Magnificent Obsession: Why Jesus is Great

In Magnificent Obsession (Christian Focus, 2013) David Robertson seeks, in ten concise ten chapters to explain why Jesus is great. \\r\\nThe chapters take the form of open letters, a device which allows Robertson to respond to issues raised writers such as Christopher Hitchens, along with other atheists and critics of Christianity from other backgrounds. \\r\\nWhile I'm not the target audience of the book I appreciated Robertson's efforts to focus on the person of work of Jesus as contained in the Bible. His aim would be for those who would disagree with Christians to have a clear understanding of what they're disagreeing with. \\r\\nRobertson quotes from a variety of Christian, atheist and philosophical sources, demonstrating a wide range of study and interaction with points of view other than his own, but firmly stays focussed on his target of explaining why he believes belief in Jesus as Saviour and Lord is credible. \\r\\nThe ten alliterative chapter headings: Man, Miracles, Messenger, Murdered, Marvellous, Meaning, Mission, Modern, Maranatha, and Magnificent don't always give an idea about their content, but each time Robertson seeks to clarify the difference between the failings of the followers of Jesus, or misrepresentations and misunderstandings of his thought, and Jesus himself. \\r\\nI appreciated the tone of Magnificent Obsession and find Robertson's communication style respectful and positive. Most importantly his writing here is an encouraging example of…