I finished reading Love Walked Among Us: Learning to Love Like Jesus by Paul Miller just before heading off to New York for a week. Paul is the son of C. John (Jack) Miller, and has a ministry, See Jesus, that offers 2 helpful small group programs. The Person of Jesus is based on this book, and PrayerLife. Both are interactive studies that come from a strong grace-orientation. But, back to the book.
One of the things I found interesting was the variety of endorsements. It does my heart good to see Tremper Longman, Steve Brown, Jerry Bridges, Dan Allender and Joni Eareckson Tada endorsing the book. Max Lucado … not someone whose opinion really matters to me. Brian McLaren … interesting choice. Glad he endorsed it, it may mean he’s keeping his toe within the bounds of historic Christianity.
That last sentence is indicative of why a guy like me needs to read this book. It reveals just how little I love like Jesus. I can see why Brian McLaren would like most of the book- but he probably struggled with the last few chapters. You’ll see why.
Paul’s 2 main premises is that Jesus alone shows us what true love looks like in action, and that we can only love well because we have been loved perfectly (including thru his penal substitutionary atonement- which is something McLaren has discounted publicly). To bring us along, Paul uses numerous incidents from Jesus’ life to show us the richness of variety in his love, and the many barriers we have to showing love to others. So this book is often convicting as our judgmentalism, self-righteousness, legalism and more are put on display as violating the 2 great commandments upon which all the Law and the Prophets hang.
But the emphasis is positive- love shows compassion, speaks the truth, depends on God and is energized by faith. Miller weaves those biblical accounts from the life of Jesus with personal stories (he is not the hero of any of them), and some great quotes by various figures from history. So you will find that it is an easy book to read, even if it hits you hard at times.
But it is not a self-help, try harder book. The book ends with a section on how love moves from life to death. It is about the centrality of Jesus’ sacrificial death, and how our lives are intended to follow that same track. He is our model as well as our Substitute (see 1 Peter for plenty of that tension). As a result, the book challenges those of us who err toward Phariseeism AND those who err toward a more “liberal” view of Jesus that maximizes his Incarnation while rejecting his finished work. Miller does a great job of maintaining that tension of a suffering Savior whose love is rich and varied, perfectly suitable for the differing needs of its object. So the book is biblical, accessible and applicable. I heartily put my name up there with the other endorsees (even McLaren). See, God’s using it in my life too.
Cavman Considers 
This is an older post of yours, but since LifeRenewal has decided to use this as our next study (we’ll spend 2 or 3 “semesters” getting through it) I thought I’d reread your critique. It all sounds good!
Amie was using the P of J study (to use Trinity-ese) with the youth this Spring.
Curious… what do you have against Max Lucado? Have you ever read House of God? Try it, it will change your opinion..
Max seems somewhat shallow for my tastes. I know some people like him. I’m not calling him a heretic, I just don’t find him particularly edifying.
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