An Unconventional God: The Spirit According to Jesus Paperback - 2020

From the rear cover

Discover the Spirit in the Gospels

"Whatever Jack Levison writes about the Spirit is worth reading. When he now takes us through the familiar territory of the story of Jesus, alerting us to Spirit-filled dimensions we have missed before, our eyes are opened, our minds glimpse fresh truth, and our hearts are once more set on fire."
--N. T. Wright, former Bishop of Durham; University of St. Andrews and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford

"Those who think that there is nothing new to learn about the Holy Spirit should read An Unconventional God. Far from merely rehashing well-worn themes, Levison freshly appraises the Spirit's role and work in the Gospels. This book will make you think again about the sometimes perplexing, often challenging, and always invigorating power of the Spirit in the life of Jesus--and in the life of the church."
--Marianne Meye Thompson, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Written in a popular and engaging style, Levison's latest book is marked by independent judgment and disciplined imagination. Pastors will discover sermonic possibilities at every turn, and the learned will find themselves pondering new readings and innovative proposals."
--Dale C. Allison Jr., Princeton Theological Seminary

"An Unconventional God explores a section of Scripture rarely given the attention it deserves for pneumatology: the four Gospels. Levison's nuanced attentiveness to the Old Testament and Judaism is brought into play to see the Gospels' understanding of the Spirit in a way that is both comprehensive and unconventional. This book will replace the standard studies of Spirit in the Gospels."
--Scot McKnight, Northern Seminary

"In this elegant and convicting exposition of the Spirit's role in the canonical Gospels, Levison shows us that the Holy Spirit portrayed in them is one who drives Jesus into the wilderness and who may drive us there also. The good news, in Levison's telling, is a promise not of easy deliverance from our trials but of divine presence to accompany us through the hard places."
--Susan R. Garrett, Louisville Seminary

"Levison's interpretations show the precision of an exegete and yet the openness of an ancient biographer to different reports or versions of the same incident. This fascinating book offers something for everyone."
--Rainer Hirsch-Luipold, University of Bern