Kingdom Competitor

Book Review – The Gospel of Being Human by Marty Solomon 

Imagine with me that you are walking up to a house. The front lawn has been freshly mowed, and flowers line the walkway. As you step onto the porch, the front door swings open. You pause at the top of the stairs and look inside. From where you’re standing, you can see the entryway and part of the living room: a La-Z-Boy recliner, part of a brown leather couch, and a coffee table. You have a pretty good idea of what the room looks like…right? 

Now, without entering the house, imagine walking along the porch and peering through a side window. From this new angle, you notice a piano in the corner of the room, previously out of sight, along with a dog bed near the couch. Was your initial understanding of the room wrong? No. It was simply incomplete based on where you were standing. 

I’ve heard this analogy used to describe our interaction with Scripture and God’s Kingdom. Too often, we examine the Bible primarily through a Western lens which is shaped by our culture, specific theological frameworks, and countless other influences. These perspectives are not inherently bad. However, Scripture was not written to the Westernized Christian. The Bible was written for us, but not to us. It was written to an Eastern, Jewish audience. 

Because of this, as believers, we should strive to engage Scripture from multiple vantage points: Western and Eastern. Rather than insisting that Scripture meet us on our own terms, we should be willing to meet it on its terms. 

This is where Marty Solomon comes in. 

Marty is an author, content creator, and teacher who seeks to understand Scripture through its historical and Jewish context. He is the host of the popular BEMA Podcast and the director of Impact Campus Ministries. 

Over the past three months, I’ve had the privilege of being part of Marty’s book launch team for his second book, The Gospel of Being Human: How Asking Better Questions of the Bible Reveals Who We Are, where I got to read the book earlier and interact with the author. 

Marty is someone who loves to question everything. In a good and healthy way. In this book, he challenges readers to engage the stories of Scripture without preconceived notions, leaving behind the idea that God is merely a distant judge in the sky and that Christianity is only about getting into heaven someday. 

That statement isn’t entirely wrong, but it lacks depth. And depth is exactly what this book offers. 

The Gospel of Being Human invites us to find our hope in Christ not only for eternity, but for this life as well. As Jesus says, “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance” (John 10:10 CSB). 

Marty beautifully demonstrates God’s deep love for humanity and His desire to partner with us in His grand narrative. That is the good news of being human. We have a God who loves us so much that He invites us into partnership with Him. To help bring about shalom out of chaos, and to participate in the upside-down Kingdom of Christ. 

I encourage you to check out Marty Solomon’s book, The Gospel of Being Human: How Asking Better Questions of the Bible Reveals Who We Are, available April 7 wherever books are sold. 

God Bless.