Just as the tail is what propels the fish through the water, the Fishtail Illustration explains how the Gospel propels the believer through the Christian life. There are many Christian books that explain life and scripture through the lens of the Gospel. But none of them have the lens itself. The Fishtail Illustration is that lens.

In 2006, Dr. Timothy Keller (the author's former pastor) challenged the world to come up with a new Gospel illustration. The Tail of the Fish© is it! The Fishtail Illustration changes the way you read every story in the Bible. And once you see it, it becomes a lens through which to see every element of your Christian life anew.

For Believers

If Christianity is such a great offer, why don’t more take it? And why do so many who have taken it ultimately walk away from the faith? Part of this problem is theological. All other religions are Do; Christianity is Done. But there are many believers who understand that, and yet still misunderstand the Gospel. They have a flawed understanding of how the Gospel operates in the Christian life, seeing it as just the start of the Christian life. This view sucks all the joy out of being a Christian. But the Gospel doesn't just start the Christian life: it IS the Christian life. Once you can visualize it, everything changes.

For Burnt-Out Believers and Skeptics

The author tells the story of how he and his wife got so burnt out on trying to live the perfect Christian life that one day they looked at each other and said, "Sure, we still believe it. We just wouldn't recommend it." But once the true meaning of the Gospel started to get a hold of them, they felt like they were born again again.

The problem isn’t just theological. It’s visual. You have a hard time seeing the Gospel until it’s drawn out. And it’s a problem of time—you could read a hundred books to get a grasp of it, or you could just take a look at The Fishtail Illustration, which makes the whole thing perfectly clear in about five minutes.