There are not many books that rattle the status quo in the church and simultaneously get accolades from the broader evangelical church. David Platt's Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream has endorsements from “big name” Southern Baptists like Russell Moore, Johnny Hunt and Daniel Akin. That is interesting and important because in many ways the SBC embodies what David Platt is talking about: affluent, middle-class values that are inextricably linked with Christianity. The very title itself is provocative and the fact that it is tells us an awful lot. To many Christians, there is little difference between the American dream and the Gospel. I would go so far as to say that in much of the evangelical world, even in places that decry “prosperity gospel” theology, we operate in a functional prosperity gospel, i.e. God has blessed us materially as Americans and that is a sign of God’s favor that makes calls for self-sacrifice beyond a pittance in giving almost unthinkable.
I liked the whole book and I will admit I was on guard before I picked it up. A book about living radically for the Gospel written by a traditional pastor in a Southern Baptist megachurch? How radical can it possibly be? I fully expected the extent of his radicalism to be “give more to your local church”. I was pleasantly surprised but also haunted by what he wrote. Platt calls the church on the carpet (and himself I will add, this is not a “you stink, be like me” kind of book) for our neglect of the poor. Pull into any sizeable suburban evangelical church on a Sunday morning and you will be greeted by a palatial building surrounded by acres of parking lots full of millions of dollars of cars. One fairly typical evangelical church my family and I attended in the past looked like a new car dealership in the parking lot. When you enter the building you find yourself in the midst of people in their "Sunday best" doing their religious duty for the week, waiting for the clock to strike twelve so they can go about their lives comfortably oblivious to the suffering of people around the world and down the street.
One of the most powerful things Platt recounts is that when we change our mindset, it can really expose how indifferent we have been to the poor. The mindset change I am thinking of is described by Platt as Christians not asking “How much can I spare?” but instead asking “How much will it take?” That one question makes a huge difference. Instead of looking at our lifestyles lived as we want and then seeing what disposable income is left over to give away, we should approach our budget with the Gospel first. I live in a modest home but it is bigger than we need. We don’t eat luxuriously but we could eat just fine for less money. We don’t have cable but we do spend a lot on internet. We only have one cell phone (only one!) but we do pay for unlimited data. We still live in opulence unheard of for most of my brothers and sisters in Christ who have the "misfortune" of being born in a Third World country. If we saw the Church as the Bible sees it, not as a bunch of more or less unconnected local churches who do their own thing, but a living Body of believers who are scattered around the world and responsible to one another, I think we would have an easier time seeing radical discipleship as something that forms all that we do instead of a line item on our budget under discretionary spending. "What will it take" demands real sacrifice, "How much can I spare" relegates mercy and Gospel proclamation to the same category as vacations and movies.
A few quibbles and they are obvious ones. Platt still seems to see the traditional church as the proper model for the gathering of the church and indeed as the primary engine for radical living. While that makes sense for someone who is an employee of a 4000 member traditional church, I also see the traditional church in America as one of the great impediments to living as disciples and followers of Christ. It sounds like The Church at Brook Hills where Platt is pastor is an exceptional group but that would be the exception, not the norm. Until evangelicals untangle themselves from the worldly model of success that permeates the church with its mortgages, capital campaigns, enormous staff and building expenses and all of the other associated costs that absorb an enormous percentage of Christian giving, we are not going to live in anything even resembling a radical lifestyle. Adding a new wing to your building or hiring more clerical staff is not radical living for the Gospel. Stylistically the book seemed a little herky jerky in some places, it seems like I was reading about one topic and then he shifted to a completely different topic that made me stop and backup looking for the non-existent transition. That is kind of to be expected, he is not a professional author. I just found it a little distracting.
I can only hope that this book is not one that Christians read, say “Wow, we should do more”, give a little more in the plate the next Sunday and then slip comfortably back into the middle-class stupor we live in. Read for what is written, there should be no way that a born-again believer in Jesus Christ can just accept and embrace the affluent status quo as if there is nothing going on beyond our borders. It is unsettling to think that what we cherish for ourselves and desire above all else for our children, i.e. the “American Dream” might actually be contrary to living our lives for Christ. We are way overdue to be unsettled in America where Christians have made an idol out of being American. It is time to smash that idol and start using the material prosperity of this country to help those who are in need instead of enriching ourselves and propping up our cultural religion.
Will we read this book and more importantly look afresh at the words of Christ and give up all to follow Him or will we walk away sadly and refuse to follow Him like the rich young ruler because we love our possessions and security more than we love Him?
I liked the whole book and I will admit I was on guard before I picked it up. A book about living radically for the Gospel written by a traditional pastor in a Southern Baptist megachurch? How radical can it possibly be? I fully expected the extent of his radicalism to be “give more to your local church”. I was pleasantly surprised but also haunted by what he wrote. Platt calls the church on the carpet (and himself I will add, this is not a “you stink, be like me” kind of book) for our neglect of the poor. Pull into any sizeable suburban evangelical church on a Sunday morning and you will be greeted by a palatial building surrounded by acres of parking lots full of millions of dollars of cars. One fairly typical evangelical church my family and I attended in the past looked like a new car dealership in the parking lot. When you enter the building you find yourself in the midst of people in their "Sunday best" doing their religious duty for the week, waiting for the clock to strike twelve so they can go about their lives comfortably oblivious to the suffering of people around the world and down the street.
One of the most powerful things Platt recounts is that when we change our mindset, it can really expose how indifferent we have been to the poor. The mindset change I am thinking of is described by Platt as Christians not asking “How much can I spare?” but instead asking “How much will it take?” That one question makes a huge difference. Instead of looking at our lifestyles lived as we want and then seeing what disposable income is left over to give away, we should approach our budget with the Gospel first. I live in a modest home but it is bigger than we need. We don’t eat luxuriously but we could eat just fine for less money. We don’t have cable but we do spend a lot on internet. We only have one cell phone (only one!) but we do pay for unlimited data. We still live in opulence unheard of for most of my brothers and sisters in Christ who have the "misfortune" of being born in a Third World country. If we saw the Church as the Bible sees it, not as a bunch of more or less unconnected local churches who do their own thing, but a living Body of believers who are scattered around the world and responsible to one another, I think we would have an easier time seeing radical discipleship as something that forms all that we do instead of a line item on our budget under discretionary spending. "What will it take" demands real sacrifice, "How much can I spare" relegates mercy and Gospel proclamation to the same category as vacations and movies.
A few quibbles and they are obvious ones. Platt still seems to see the traditional church as the proper model for the gathering of the church and indeed as the primary engine for radical living. While that makes sense for someone who is an employee of a 4000 member traditional church, I also see the traditional church in America as one of the great impediments to living as disciples and followers of Christ. It sounds like The Church at Brook Hills where Platt is pastor is an exceptional group but that would be the exception, not the norm. Until evangelicals untangle themselves from the worldly model of success that permeates the church with its mortgages, capital campaigns, enormous staff and building expenses and all of the other associated costs that absorb an enormous percentage of Christian giving, we are not going to live in anything even resembling a radical lifestyle. Adding a new wing to your building or hiring more clerical staff is not radical living for the Gospel. Stylistically the book seemed a little herky jerky in some places, it seems like I was reading about one topic and then he shifted to a completely different topic that made me stop and backup looking for the non-existent transition. That is kind of to be expected, he is not a professional author. I just found it a little distracting.
I can only hope that this book is not one that Christians read, say “Wow, we should do more”, give a little more in the plate the next Sunday and then slip comfortably back into the middle-class stupor we live in. Read for what is written, there should be no way that a born-again believer in Jesus Christ can just accept and embrace the affluent status quo as if there is nothing going on beyond our borders. It is unsettling to think that what we cherish for ourselves and desire above all else for our children, i.e. the “American Dream” might actually be contrary to living our lives for Christ. We are way overdue to be unsettled in America where Christians have made an idol out of being American. It is time to smash that idol and start using the material prosperity of this country to help those who are in need instead of enriching ourselves and propping up our cultural religion.
Will we read this book and more importantly look afresh at the words of Christ and give up all to follow Him or will we walk away sadly and refuse to follow Him like the rich young ruler because we love our possessions and security more than we love Him?
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