written and convincingly argued. What Keith has brilliantly done here is take the plain teachings of Jesus and placed them alongside the commonly held views of many American Evangelicals and revealed the vast contrast between the two. In his own words:-

"What if you cannot serve both Caesar and Jesus? What if you were actually called to live here as "a stranger and an alien" in this country? What if you were an ambassador here who was forbidden to pledge allegiance to another flag or nation? What if you were told not to become involved with the affairs of this world but to devote yourself completely to Christ and his kingdom?"

Keith makes a strong case from Scripture that we cannot serve two masters. Honestly I was surprised at just how much the New Testament had to say on this topic. He has also documented how the early church distanced itself from earthly politics up until the time of Constantine, even to the point of separating from those who were trying to live in both camps. He also documents how things went downhill once the church put down its cross and picked up the sword with the power of the state behind it. Historically speaking, every time we have tried to use the state to further the Christian cause we have ended up tarnishing the name of God. The two are at their core, are directly opposed to one another.

This book will challenge you to impact peoples lives from the inside out rather than through the power of politics, not for 'country and flag' but for the sake of Gods kingdom here on earth. It will challenge you to trust in the words of Jesus, particularly those found in the Sermon on the Mount, rather than in the power of your local authorities. A word of warning, Jesus Untangled will challenge you to lay all pride, including that of nationalism at the foot of the cross, it is deeply unpatriotic while simultaneously full of love for America and the people who live there. If that sentence doesn't make sense to you, you might just be a little entangled as well and should read the book.


You can learn more about Jesus Untangled or purchase a copy by clicking over here and you can connect with the author on Twitter by clicking here.



I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.