Radical - David Platt

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt

Multnomah Books (2010)

Rating: 8

Readability: 8

Impact: Very high. Really made me think and want to talk about things I haven't really.

Read it Again: Yes... I almost did already...writing all the quotes I wanted.

Recommend It: Yes! Emphatically. And then I'd love it if you'd talk about what your thoughts. :-)

What to Expect

David Platt challenges our commitment to Christ and His Church and what we think that means. He comes strait on and doesn't shy away from criticizing the current state of American churches or explaining basic (but sometimes complicated or unpopular theology).

The book is an easy 200 page read and the writing style is engaging. He uses a lot of stories from modern day Christians as well as quotes from previous saints.

His focus is on Matthew 10 and the Great Commission.

My Squib

I'd heard the title of this book off and on, but had never really looked into it. I picked it up knowing no more than the title and that it had created a buzz.

I was suspicious. It was written by the pastor of a four-thousand member church and it's focus was on missions. (Not that either of those things are inherently bad at all!)

But pretty soon I was just enjoying it and feeling convicted...and writing lots of notes.

David Platt is a pastor of a huge church but this book is about the complete failure and sometimes open hypocrisy of the megachurch of America and how they approach "missions"...a better and more accurate name for Platt's perception of it would be "life".

Although there are probably things we could argue about the book it contains a lot of solid wisdom and exhortation in it.

I really needed to read it. I'm relatively comfortable with talking (and/or arguing) theology but miserable at sharing the Gospel with non-believers. And I think this is, unfortunately, a malady with some CREC members. I'm not blaming my church at all here, but I think a lot of us young people have this problem. We don't have any excuse and this is really a horrible failure. Not okay!

I strongly recommend it and I'd love to discuss it with someone who has read it. (If you know me your welcome to borrow my copy.)

Plus talks about and quotes two of my heroes...Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Jim Elliot. <3

From the Book

Are we willing to obey the orders of Christ? Are we willing to be like him? Are we willing to risk our lives to go to great need and to great danger--whether it's in the inner cities around us, the difficult neighbor across the street, the disease-ridden communities in Africa, or the hostile regions in the Middle East? Are we willing to fundamentally alter out understanding of Christianity from a luxury-liner approach that seeks more comforts in the world to a troop-carrier approach that forsakes comforts in the world to accomplish an eternally significant task and achieve an eternally satisfying reward?

We have adopted a Christianity consumed with little devotional thoughts from God for the day, supplemented by teaching in the church filled with entertaining stories and trite opinions on how to be a better person and live a better life in the twenty-first century.

Meanwhile, we hold the matchless Word of God in our hands, and it demands a superior position in our lives, our families, our small groups, and our churches. Do we realize the battle that is waging around us? There is a true God over this world who wants all people to bow at the feet of the loving Savior, and there is a false god in this world who wants all people to burn in hell. The battle is intense, and it cannot be fought with little thoughts in a daily devotional or petty ideas from a preacher on Sunday. It certainly can't be fought with minds numbed by the constant drivel of entertainment on television, DVDs, video games, and the Internet. If you and I are going to penetrate our culture and the cultures of the world with the gospel, we desperately need minds saturated with God's Word.

Thanks for reading,

Miss Pickwickian

Necessary Note: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. :-)