Jorge E. LopezBook Review #203-04-2104A THICKER JESUS: The Incarnate Disciple in the Secular Age by Glen StassenThis book is indeed 'one of those books that every Christian should read. The author has done an excellent job of translating his knowledge and experience into this concise book which contains many useful ideas for our ministries. In summary, of the many questions involved in the book, perhaps one of the most important to summarize the book is: What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus in a materialistic world like the one we have today? Another question is whether being a follower of Jesus has ethical implications in a pluralistic world like ours? GOOD! In this book, Glenn Stassen attempts to investigate our situation as followers of Jesus in today's times, suggesting an "embodied discipleship" that addresses the lack of discipleship we experience today. For this, Stassen offers us an ethical vision that can build our identity to allow believers to live with dedication in the secular world in which we live today. In the pages of the book, the author gives a significant exposition of "the atonement theory", what he calls an "incarnation theory". This theory of atonement is easily deviated from the fact that "penal substitution" is simply more than a sign of love in which morality should be exercised to follow Jesus. Furthermore, according to the author, this theory of atonement is an indication of Jesus' peaceful hostility which leads to the question of divine love as raised in the Sermon on the Mount. However, the author recalls how Bonhoeffer addressed the more committed way of discipleship by focusing on "denial without public commitment." The call to divine love is not to resist evil but to fight... middle of paper ... style, names, words but the path to the renewal of the Church in the formation of disciples to the global scale. What is really needed in this secular society and church is a “rediscovery of Jesus,” explaining him as “a thicker Jesus.” Therefore, one final idea that the book taught me was to think about discipleship interactively. It is not a passive message but an active one. It is by engaging in the field of spiritual combat that the true disciple follows the ways of Jesus. It is not a commitment but a commitment of several people who share and defend the same rights and duties to exercise what has been recommended by their leader. What the book implies as a main theme is that discipleship must be active and embodied, meaning that all believers should feel anxious to support the cause of Jesus in a world that, although dead in their sins, is safe under the divine umbrella of the power of incarnate discipleship..