The Jesus Agenda: Becoming an Agent of Redemption by Albert Reyes (Believers Press)
“Redemption is God’s movement in history to rescue individuals from the dominion of darkness into the realm of the kingdom of Jesus, his Son,” Albert Reyes asserts in his new book. Christians are called to be agents of redemption, the “hands and feet of Jesus,” who does the work of redemption.
In The Jesus Agenda, Reyes paints poignant word portraits of redemption—stories of people redeemed by Jesus’ love and stories of the agents who join Jesus in redemption. They illustrate the practical application of what church historian Karen Bullock calls “Social Christianity”—societal change brought about through individual regeneration. Put more bluntly, Reyes shows how evangelism and physical ministry to hurting people go hand-in-hand to save lives and change communities.
Reyes calls on Christians to participate in “the Jesus way, the J-shaped worldview.” He writes: “Everywhere I travel across the planet, it is plain to see that the closer things come under the influence of the teachings of Jesus, the better they become. Hope tends to spring up in those places. The converse also is true. The farther away things get from the influence of the teachings of Jesus, the worse they tend to become. Everywhere I observe progress and hope emerge, I find that the footprints, the fingerprints and the fragrance of the presence of Jesus is not far.”
Buckner International, the Texas Baptist ministry to children and families Reyes leads as president, provides the illustrations of redemption in this book. But its principles far transcend one ministry, even a global enterprise. The Jesus Agenda will be an insightful, useful guide for Bible study groups, missions teams, church staffs, ministry classes and anyone who wants to think compassionately and theologically about redeeming the nations.
Marv Knox, editor
Baptist Standard and CommonCall
Plano
He Ain’t Heavy … He’s My Brother by Rocky D. Hawkins (Tattersall Publishing)
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Readers may not expect a review of a book subtitled “Guns, Girls & Gambling in East Texas” in the Baptist Standard. Granted, it’s a rough story filled with barroom brawls, shady deals and shadier characters. But in the end, it’s a tale of redemption and God’s grace.
Hawkins and his brother, Reggie, grew up “smack dab in the middle” of what he now recognizes as a dysfunctional family. He describes his father, James “Hawkshaw” Hawkins, as “a two-time loser who looked like Marlon Brando and fought like Al Capone.” Much of the book describes the author’s childhood surrounded by con games and cockfights, shootings and stabbings, whores and hustlers. Hawkins describes colorful characters who drifted in and out of his life, and he offers a vivid picture of adolescence spent in and around honky-tonks that lined Highway 271 on Gladewater’s south side.
The author’s self-described “crazy, mixed-up life with no direction and no moral compass” changed after the death of his 4-year-old son, Jake, in 1984. Through the influence of First Baptist Church in Gladewater and a visiting evangelist, Hawkins discovered God’s love and the transforming power of Jesus Christ. “As I look back on my life and all the mistakes I have made, I thank God every day for the mercy he had on me,” Hawkins writes.
Ken Camp, managing editor
Baptist Standard
Plano
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