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Jesus: Why the World Is Still Fascinated by Him
Jesus. Love Him or hate Him, He's everywhere. On our T-shirts, bumper stickers, and even the covers of leading news magazines, year after year. We see Him on the silver screen, in the headline crawl on the TV news, and on the homemade signs held up at ball games. Hotly debated, He remains the most conspicuous figure of all time, even twenty decades after His inglorious death.
Best-selling author Tim LaHaye, together with coauthor David Minasian, looks back through history and peers into the prophetic future to show us why the world's "Jesus Fascination" should come as no surprise; every generation since Christ has grappled with the question, Who was He? What does He mean to us here, today?
After reading about Jesus' life, legacy, and pervasive influence, you may find yourself connecting the dots of your own spiritual journey and answering the timeless question that came from the lips of Jesus Himself: Who do you say that I am?
Best-selling author Tim LaHaye, together with coauthor David Minasian, looks back through history and peers into the prophetic future to show us why the world's "Jesus Fascination" should come as no surprise; every generation since Christ has grappled with the question, Who was He? What does He mean to us here, today?
After reading about Jesus' life, legacy, and pervasive influence, you may find yourself connecting the dots of your own spiritual journey and answering the timeless question that came from the lips of Jesus Himself: Who do you say that I am?
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Tim LaHaye
742 books1,956 followersTimothy "Tim" F. LaHaye was an American evangelical Christian minister, author, and speaker, best known for the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-wrote with Jerry B. Jenkins.
He has written over 50 books, both fiction and non-fiction.
He has written over 50 books, both fiction and non-fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 21, 2021
Mostly argumentative rather than evidence-based as it claims to be. Not a big fan of the story about Christ changing homosexuals into heterosexuals since that's just nope.
February 16, 2017
Same old rehash by Tim Lahaye.
September 29, 2023
I was greatly disappointed in this book. As a Christian I read it in a hope to gain a greater understanding of Jesus, and perhaps strengthen my testimony of him as the Savior. Yet though the book is titled “Jesus” it spent much of it’s time talking about other things. For example: one minute it would be talking about Jesus, then the next thing I knew we’d be on a tangent talking about the author’s complaints about Islam, and Sharia law, and I’d be left scratching my head wondering how we got here.
Overall I didn’t feel that this book taught me more about Jesus, or brought me closer to him. I feel like the author loves Jesus, and wants to bring people to him. But it just felt like his arguments in favor of Jesus, were quite frequently intellectually dishonest, and he spent as much time disparaging things he didn’t like e.g. Muslims, Mormons, Dan Brown, “The Da Vinci Code”, the list goes on.
The book could have been much better had he stuck to the topic presented in the title. But he didn’t. I would not recommend.
Overall I didn’t feel that this book taught me more about Jesus, or brought me closer to him. I feel like the author loves Jesus, and wants to bring people to him. But it just felt like his arguments in favor of Jesus, were quite frequently intellectually dishonest, and he spent as much time disparaging things he didn’t like e.g. Muslims, Mormons, Dan Brown, “The Da Vinci Code”, the list goes on.
The book could have been much better had he stuck to the topic presented in the title. But he didn’t. I would not recommend.
February 9, 2023
This book is interesting. It covers topics such as the Muslim religion and gnosticism. However, it didn't seem to be completely interrelated. It seemed, instead, a collection of facts. There were many Bible verses used as well, which was great. I just wish there had been more of the actual character of Jesus. That being said, is a book worth reading.
July 26, 2017
The Real Saviour
This is a very informative book and very interestingly put together. I read all the Left Behind Series. Even the kids Left Behind Series. All are so realistic and easy to understand, even to relate to. I recommend this book!
This is a very informative book and very interestingly put together. I read all the Left Behind Series. Even the kids Left Behind Series. All are so realistic and easy to understand, even to relate to. I recommend this book!
July 27, 2017
Questions answered
I liked the way things were talked about and explained. I liked that comparisons were made and choices were given.
I liked the way things were talked about and explained. I liked that comparisons were made and choices were given.
April 6, 2021
Excellent research and explanations.
November 12, 2021
MY FAVORITE EVER <3333
November 29, 2021
Third time I’ve read this. Better each time.
Awesome. Thank you for writing this. Thank you Jesus for loving us in spite of who we are, what we’ve done.
Awesome. Thank you for writing this. Thank you Jesus for loving us in spite of who we are, what we’ve done.
April 27, 2010
In a mere 3 ½ years of public ministry, Jesus made more impact than Socrates, Plato and Aristotle’s combined 150 years of public teaching. He has graced the cover of Time Magazine twenty one times in the last seven decades. Hollywood films about Him (however controversial) generate billions of revenue and the Bible is still the best selling book of the year – every year.
Why this obsession with Jesus?
New York Times best selling author, Tim LaHaye and his co-author, David Minasian take a look at this question and others in their newest book, Jesus: Why The World Is Still Fascinated By Him.
Two thousand years after the fact, skeptics are still trying to disprove Jesus and the Bible. Although there are more well-authenticated manuscripts of the New Testament than any other ancient written work and the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls proved beyond a doubt that biblical manuscripts were indeed copied correctly, Jesus and His Word are still a huge source of controversy today.
LaHaye tackles these controversies and causes his readers to dig deeper, think harder and solidify who indeed, they believe Jesus is. Combining both historical data and scripture, LaHaye lays a solid foundation of the background of Jesus and His ministry and sheds some light on why so many are offended at His message.
In Chapter Four, Lahaye says that “more than anything else, the miracles of Jesus Christ proved beyond any doubt that He was indeed who He claimed to be – the Son of God.” He goes on to state that when Jesus fed four thousand men and their families for the second time (Matthew 14), this type of miracle had never been performed in the entire history of the world and in front of so many eye witnesses!
The authors address Jesus as a prophet, breaking down several of His prophecies and then the fulfillments of each one. LaHaye also goes on to address Jesus’ end times prophecies dealing with the rapture, the Anti Christ and the tribulation.
As a follower of Christ, I enjoyed reading this book and learning more about the historical facts surrounding Jesus and His ministry. I also enjoyed the many “infallible proofs” given in this book, in response to the ongoing attempt at disproving the authenticity of Christ. I loved one particular line which said: “The one piece of historical evidence that cannot be denied is the reality of the empty tomb.”
As Professor Dr. Paul Althaus said: “The resurrection could not have been maintained in Jerusalem for single day, for a single hour, if the emptiness of the tomb had not been established as a fact for all concerned.”
Jesus: Why The World Is Still Fascinated By Him will cause the believer to be inspired and encouraged, and the non-believer to think twice. At the very end of the book, the authors have included a prayer of salvation for those who may be drawn to accept Christ as their Savior or rededicate their lives after reading this powerful book. I highly recommend this latest work by Tim LaHaye.
June 5, 2015
LaHaye (co-author of the popular Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days (Left Behind No. 1) series) here writes an easy-reading introduction to Jesus. If you are already a Christian, or have attended a Christian church which holds to the most mainstream doctrines of Christianity, there is little new here.
The subtitle is somewhat misleading. I was expecting more of an examination of how Jesus is perceived, why Jesus is so written about and debated even today, and how and why Christianity is still so influential in the world today. There is little of that here. Instead, this is more of a straightforward "introduction to apologetics." After framing his question in Chapter 1, LaHaye begins to answer it in Chapter 2 by establishing the historicity of the Bible, then applies that foundational veracity to the prophetic signs in the Hebrew scriptures (the Christian Old Testament) which point ahead to the Messiah (Jesus Christ). Within the life of Christ Himself, LaHaye uses His miracles, teachings, and resurrection as apologetic proof of His claims of deity and Salvation. Finally, LaHaye considers how Jesus has impacted lives since His time on earth, focusing briefly on the radical change (for the better) of the position of women in Christian cultures and within the Christian church and on anecdotal evidences of completely changed lives that LaHaye has witnessed during his own ministry.
LaHaye concludes by addressing the most popular heresy of our day, the neo-Gnostic boomlet inspired by the Nag Hammadi manuscripts discovered in the last century and popularized by the mega-bestseller The Da Vinci Code (I read it and reviewed for Amazon, and found its half-baked heresies and mediocre story made for so-so fiction that deserves more yawns than awards). In this section, as throughout the book, LaHaye moves fast and hits the surface points (with lots of footnotes for more research) with no depth.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. If you want deep theology or a consideration of the life of Christ in great detail, look elsewhere. This book is more along the lines of Max Lucado than Matthew Henry.
The subtitle is somewhat misleading. I was expecting more of an examination of how Jesus is perceived, why Jesus is so written about and debated even today, and how and why Christianity is still so influential in the world today. There is little of that here. Instead, this is more of a straightforward "introduction to apologetics." After framing his question in Chapter 1, LaHaye begins to answer it in Chapter 2 by establishing the historicity of the Bible, then applies that foundational veracity to the prophetic signs in the Hebrew scriptures (the Christian Old Testament) which point ahead to the Messiah (Jesus Christ). Within the life of Christ Himself, LaHaye uses His miracles, teachings, and resurrection as apologetic proof of His claims of deity and Salvation. Finally, LaHaye considers how Jesus has impacted lives since His time on earth, focusing briefly on the radical change (for the better) of the position of women in Christian cultures and within the Christian church and on anecdotal evidences of completely changed lives that LaHaye has witnessed during his own ministry.
LaHaye concludes by addressing the most popular heresy of our day, the neo-Gnostic boomlet inspired by the Nag Hammadi manuscripts discovered in the last century and popularized by the mega-bestseller The Da Vinci Code (I read it and reviewed for Amazon, and found its half-baked heresies and mediocre story made for so-so fiction that deserves more yawns than awards). In this section, as throughout the book, LaHaye moves fast and hits the surface points (with lots of footnotes for more research) with no depth.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. If you want deep theology or a consideration of the life of Christ in great detail, look elsewhere. This book is more along the lines of Max Lucado than Matthew Henry.
April 19, 2016
If you have dismissed Jesus and the Bible as myth and questioned the authenticity of the Bible, then Tim Lahaye and coauthor David Minasian will turn your world upside down in their book, Jesus. They take you behind the scenes to provide historical facts about the Bible that historians, scientists, archeologists and researchers have found.
Is it not strange that the world is still obsessed with a Jewish carpenter named Jesus? He keeps appearing all over the place. Magazines and TV shows are still discussing him, perhaps more often than not to try and disprove who Jesus was.
"I am not a believer, but I have the utmost respect for Jesus Christ. I believe he was the most influential person who ever lived," Larry King told Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins during a break on Larry King Live.
We learn how the original text from Old and New Testaments were preserved with more accuracy than any other historical writings. Archeological discoveries continue to confirm the reliability of the Biblical records.
Jesus fulfilled the prophesies of the Old Testament, which in many cases Jesus had no control over, yet all were fulfilled. Professor and Mathematician Peter Stoner calculated the odds of someone fulfilling 48 of these prophesies. The calculations turned out be so overwhelming in odds that no one except for God himself could have fulfilled all these prophecies.
Tim and David also examine the gnostic texts, which are full of contradictions in their attempt to cast doubts over the authenticity of the Bible.
One chapter showcases example after example of lives that have been changed through Jesus Christ. Changes that no one except for the Living God could do in a person's life.
I enjoyed reading the book Jesus, and discovered many facts surrounding the Bible that I was not aware of.
Tim Lahaye, together with Jerry Jenkins are the authors behind the best-selling series Left Behind. David Minasian is a motion-picture writer, producer and director.
Is it not strange that the world is still obsessed with a Jewish carpenter named Jesus? He keeps appearing all over the place. Magazines and TV shows are still discussing him, perhaps more often than not to try and disprove who Jesus was.
"I am not a believer, but I have the utmost respect for Jesus Christ. I believe he was the most influential person who ever lived," Larry King told Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins during a break on Larry King Live.
We learn how the original text from Old and New Testaments were preserved with more accuracy than any other historical writings. Archeological discoveries continue to confirm the reliability of the Biblical records.
Jesus fulfilled the prophesies of the Old Testament, which in many cases Jesus had no control over, yet all were fulfilled. Professor and Mathematician Peter Stoner calculated the odds of someone fulfilling 48 of these prophesies. The calculations turned out be so overwhelming in odds that no one except for God himself could have fulfilled all these prophecies.
Tim and David also examine the gnostic texts, which are full of contradictions in their attempt to cast doubts over the authenticity of the Bible.
One chapter showcases example after example of lives that have been changed through Jesus Christ. Changes that no one except for the Living God could do in a person's life.
I enjoyed reading the book Jesus, and discovered many facts surrounding the Bible that I was not aware of.
Tim Lahaye, together with Jerry Jenkins are the authors behind the best-selling series Left Behind. David Minasian is a motion-picture writer, producer and director.
September 2, 2009
JESUS Why the World is Still Fascinated By Him
Tim LaHaye with David Minasian
Publisher: David C. Cook
https://timlahaye.com/
I was excited to review “Jesus: Why the World Is Still Fascinated By Him, having been a fan of Tim LaHaye ever since I read his book, The Battle for the Mind, back in the early 1980‘s. I was a teenager and had recently received Jesus Christ as my Savior and I wanted to learn more about Jesus.
I applaud Mr. LaHaye for his efforts and the simplicity of his writings so that even a non-believer may understand more about the real Jesus we love and call Savior.
I especially, was touched with chapter seven, “Look How He Loves” because of how Jesus viewed women in the Bible, as stated in Galatians 3:28, ”.. there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus”. LaHaye shares with the readers how even today, women are still frowned upon, abused and rejected but thanks to Jesus Christ, we can be set free. Many still struggle today with accepting women as having a whole brain and being inferior to men.
“I am not a believer, but I have the utmost respect for Jesus Christ. I believe He was the most influential person who ever lived.”
Larry King, cited in chapter 1 of Jesus
As I browsed through the reviews at Amazon, I realized that many of the reviews were either, “Love LaHaye or Hate him“. Whew! We would hope as Born Again believers that we will be in awe of Jesus Christ for many generations to come.
I recommend this book to those of you that are fans of Jesus Christ. If you like to know the facts, Mr. LaHaye helps bring those to the surface in his newest book. Enjoy! I would love to hear your comments on this book as well.
Tim LaHaye with David Minasian
Publisher: David C. Cook
https://timlahaye.com/
I was excited to review “Jesus: Why the World Is Still Fascinated By Him, having been a fan of Tim LaHaye ever since I read his book, The Battle for the Mind, back in the early 1980‘s. I was a teenager and had recently received Jesus Christ as my Savior and I wanted to learn more about Jesus.
I applaud Mr. LaHaye for his efforts and the simplicity of his writings so that even a non-believer may understand more about the real Jesus we love and call Savior.
I especially, was touched with chapter seven, “Look How He Loves” because of how Jesus viewed women in the Bible, as stated in Galatians 3:28, ”.. there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus”. LaHaye shares with the readers how even today, women are still frowned upon, abused and rejected but thanks to Jesus Christ, we can be set free. Many still struggle today with accepting women as having a whole brain and being inferior to men.
“I am not a believer, but I have the utmost respect for Jesus Christ. I believe He was the most influential person who ever lived.”
Larry King, cited in chapter 1 of Jesus
As I browsed through the reviews at Amazon, I realized that many of the reviews were either, “Love LaHaye or Hate him“. Whew! We would hope as Born Again believers that we will be in awe of Jesus Christ for many generations to come.
I recommend this book to those of you that are fans of Jesus Christ. If you like to know the facts, Mr. LaHaye helps bring those to the surface in his newest book. Enjoy! I would love to hear your comments on this book as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2012
For the most part this is an interesting book, and paints a Biblically accurate portrait of Jesus. There were a few things I learned I didn't know before.
I found the chapters dealing with Gnostic philosophies somewhat boring. I didn't really care what they thought about Jesus, and their theories weren't that fascinating. Although, the Gnostic Gospel views on creation read better than the Babylonian and Egyptian stories-- so I may look into those.
There are also places in the book where the author falls into an odd system of logic when proving things about Jesus or the Bible. He uses the words from Jesus or the Bible to support the claim he is trying to make. [ This is a simplistic example and NOT one in the book -- purely for illustration, but things like "Proving" the Bible is the word of God, by quoting the scriptures that say so. That really proves nothing, unless you already believe the Bible is the word of God.] These items don't bother me too much--- I find faith is a much better tool to use than logic when it comes to these things. But, I imagine anyone coming to the book as a skeptic will be put off by such shenanigans. :)
I found the chapters that were actually about Jesus and His contemporaries' reactions to Him good and interesting. The chapters dealing with Gnosticism, modern day followers, and some of the unbridged jumps in logic less compelling.
I found the chapters dealing with Gnostic philosophies somewhat boring. I didn't really care what they thought about Jesus, and their theories weren't that fascinating. Although, the Gnostic Gospel views on creation read better than the Babylonian and Egyptian stories-- so I may look into those.
There are also places in the book where the author falls into an odd system of logic when proving things about Jesus or the Bible. He uses the words from Jesus or the Bible to support the claim he is trying to make. [ This is a simplistic example and NOT one in the book -- purely for illustration, but things like "Proving" the Bible is the word of God, by quoting the scriptures that say so. That really proves nothing, unless you already believe the Bible is the word of God.] These items don't bother me too much--- I find faith is a much better tool to use than logic when it comes to these things. But, I imagine anyone coming to the book as a skeptic will be put off by such shenanigans. :)
I found the chapters that were actually about Jesus and His contemporaries' reactions to Him good and interesting. The chapters dealing with Gnosticism, modern day followers, and some of the unbridged jumps in logic less compelling.
December 20, 2012
This book was pretty good; I need no convincing about Jesus' impact on humanity but it was interesting to learn more about His influence on stuff like women's rights and our culture today. Learned a lot about how the Bible came to be, too.
This book was a quick read so it was pretty enjoyable.
This book was a quick read so it was pretty enjoyable.
January 23, 2010
Better than expected. The chapter on Gnosticism was especially enlightening. Although I enjoyed McDowell's "Evidence That Demands a Verdict" more, LaHaye's voice on some topics was actually quite refreshing.
June 10, 2017
The author goes into great detail about information proving that Jesus was a real person who truly died on the cross and was resurrected. He also explains why Jesus is the most popular person who ever lived. I needed no convincing, but I did find most of it very interesting.
May 10, 2015
As with many Christian books, the audience isn't clear -- sometimes it seems like he's trying to educate Christians, at other times like he's trying to convert everyone else.
It's been too long since I read the book to make any further comments about the content.
It's been too long since I read the book to make any further comments about the content.
November 1, 2015
Very good non fiction book that tells the background of our Bible and talks about who Jesus really is. No watered down, changing history to fit the bill, writing here. I recommend for every Christian and I give it four stars. I really liked it. Good for ages 14 and up.
December 28, 2015
This author became very side tracked and ultimately didn't fulfill the title of the book at all. He went on about how wrong Islam is and literally said gay people can convert back to heterosexuality. A lot of the material was really bogus.
January 17, 2016
I great biography of sorts of Jesus Christ. There was a lot that I learned form this book.
Ther is so much prophesy involving Jesus and I have not studied it in a long time. This book made a great refresher.
Ther is so much prophesy involving Jesus and I have not studied it in a long time. This book made a great refresher.
February 15, 2011
This book is okay. I did learn some stuff I hadn't known before. I would recommend it to others. A pretty quick read once I got into it.
March 17, 2011
This book was good, but not a light read. Took me awhile to read it. But I'm glad I did. Jesus is fascinating.
Want to read
April 6, 2012[free nook book]
November 2, 2012
Amazing read that makes you think! Loved this book!!!!!
Read
May 30, 2013Very informative.
November 7, 2013
Great read
Read
September 20, 2014I've tried to finish this several times. It starts out very good but the more you read, the more abstract it becomes.
January 14, 2013
Very informative!
April 23, 2017
Makes a great case for why all should believe.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews