Allen writes with a love that comes from his head as well as his heart about how the Christian life extends into every area of our existence. Containing chapters about the gospel and marriage, money, work, rest, the church, and more, Being a Christian is equal parts convicting and encouraging.

We know that the gospel has the power unto salvation, but what other effect does the gospel have upon our life? That is the subject of the new book by Dr. Jason K. Allen entitled Being a Christian: How Jesus Redeems All of Life. This book of 160 pages published by B & H Books is a very helpful book to show us how the Christian life can be lived out in practical ways when it comes to your past, your marriage, your family, your time, your money, your work, your recreation, your mind, and your church.
As I was reading this book, I could help but think how this could be a useful discipleship tool for someone to use with a young Christian. It could be used in a mentor/mentee situation or a small group to help that Christian learn how this new life can be lived out. I remember how it took me years to understand what the Lord wanted of me in those areas of my life which are covered in this book.
With that in mind, I do recommend this book to you today. I would suggest that you read it first for yourself. It will challenge in you in the different areas of your own life. Then, I would suggest that you pick up a copy for somebody that you are discipling and bring them through it as well. See how God wishes to redeem all of us.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.

What attracted me the most to this book was the title itself. I find it interesting how we as Christians ask ourselves how to be Christians. We claim to know the gospel, but don't always apply it. We, sometimes, compartmentalize the gospel and don't apply over our entire life. Jesus didn't come to earth to save and redeem us partially. No, He came to redeem us fully -- in all aspects of our lives. This book really dives deep into how the gospel should be applied to every part of our being. It gives practical tips on how to live life as a Christian in this day and age. I enjoyed and think it would be an awesome book for a group study.

Jason Allen's new book, Being a Christian, is a very helpful resource, especially in discipling new believers. Allen looks at how the Gospel intersects with various areas of a Christian's life. Allen does a good job at making this book very readable and accessible, keeping things on the bottom shelf so that everyone can get something. Due to the nature of this book, it's not very in-depth in any particular area, but it can serve as a good overview of what it means to live out the Gospel in everyday life.

I received a digital copy of this book for free from the publisher and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are entirely my own.

I'm giving it 3 stars not because there was anything wrong in it, but because the information contained in it and topics have already been addressed hundreds of times and I dont see the point of adding another book to the list of books that exist.

The author addresses the Christian's relation to things such as money, church, family, wife, work, mind, etc. All of it was easy to read, and would be useful for a new Christian, but it is not a book that I would use for growth.

Really like the aspect of this book and though I didn’t agree with all of it, I think there was a lot of beneficial insight.

Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has the heart of a pastor and a passion to train pastors. In his new book, Being a Christian: How Jesus Redeems All of Life, Allen calls his readers to "discover that Christianity is not relegated to a couple 'spiritual' activities a week, but . . . the gospel invades our work, our leisure, our errands, and our families."



Allen covers marriage, family, time, money, work, recreation, your mind, and church life. Using plenty of scripture, Allen describes how life in Christ will transform each of these areas. Further, the overarching theme is that true Christianity will be marked by transformation in each area. As John MacArthur writes in the introduction, "A Christian who is not experiencing growth in grace is a living contradiction."



The bottom line is this: "The secret to the Christian life is: there's really no secret. It is simply loving, and intentionally living, for Jesus. We apply the gospel to every area of our lives. We bring the Scripture to bear on every aspect of our lives. We submit every area of our lives to Christ and his lordship."



Being a Christian is suitable for Christians at any stage. After all, doesn't every believer need a little reminder every now and then? It reminded me of a sermon series on the basic Christian life, or Sunday school curricula for the "Christian Faith 101" class. In fact, that's about the level of the writing. It's simplistic and plain vanilla, but that means the reader has no excuse for understanding the message and taking steps to apply it to his or her life! So whether you became a Christian last week or last millennium, pick up Being a Christian and let Jesus transform every area of your life.





Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

Jason Allen is currently the president of Midwestern Baptist Theogical Seminary. Dr. Allen is insightful and passionate about the Gospel. In this book he provides tangible examples and analogies that showcase how the Gospel is at work in our everyday lives. The examples Dr. Allen portrays are relevant to everyone, and the supporting references are Biblically sound and derived directly from scripture. Most of the Biblical references are taken from the new CSB translation.

This book examines how the Gospel relates to and inserts itself into every facet of your life, from the womb to present day and everything in between. Topics covered are marriage and family, money, vocation and recreation, your thoughts and actions, your church, and every other aspect of your daily life. The Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission are emphasized, as well as the importance of worshipping with a local church.

I highly recommend this book to all Christians, as well as anyone wanting a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Christian. This would also be an excellent resource to include in a new member curriculum or as a gift for a new believer. I received this as a free ARC from B&H Publishing on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.