Radical Discipleship: Following Jesus in the Twenty-First Century - Hardcover

by Robert P. Vande Kappelle (Author)

Discipleship is a universal experience all human beings share. In our lifetime, each of us has had a mentor, tutor, teacher, or role model, someone we admired, respected, and followed. As the central character in the Bible, the world's best-selling book, Jesus is known and revered the world over. What would it be like to be mentored by such an individual? Of course, we can follow the accounts of the historical Jesus and his disciples in the gospels, but what would it mean to be discipled by a contemporary, twenty-first-century Jesus? While people across the world claim to follow Jesus, what would it mean to live in the modern world guided by a modern Jesus on religious issues such as faith, God, and scripture, and on social issues such as poverty, healthcare, social justice, political reform, and caring for the environment? A good place to begin is with compassion, for Christianity and compassion are largely linked. To be apprenticed to Jesus is to follow one whose profound love for the hungry, sick, and dying inspired more compassion than any single person, movement, or force in history. Addressing discipleship as a priority in our lives, Radical Discipleship illustrates its subject with stories and accounts of ordinary Christians living out their discipleship in authentic and inspiring ways. Useful for individual or group study, this volume serves as a resource for people seeking tools necessary to fulfill Jesus' vision for a more vibrant and equitable world, one in which every human being can thrive.

Author Biography

Robert P. Vande Kappelle is professor emeritus of religious studies at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He is the author of thirty-four books, including biblical commentaries, volumes on ethics and church history, and discussion guides on faith, theology, and spirituality. Recent titles include Wading in Water, Deep Splendor, Deeper Splendor, Rebuilding the Temple, Holistic Happiness, and the second edition of Love Never Fails, an inspiring biographical tribute to his parents, Jacob and Bertha Vande Kappelle, career missionaries to Latin America.