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Reviewed by Shane Raynor, publisher of Wesley Report (www.wesleyreport.com) and certified lay speaker in the Southwest Texas Annual Conference The Jesus Revolution: Learning From Christ's First Followers By Leith Andersonby Helping readers look at familiar scripture passages with new eyes is a tall order, but The Jesus Revolution pulls it off. Leith Anderson takes readers on a chapter by chapter tour of the Book of Acts. There are plenty of commentaries on the follow-up to Luke’s gospel, but Anderson’s book is much more than that—it's a twenty-first century how-to manual for Christians. And in this case, it's not just a guide to planting a church or growing a church but more of a guide to being the church. After reading through the table of contents, I figured that The Jesus Revolution would be a typical exposition on a book of the Bible—the kind that I usually work through over time, checking off each chapter as I complete it. But I found the author's writing style so captivating that I finished the book in a couple of days. Then when I read through Acts again, it was almost like reading it for the first time. The author skillfully brings early church events to life for twenty-first century Christians. From the Ascension of Christ to Paul's house arrest in Rome, Anderson takes readers into the thought processes of the people in the accounts, then manages to integrate modern application without making the whole thing seem contrived. One example of this is his treatment of the prayer offered by Peter and John's friends after their arrest and release in Acts 4. Anderson writes, "Consider an uncomfortable thought: if you get slammed this week with the biggest problem of your life so far, who will pray for you?" Good question. Then he deals practically with praying through crisis events, not simply using scripture as a starting point, but as his entire basis for the discussion. On the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, Anderson writes, "The last line in this scary story is a masterpiece of understatement. Reading it strikes fear in my heart two thousand years later. But let's be clear: God was making a point, not setting a precedent." As I was reading through The Jesus Revolution, I consistently found myself thinking about which event was coming next and wondering how the author would apply it to modern life. By the end of the book, I felt like I was part of the Book of Acts. The author says as much at the close of the final chapter, as he exhorts readers to continue the story because "the book is still being written." The Jesus Revolution is an outstanding guide for an individual or group study. Throughout the book, there are occasional sidebars providing background, and each chapter ends with several discussion questions. The questions Anderson asks within the text itself, however, are more than enough to spark a lively exchange in a small group setting. And his skill at applying scripture to life also makes this a good book to use for sermon preparation, for either individual messages or for a series. No matter how you use it, The Jesus Revolution will spark your imagination and deepen your experience in the scriptures. 
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