Book Review: Jesus + Nothing = Everything

Jesus + Nothing = Everything. By Tullian Tchividjian. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books. pp. 224. 2011. ($18.99 Print | $16.99 Kindle | $13.99 Audio)

---

««« (Like)

Jesus + Nothing = Everything is a very simple equation, yet its truth is an essential aspect of the Christian faith with many diverse applications. Tullian Tchividjian, a Presbyterian pastor with an unpronounceable last name, tackles this equation from back to front and from front to back.

Tchividjian was facing a challenging and discouraging situation in his ministry that brought him to reflect on his motivations and discovered that he was tying his own identity and self-worth into what others thought of him. Yet, as he reflected on the letter to the Colossians, he recommitted himself to the truth the Jesus is the source of his identity and self-worth because Jesus is the source of everything, especially our salvation.

What follows is a look at each aspect of the equation, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, followed by detailed look at some key passages from Colossians and their relevance today. It’s a bit of a chiasm (A-B-C-C’-B’-A’), which is not a common format, and thus can be bothersome to work through. Personally, I most benefitted from Tchividian’s explanation of the Bible passages, since I want my beliefs and practices to be based on what the Bible says.

The narrator reads the book like you would expect it to be spoken, adjusting his tone, pitch, and inflection. It’s a good compliment to an overall encouraging book.

I received this audio book from christianaudio for the purpose of review.