Jesus

March 1, 2010
When one sets out to explicate the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, arguably the most important figure in human history, it is inevitable that the study will be affected by one's own beliefs and biases. Johnson, celebrated author and columnist for Forbes and the American Spectator, makes no excuse for his own Catholic faith foundations. In this eminently readable study of Jesus' life and teachings, Johnson delivers a cogent, conservative view of scripture and the character of the Christian faith. At times, Johnson's political views show through; his comments on the poor, and Jesus' compassion toward them, reflect his basic distrust of institutional and even personal charity, deeming it "quite ineffective and hopeless." But there is a compassion toward all people that echoes throughout this work. He concludes that this world, filled with evil, needs a return to the teachings of Jesus in order to right itself. Some will disagree. But none will be surprised at Johnson's fluid writing and fundamentally conservative views of religion and, indeed, the world at large.