Confronting Jesus: 9 Encounters with the Hero of the Gospels

McLaughlin, cofounder of the Vocable Communications consulting firm, examines the Gospels’ depictions of Jesus in her meditative companion to 2019’s Confronting Christianity. Through close readings of scripture, she explores what the books of John, Luke, Mark, and Matthew tell readers about Jesus’s character and argues for the historical accuracy of the Gospels. McLaughlin compares the “different angles” of Jesus that the four narratives present, noting that Luke offers “the most detailed account” while John takes a wider scope that emphasizes Jesus’s holiness by putting his life story in conversation with the creation of the universe. The author weaves stories about Jesus healing the sick with a poignant account of her recent cancer scare, concluding that though Jesus can heal “physical and spiritual wounds,” his “ultimate promise” is that of heaven. A bevy of pop culture references, including a recurring parallel between the Gospels’ and Hamilton’s approach to biography, keep the theology breezy, though some feel a bit contrived (a comparison between mother Mary and the elf Dobby from Harry Potter is a stretch). This pensive manual will deepen Christians’ understanding of Jesus.