Review
The Courage to be Protestant
25/05/08 13:57
One of my favourite series of books in recent years have been those by David F Wells, including 'No Place for Truth' and 'God in the Wasteland' etc. If you like books that deal in depth with what is wrong with the church in the 21st century then these are the ones to own. Look on Amazon or, if you have one, ask at a good local Christian bookshop.
Having said that, I'd have to admit that Dr Wells can be heavy going if you are not used to serious reading - these books are very serious and heavily foot-noted. His latest title, however, is much more accessible and that is the way he has intended it. It is right up-to-date, having been published this year, and it is well worth reading. It will open your eyes to what is happening in the church in the West; even though Dr Wells generally refers to America you can read it as any Christian with experience of the modern church anywhere and gain a great deal. Here's a quote that had a great impact on me:
We have enough Bibles . . . We have churches galore; religious organizations; educational institutions; religious presses that never stop pouring forth books, Sunday School materials and religious curricula; and unparalleled financial resources. What don't we have? All too often we don't have what the Old Testament people didn't have. A due and weighty sense of the greatness and holiness of God, a sense that will reach into our lives, wrench them around, lift our vision, fill our hearts, make us courageous for what is right, and over time leave behind its beautiful residue of Christlike character.
. . . . . . . .
Let us not mince words. If we could see more clearly God in the full blaze of his burning purity, we would not be on easy terms with all the sins that now infect our souls and breed easy compromises with the spirit of the postmodern age. This is what leads to the casual ways in which we live our lives with their blatantly wrong priorities. If we could see this more clearly, the church would be filled with much more repentance and, in consequence, much more joy, and much more authenticity.
David F Wells, pages 132-133, 'The Courage to be Protestant; truth-lovers, marketers and emergents in the postmodern world.' Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2008 ISBN 978-0-8028-4007-3
I'll not mince words either! If you are concerned about the church in the 21st century, serious enough in that concern to want to understand what is happening and willing to read, then buy this book. You will not regret it.
Having said that, I'd have to admit that Dr Wells can be heavy going if you are not used to serious reading - these books are very serious and heavily foot-noted. His latest title, however, is much more accessible and that is the way he has intended it. It is right up-to-date, having been published this year, and it is well worth reading. It will open your eyes to what is happening in the church in the West; even though Dr Wells generally refers to America you can read it as any Christian with experience of the modern church anywhere and gain a great deal. Here's a quote that had a great impact on me:
We have enough Bibles . . . We have churches galore; religious organizations; educational institutions; religious presses that never stop pouring forth books, Sunday School materials and religious curricula; and unparalleled financial resources. What don't we have? All too often we don't have what the Old Testament people didn't have. A due and weighty sense of the greatness and holiness of God, a sense that will reach into our lives, wrench them around, lift our vision, fill our hearts, make us courageous for what is right, and over time leave behind its beautiful residue of Christlike character.
. . . . . . . .
Let us not mince words. If we could see more clearly God in the full blaze of his burning purity, we would not be on easy terms with all the sins that now infect our souls and breed easy compromises with the spirit of the postmodern age. This is what leads to the casual ways in which we live our lives with their blatantly wrong priorities. If we could see this more clearly, the church would be filled with much more repentance and, in consequence, much more joy, and much more authenticity.
David F Wells, pages 132-133, 'The Courage to be Protestant; truth-lovers, marketers and emergents in the postmodern world.' Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2008 ISBN 978-0-8028-4007-3
I'll not mince words either! If you are concerned about the church in the 21st century, serious enough in that concern to want to understand what is happening and willing to read, then buy this book. You will not regret it.