Book Review: Unashamed To Bear His Name by R.T. Kendall

"For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed (Luke 9:26)."

These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ speaking about bearing the shame of him. Is there a stigma involved in following Christ? Should following Jesus cause a stigma? Are we, should we be ashamed to bear the name of Jesus Christ? The simple meaning of the word stigma is a mark of shame or discredit.

R.T. Kendall addresses the stigma of bearing the name of Jesus in his book, Unashamed To Bear His Name, Embracing the Stigma of Being A Christian. The author reaches into his personal background and experience and goes into great detail about the stigma and scandal of following after and bearing the name of Jesus Christ.

Chapter 2 of the book begins with a look at Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ," diving directly into the destigmatizing of the gospel which is so evident in our day. The author steps into embracing the shame of the name in chapter 5 where he speaks of the anointing and the greater the anointing the greater the suffering for it. Chapter 7 speaks of dealing with unnecessary scandal and stigma.

Chapter 9, The Reason the Jews Missed Their Messiah is very interesting. R.T. Kendall puts forward a reason which I have never thought of before, seeking the praise which comes from men instead of God. He then follows this chapter with a chapter dealing with the stigma of no vindication. He closes out the book with a chapter dealing with being outside the camp, again offering excellent insight.

While I cannot agree with every doctrine put forward by R.T. Kendall in Unashamed To Bear His Name, Embracing the Stigma of Being A Christian, I can recommend this book as a challenge to accepting the shame, scandal, and stigma of bearing the name of Jesus.

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers as a part of their reviewers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."