Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People

Goff uses the phrase “friends of Jesus” to describe individuals who personally knew Jesus in the first century as well as people who are followers of Jesus today. On the other hand, he never calls Christians disciples, apostles, or followers and seldom uses the name “Christian” anywhere in the book. Why has he adopted the title “friends of Jesus” in place of the historically traditional names of Christians?

Goff clearly equates Jesus with God. When referring to Jesus, however, he does not use any traditional title such as Christ, Son of God, Lord, or Savior. Why might Goff so obviously abstain from using traditional Christian titles for Jesus?

While he mentions Bible texts often, Goff seldom quotes any specific chapter and verse, and he never describes the historical or theological context in which a passage occurs. Why does Goff use biblical references so casually? Does his overly simplified use of scriptural texts diminish the theological impact of his message?

Goff never mentions denominations or even the broad historical groups of Christianity: Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals, or the Emerging Church. Over the history of Christianity, these distinctions were sources of great debates, intense scholarship, and even military conflict. For what reason does Goff decline to recognize these significant differences or even use the generic name Christianity?

What would Goff say are the most important virtues and why does he consider them important? Base your answer on evidence from the text.

Could Goff be regarded as a prophet who is confronting the legalism, formalism, and theological dependency that have been the hallmark of Christian movements and denominations since the second generation of the church? Is Goff’s lack of theological depth in actuality a prophetic outcry against the characteristics that have made Jesus and the power of Christian love less clear and less accessible to the average Christian?

Goff posits that (1) current and previous religious leaders and theologians have it wrong; (2) there are simple religious truths that are being overlooked; (3) he and others who believe as he does (“people who are becoming love”) have finally gotten it right; and (4) his is the way Jesus really wanted it. How is Goff’s message similar or different to that of reformers and evangelists who came before him?

Does Goff’s book encapsulate the conflict between religion and spirituality? Is Goff a spiritual or a religious proponent, and if the former, is it legitimate to subject his ideas to religious examination?