What Jesus Intended: Finding True Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion

In this heartening guide, bishop Hunter (Deep Peace) encourages disillusioned Christians to reconnect with Jesus to make their faith stronger. The author, a longtime supervisor of pastors, describes his own “church hurt” over the years, as he grew disenchanted by the “multitudes of fallen leaders” who’d engaged in “extramarital affairs, drugs, spiritual abuse” and more; he and his wife even spent several years not affiliated with any church community. Drawing on his own experience, Hunter suggests weary Christians shift their focus from the ills of church culture to reflecting on Jesus’s actual character and goals, which include defeating evil and removing suffering from the world and spreading God’s word. By “placing [their] confidence in Jesus” and emulating his aims, Christians can achieve “deep human fulfillment” and renewal “from the depths of [their] souls.” Hunter spotlights spiritual leaders who model Jesus’s principles, including Anglican priest Bill Haley, founder of a religious organization dedicated to racial reconciliation. Despite moments of repetition and inelegant metaphors (“Lord knows how many times I have tossed churchly keys and thrown myself on a couch of religious despair”), Hunter skillfully balances biblical analysis, question prompts, and personal anecdotes, and readers will particularly appreciate the transparency about his own spiritual struggles. It’s an empathetic guide to renewed faith. (July)