Defiant Grace: The Surprising Message and Mission of Jesus

Ortlund (A New Inner Relish: Christian Motivation in the Thought of Jonathan Edwards), a Bible editor, believes in the power of grace in the Christian life. To that end he has penned a detailed, yet approachable, study of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) to help readers remember and cherish the grace of God in the face of human addiction to pride and strict legalism. Pulling from a variety of evangelical Christian sources, Ortlund elucidates themes similar to Timothy Keller's popular Prodigal God, but with less passion, poetry, and readability. Derived from a Bible study class, the book reads as such without being overly cerebral. While his analysis tends toward excessive detail, Ortlund is able to sum up important points in memorable one liners ("Penitent hookers enter heaven ahead of smug virgins.") Ortlund comes across as a more academic than popular writer, but his effort to appeal to a broad audience is commendable. (Oct.)