The Book that Started with a Facebook Post

Susy Flory needed to say something, but she didn’t want to join the rabblerousers online by just venting. So she typed out three words:“Jesus was nonviolent.”The response was so positive and refreshing, she typed out another “Jesus was …” post the next day. And the next. And the next. For thirty days, she invited friends and strangers into a conversation about the person of Jesus. Eventually, it became the book Jesus Was: Not what we expected but better than we imagined. As I spoke with Susy in our video interview, she described the process of discovering the broad appeal of her Facebook posts, gathering contributors to write essays on each one, finding a publisher, and now releasing it into the world. She also addresses the question of why they used “was” instead of “is” to describe Jesus.She and her co-editor created their own Substack page and a podcast in which they interview each contributor.Jesus Was releases September 23, 2025. While you wait for your preordered copy to arrive, watch this interview, then go listen to the contributors discuss their chapters. You’ll get to know Jesus in a whole new way.The Estuary with Kelley Mathews is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Estuary with Kelley Mathews at kelleymathews.substack.com/subscribe