Summer Reading

Book reports were never a highlight of my educational experience. As a result, I am very grateful for those who can write them well. They are usually quite helpful in keeping up with the current hot topics without having to buy every book, while at the same time providing enough information to make a good decision about a possible purchase. While I wouldn’t consider myself a great reviewer, nor even a good one, I would like to offer a few comments about three books that have recently crossed my desk; books that have challenged me and added to the greater dialog among friends and fellow believers. Two are well known; the third is a relatively obscure book unless you have attended, or have children who have attended, Calvin College.

Radical, by David Platt, is subtitled “Taking back your faith from the American Dream”. I was really intrigued by this bold call to action because it resonated with a deep concern that has been growing in me for some time regarding the state of the American church. The book delivered in every way but one, challenging me to reconsider the underlying values that drive much of what I do, day to day, as a believer. Platt calls us to take seriously the clear commands of Christ to live first for the Kingdom, and turn from our consumer-driven, accumulating-to-feel-secure culture. The story in the book that impressed me most was when the author related how, on one particular mission trip to Africa, the church leaders there asked him to teach through both the Old and New Testament straight through over the course of two days. During that time, he rarely saw the eyes of those who were listening to him. They were copying down every word solely, for the purpose of sharing it with others. The primal hunger for the Word, and the concept of taking it in precisely to give it away, is a stark contrast to our half-hearted and un-purposed approach. The only criticism I have of the book is that all of the action that results from taking up this radical call of Jesus is set in third world countries. Living for the Kingdom, taking the gospel to the poor and the hurting has countless outlets across the street, downtown and in the remote places of the American landscape as well. Yet, Platt holds the beauty and power of the gospel up for all of us to not only admire, but also embrace wherever it may take us.

Going in a completely different direction is Rob Bell’s latest, Love Wins. We should always be grateful for books that open up conversations on important theological questions. Certainly, this book has accomplished that task. However, it was a sad day when I turned the last page and all my worst fears were confirmed. Bell unleashes unabashedly poor interpretive methodology and his own unique brand of proof texting (which he abhors in others) to make the point that he believes everyone will be saved. He also attempts to stand tall on the shoulders of those who, in church history, have themselves fallen outside the lines of the gospel once delivered to the saints. He nicely covers his trail with open ended questions that often mislead, and double speak that leaves us scratching our theological heads. Let me let him speak for himself. Commenting on John 14:6, Bell offers this interpretation, “And so the passage is exclusive, deeply so, insisting on Jesus alone as the way to God. But it is an exclusivity on the other side of inclusivity.” Huh? He goes on to say, “What Jesus does is declare that he, and he alone, is saving everybody.” (p.154 & 155) Gulp! Much more could be said; and it probably will be by many others. But this is a book that I would be very careful about recommending to anyone still early in their theological growth.

The third book is a delightfully refreshing look at the core principles of the reformed view of Scripture and life, by an author who is both theologically rooted and a great communicator. The book is Engaging God’s World, A Christian vision of Faith, Learning, and Living. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to get a brief, but sound overview of the great themes of Scripture, and how they can shape our view of life. Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. is the author, and his main goal was to help incoming students to Calvin College understand the role of the Christian university as a means of learning to live fully in the gospel of Christ. Along the way, he has provided us with a wonderful tool for seeing “Christ in context, at the center of a Christian’s view of the world…”(p16)

May your summer be filled with much good reading…of real books with paper and typeset ink. Ah, but that is a topic for another blog!

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~ by Roy Yanke on July 4, 2011.