Scot McKnight, in the introduction to his book, One.life : Jesus calls, we follow (2010), explains that he has written the book in order to answer, by examining what Jesus said, the question: What is a Christian? McKnight feels that, generally speaking, Christians do not answer the question the way Jesus would. Basically Jesus calls people to follow him.
The book is addressed mostly to young adults who are thinking about career and lifestyle options and focuses on the kind of life that Jesus expects of his followers. He writes about Jesus’ teaching in regards to his kingdom and how that affects the lives of his followers. He writes about the kingdom values of loving God and loving others; about justice for all especially the marginalized; about peace and about acquiring wisdom in the context of a local church. At this point the book seems very idealistic but McKnight goes on to explain this is only going to happen if Jesus’ followers are empowered by his Spirit.
McKnight then devotes two chapters to explaining what this kingdom view would look like in our love lives and our work lives. I found these chapters brought a much more practical outlook to the book. He finishes the book by looking at what Jesus had to say about heaven and hell.
Overall it is a refreshing look at the Christian life and one that is more in tune with how Jesus would present it.
