Undiluted: Rediscovering the Radical Message of Jesus

I think what’s made Ben’s blog “blow-up” [in a good way] is 1) how incredibly relatable he is and 2) how he addresses heated topics with such a pastoral care. The thing that has surprised me the most about Ben is that he’s a Gordon-Conwell Theological student, and as someone who has an entirely family of men in which has attended Gordon College and/or Gordon-Conwell this was disheartening to hear… but Ben is refreshingly progressive unlike the institution [Gordon-Conwell] which is historically, and quite strongly, affiliated with the conservative right.

Having said that, this tidbit made me even more interested in Ben and reading his book. Again, I think this is why Ben has been so widely received. He’s progressive, but not so progressive that he is anathematized by conservative publishers, institutions, and leaders (this is not to say he hasn’t gotten his fair share of haters trolling his comment section or twitter feed) while still being widely accepted by progressives, et al.

In his recent book Undiluted, what I loved was the relatability.

“Every day I drive by churches that proudly have ‘All Are Welcome’ plastered across their signs; however, I rarely believe it – and I don’t think others believe it either.” – Benjamin L. Corey

He has managed to master an appropriate tone without sacrificing the core of his message, if you’re a teacher, pastor, writer, or anything that has to do with communicating [especially on topics related to religion] you know how hard this is to do, effectively.

I found myself highlighting so much in his book that it became useless to continue highlighting as I might as well have just colored the entire book blue.

There’s no question that Undiluted is relatable and relevant to our time, he is saying and re-iterating much of what many of us have been feeling. Ben’s tone in this book makes it appropriate for you to hand off to a family member who is genuinely wanting to hear you out, not necessarily agree, but simply understand better.

As Ben’s platform has grown and he’s gained quite a following it was a wise decision for Ben to write this for a much wider population and not limiting it to academic only population. As one who has been following Ben for a bit, conversed with him a bunch and consider him a friend, it was great to be able to hear more detailed version of his life and overall journey, pursuing and living like an undiluted version of Christ.

Here’s a link to head over and purchase the book.

You can find Ben over at Patheos.com where he blogs regularly or over in the Twittersphere – OH! I almost forgot about his podcast “That God Show.”