Christianity has a messaging problem. Whether it’s well-meaning simplifications or full-blown distortions, the story of Jesus and the life He calls us to have been flattened, misrepresented and even commodified. Jefferson Bethke, author of It’s Not What You Think, has made it his mission to cut through the noise and point Christians back to the richness and depth of the faith.
Bethke’s book takes aim at some of the key areas where Christianity’s narrative has drifted. From how we understand our identity to the way we approach Scripture, Bethke challenges readers to see their faith not as a set of individual beliefs but as participation in God’s grand, cosmic story.
“It didn’t feel like it made this life matter,” Bethke says of the version of Christianity he grew up with. His dissatisfaction led him deep into the context of Jesus’ world—what He said, why He said it, and how the culture around Him shaped those words.
Bethke’s big realization? “The more I read the Scriptures, the more I see that God’s vision for humanity is not to get a bunch of people saved, but to make a new family.”
A Bigger Story
For Bethke, this shift starts at the very beginning—literally. “If Christians get Genesis 1 and 2 right, it changes their faith,” he explains.
The problem, Bethke says, is that too often Christians begin their story with sin. Take those Gospel bracelets many of us saw in youth group, with black beads symbolizing humanity’s fallen nature. While sin is undeniably a part of the story, it’s not the beginning of the story—and starting there distorts everything that follows.
“The better story, the bigger story, is Shalom and God’s vision for the cosmos including us—that we’re image bearers, that the first voice over us was not condemnation but was a voice of love and joy,” Bethke says.
When you start with identity as image-bearers, the trajectory changes. “Are you a Genesis 1 or a Genesis 3 Christian?” Bethke asks. “Meaning, are you primarily defined by sin or primarily defined by your identity in God as an image bearer?”
This isn’t just semantics—it’s foundational. If we define ourselves first by sin, our faith becomes about fixing what’s broken. But if we start with Genesis 1, our faith becomes about living into the fullness of what God has already called us to be.
Identity Before Activity
One of Bethke’s recurring themes is the importance of identity. He points to the story of the Exodus as a vivid contrast between Yahweh and Pharaoh.
“Pharaoh is very much this god of demand, a ‘god of commodification,’” Bethke explains. “But Yahweh calls them out of slavery. He’s the initiator. He’s coming after you.”
In the same way, God calls us out of our own metaphorical Egypts. But before He gives commandments or asks anything of us, He reminds us who we are: beloved, chosen, rescued. “Identity has to come before activity, and anytime those get flipped, that’s a dangerous place to be,” Bethke warns.
When we let our activity define us, we get stuck on a performance treadmill that leads to exhaustion and burnout. But when we embrace the truth of who God says we are, activity flows naturally from that place of security.
Entering Into Our Pain
Bethke also addresses one of the toughest questions Christians face: Why does a good God allow suffering?
“The cross is such an upside-down paradigm,” Bethke says. “It’s earth-shattering.”
While he doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, Bethke points to the cross as a powerful reminder that God is not distant or detached from our pain. “What really eases the pain or brings you that anchor is knowing that God’s right next to you in the middle of it, in the thick of it,” he says.
This perspective doesn’t erase suffering, but it reframes it. “God knows what it’s like and He’s victorious,” Bethke explains. “There’s a new world and a new life that we constantly, moment by moment, can step into.”
Christianity That Feels Bigger
So what does Bethke hope readers take away from his book? In a word: wonder.
“I really want them to feel like Christianity is bigger, better, more joy-fulfilled, more celebratory and even a little bit more mysterious than they’ve ever thought,” he says.
For Bethke, Christianity isn’t a checkbox of beliefs or a to-do list of moral behaviors. It’s a vibrant, all-encompassing way of life that infuses even the smallest moments with meaning. “Meals matter, how you treat your wife and kids matters, your finances matter—because we’re showing that we’re new people, and ‘Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,’” he says.
At its core, Bethke’s message is both simple and profound: Christianity is more than we think it is. And when we start to see the Gospel as not just a ticket to heaven but as participation in God’s redemptive work here and now, everything changes.
“God’s really wooing us day by day into His new world and into His love,” Bethke says. It’s not just about getting it right—it’s about joining in the story.