I've read the Beatitudes many times through my life but never really unpacked them but after a sermon series at my church explored the idea of Jesus' upside down kingdom, the title of this book and the subject caught my attention. This is an excellent read for anyone looking for dive into the Beatitudes and what they can teach us about God, following Jesus and being a Christian today. I could see using this book as a study guide for a small group.

Castaldo sets the record straight as to how God intends His people to live. He shows how one follows the heart of God, aligning with His priorities. Constantine paved the way for a muscular Christianity, ruling by coercion. The beatitudes provide a different way for Christians to live as members of God's kingdom. He provides illustrations from the Bible, quotes from other sources and insightful commentary to help us understand what each of the beatitudes means for life.

Some of his teaching was a bit surprising to me, such as on meekness. He notes the lack of strong, godly leaders and that men want others to carry out ministry. (548/1942) I thought part of a leader's job was to train and encourage laypeople to do ministry.

My favorite section was on being people of peace. That means willingly sacrificing privileges, comfort, pleasure, convenience, preferences and personal agendas for the sake of peace. (1225/1942) It seems contemporary Christianity is far from that behavior pattern.

Castaldo's writing style is good. It is easy to comprehend his ideas and respond to his encouragement. While there may be nothing shockingly new in his exposition of the beatitudes, this book is a good one to remind us of the patterns of life presented in them.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

I loved this book! It was so meaty! If you want a deep dive into the beatitudes, then this is definitely for you. I can’t wait to have a physical copy in my hands to annotate and mark up! Thank you Crossway for the ARC through NetGalley.