Posted on August 27, 2009 - by Stephen Murray

Michael Jensen’s ‘you’: a review

‘Who are you?’ – it’s almost become a little bit of conversational humour to talk about people ‘finding themselves’ or getting to grips with who ‘you’ really are – as if most of us are fairly secure people comfortable with our identity and purpose in this giant universe. The short amount of time I’ve spent as a pastor suggests to me that it’s not really the case for so many people. For so many the answer to the question ‘who are you?’ is a fairly difficult and perturbing question to answer. Anxiety seems to be the lot of many as they try to figure out what it means to be a functional and purposeful human being in this world.

Into this rather large and daunting question comes Michael Jensen’s book ‘You: an introduction’. Musing over an upcoming season of Big Brother Michael writes,

‘It got me thinking about human beings. Who are we really? What are we supposed to be like? What – or whose – purpose do we serve?’ (p.7)

He takes this question and he runs with it investigating all that anxiety and baggage along the way. Michael writes very simply and shows a good understanding of the thought life of many younger folk in the west as he tackles often unspoken questions about our bodies (ch.5), our freedom (ch.6), sexuality and gender (ch.10) and a whole lot of other appendages that make up the current human disposition and dilemma.

As he approaches each subject he has a very helpful way of opening the subject, identifying its connection to the human condition and then, more often than not, tracing out the story of Jesus as he purposefully entered history to tell us just exactly who ‘you’ are. His simple thesis seems to me to be that God is God and you are not, but…you can figure out something of who you are by looking at Jesus. A book that is engaging sending out that message must surely be helpful and useful – Michael’s book is.

I particularly enjoyed the way he would navigate an issue, deal with objections and point to Christ. Consider this section from his chapter entitled ‘Body’

‘To you, Paul’s teaching that “You are not your own” (1 Cor 6:19) might be repulsive, sounding very much like a justification for the use of one body by another. Victims of child sexual abuse may feel as if their bodies have been stolen from them by another. (That the abusers of the bodies of children and young people have been allowed to carry on in churches with the merest slap on the wrist is appalling – not just because of the evil itself, but because we church people have failed in our responsibility to keep the body of Christ pure.) To the feminist movement, the use and abuse of the individual female body by society is blamed, at least in part, on church attitudes. The argument in favour of abortion rights is, in fact, an argument about rights over bodies. And Christian opposition to abortion is seen as an attempt to subdue and control the bodies of women further.

But there is a difference: Jesus Christ has not stolen our bodies, or bullied his way into power over them. He has bought them – bought them at the cost of his own body. He does not make us his victims in order to subdue and control our bodies. Instead, he becomes the victim: he voluntarily submits his body to be victimized – to be pierced, nails driven through his hands and feet, and a spear into his side – in order to purchase freedom for our bodies, releasing us from the control of evil.’ (p.48)

The book has an openness and simplicity that endears me towards it in a way that other Christian books on similar subjects just don’t. It tackles a hard question without making you feel like an idiot just because you haven’t figured out who ‘you’ are yet like the clever author has. I think it could be an exceptionally helpful tool particularly in student and young adult ministry although I’m sure there are a number of older adults who are just as unclear about that big question as young people are.

I know I’m supposed to say something negative at some point about the book, but I actually really enjoyed it. So for the sake of posterity I thought the cover was a bit of an eyesore – but that’s probably not Michael’s fault. Great book, I recommend you read it and use it.