Jesus Made In America: A Review

There are many good books in the world. However, I feel that I can say with confidence that Stephen J. Nichols new book “Jesus Made in America: A Cultural History from the Puritans to the Passion of the Christ” stands above the rest. Nichols is the Research Professor of Christianity and Culture at Lancaster Bible College and is the author of several other very helpful books. This latest book however tackles an enormous amount of material and sets out on an ambitious goal. Nichols book walks us through four-hundred years of American religious, cultural, theological, and political history; and all in under 240 pages. Each chapter walks us through a different historical perspective that Americans have held about the person of Jesus Christ. As the subtitle says, he begins this journey by describing the lofty and rigorous view of Jesus held by the early Puritans and ends by examining the pop-culture fad-Jesus of our own day. This is where Nichols approach begins to be unique.

There are, after all, a plethora of books on American religious thought and on American church history. One could easily wonder what makes this little book different. Perhaps the first, and most obvious difference, is Nichols approach. By discussing the American view of Jesus (and not discussing the historical development of Christianity per-se) he tackles a much discussed question from a little used perspective. The second difference between Nichols work and many other books on this topic is the clarity and breadth of knowledge that he brings to the table. He manages to avoid the weakness of some church historians (i.e. they haven't read anything outside of their field) and shows a real familiarity with both classic and contemporary, secular and Christian, research and discussion.

In addition to this scholarly touch, Nichols writes in a winsome and humble tone and sifts through the mounds of information to vividly paint a picture of the American mind in process. He does well what so many have found difficult to do. He allows us to see into the minds of our forefathers and understand how they viewed the world (or in this case, how they viewed Christ.) Each chapter concludes by reviewing the information and ideas presented in the previous pages which really helps to keep a sense of perspective. He allows his argument to emerge naturally and persuasively from within the text so nothing feels forced or contrived. But by consciously building on his premises he is able to help us not lose the forest for the trees.

As I said before, this book really is head and shoulders above the rest. I couldn't recommend a better introduction to the study of American intellectual thought, religious development, or American church history than this wonderful little book. I would highly recommend it!