Unfollowers

What Keeps Us from Following Jesus?

Most of us have an internal list of all the things that a messiah should be and do. Most of all, we expect him to be like us. So what happens when the one who claims to be the Messiah doesn’t meet our expectations?

Many of the people in the gospels had a fixed set of beliefs about what the Messiah would be and do. But Jesus didn’t match their expectations. He didn’t keep the right company, cater to the powerful, or affirm their picture of God.

In Unfollowers, Derek Cooper and Ed Cyzewski ask: What can today’s followers of Jesus learn from the dropouts, detractors, and doubters in the gospels? The “unfollowers” map out common obstacles for Christians today, offer a fresh perspective on the disciples of Jesus, and reveal the alluring counterfeit paths that tempt followers of Jesus today.


Derek Cooper is assistant professor of world Christian history and director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, PA. Derek is a former pastor and author of several books.

Ed Cyzewski is a freelance writer, speaker, and author of several books. He writes at In a Mirror Dimly and earned his master of divinity at Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, PA.