Thaddeus J. Williams - REFLECT: Becoming Yourself by Mirroring the Greatest Person in History

When I picked up Williamss REFLECT, I had no idea what an astonishing, absolutely unique treasure I was about to read. I know Williams, and he (as flawed as we all are) practices what he preaches. The motivating problem is something that our vastly ignorant population simply does not getthat we all worship something and we become like what we worship. This is the scary and sober truth, and if people got ahold of this, they would think much more seriously about their ultimate source of transcendence and meaning. And Williams rightly identifies Jesus and the religion he founded as the only game in town. And he proves it by taking seriously the question, what if we really intended to become like Jesus in several key areas of his life and our lives. Williams draws on an impressive combination of scholarly works and popular culture, and he seems comfortable in both worlds. What results is a completely unique book that must receive a wide circulation. So, please, get a copy, and after you have read it, buy copies for your friends and get into groups to discuss the ideas contained therein. It will definitely be worth your time.

J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy,
Talbot School of Theology; author of Love Your God with All Your Mind

Few people today, inside or outside the church, know who Jesus really is and what he actually taught. Williamss new book enlightens that darkness. Williams proves himself a worthy successor to the late Dallas Willard in emphasizing Christs superior intelligence, his right emotion, his loyalty to the Scriptures, his servant leadership as the best form of power, and the significance of his death and resurrection. This is a book weve all needed for a long time!

Howard Ahmanson, President, Fieldstead and Company

Williams has written a marvelous book that points readers toward authentic worship, faithful living, dedicated discipleship, and a love for Jesus Christ. Readers who take time to reflect on REFLECT will find a book that is brilliant, creative, wide-ranging, insightful, readable, challenging, and filled with wisdom. It is a genuine joy to recommend this outstanding book. I encourage readers to buy two copies and give one to a friend!

David S. Dockery, President, Trinity International University;
coauthor of The Great Tradition of Christian Thinking

Want to become more Christlike? Worship Jesus Christ. Why? Because we become what we worship. This logic fuels REFLECT, a winsomely written and thoroughly contemporary discipleship manual. At a time when our cultures authenticity obsession is leading individuals down find yourself dead-end paths, Williams rightly focuses our attention on Jesus, the source of everything truly authentic. This insightful and timely book reminds readers that becoming Christ-like is not about looking inside yourself or leaning on legalistic rules; rather, its about getting to know, learning to love, and bowing the knee to the glorious Christ.

Brett McCracken, author of Hipster Christianity and Gray Matters

With trademark brilliance and wit, Thaddeus Williams turns his eye to the question of Jesus identity, and its implications for, well, everyone.

Ross Andersen, The Atlantic

Williams is a renaissance man who loves Jesus and loves life. His wide-ranging passions are on full display in this exceptional new book, written with theological clarity, infectious curiosity, and an artists touch. Featuring insights from Dorothy Sayers, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, David Foster Wallace, and many more, REFLECT paints a vivid picture of what it means to worship Jesus and why it matters. The book is a brilliant resource for twenty-first century people seeking to live meaningfully in a world where meaning is harder and harder to find.

Barry H. Corey, President, Biola University; author of Love Kindness

Williams convincingly and winsomely destroys the notion that a person can be non-religious, observing from historical testimony and everyday observation that everyone nurtures a god-concept, an all-important object of devotion that shapes all of life in significant ways. Not only are all people religious, all of life is religious, so it is crucial in our own lives to imitate the habits and practices of Jesus Christ. The book is beautifully written and gracious; the author knows how to write a page-turner with a fathers warmth and scholars insight. Along the way, he provides a more robust picture of Jesus, the God-man, than will have occurred to most of us. Yet Christ is revealed as much more than mere moral exemplar. Williams knows, and presents to us, the Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. It is my honor and delight to commend this unique and original work.

Joseph Boot, Founder of the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity in
Canada; Director of the Wilberforce Academy, London UK;
Senior Pastor, Westminster Chapel, Toronto

Many works can raise the right questions; very few provide the right answers. And, even fewer do so in a way that provokes application and change. Williams practically grapples with and answers the defining issue facing the church and culture today: What is man? His answer is directional, yet not dogmatic; informed, yet not pedantic; fresh, yet not trendy; faithful, yet not frothy; joyful, yet not juvenile. Williams understands and communicates how our lives can reflect (and must reflect) Christ in the entirety of his integrated multi-faceted humanity. Far from being yet another generic collection of spiritual disciplines, or pious admonitions, this volume basks in the glory of Christ, and this propels us (with Williams thoughtful nudging) to be transformed so that we become authentic transformers unto the Good, Beautiful, and True. This volume is at once sound, practical, doxological, loving, and encouraging, and shall be a prime resource for my university and graduate students.

Jeffery J. Ventrella, Senior Counsel,
Senior Vice-President, Training, Alliance Defending Freedom;
author of The Cathedral Builder: Pursuing Cultural Beauty

Williams speaks of a radical change in his life, how he slowly come to appreciate the wonderfully diverse ways in which creativity is part and parcel of what it means to bear the Creators image and to multiply the net beauty in the universe. This book is a wonderfully diverse and creative example of how to imitate Christ, bearing the Creators image, and thus to add to the beauty of the universe.

Peter Jones, Executive Director, truthXchange; Scholar in Residence,
Westminster Seminary, California; author of Capturing the Pagan Mind

REFLECT is a fascinating book of vignettes on values and key character traits. You will bounce back and forth hearing the many voices of people from an array of lifes vocations who have reflected on life with careand you will learn much.

Darrell L. Bock, Executive Director for Cultural Engagement,
Howard G. Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership and Cultural
Engagement; Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies,
Dallas Theological Seminary; author of Jesus, the God-Man

Williams connects the dots between one of the churchs most neglected practicesthe imitation of Christand one of our generations deepest questionspersonal identity and meaning. REFLECT is a creative, winsome, and entertaining book that will help all different kinds of readers understand what it means to follow and worship Jesus in our current cultural moment.

Gavin Ortlund, Associate Pastor, Sierra Madre Congregational Church (CA),
and writer for The Gospel Coalition

No one can fathom the depths of Jesus truth, wisdom, or virtue. Yet this book brings profound features of Jesus character to bear on our existence. Those who want to live life the Jesus-way should read this rewarding work by Williams.