On the heels of Radical, a call for individual Christians to reconsider what it means to be a disciple of Christ, comes Radical Together, David Platt's extension of the same principles to the church.
On the whole, the material is excellent-- he considers matters of the tyranny of the good over the best, how believers are expected to work, how God's Word is the Source and how it does the work,...
more On the heels of Radical, a call for individual Christians to reconsider what it means to be a disciple of Christ, comes Radical Together, David Platt's extension of the same principles to the church.
On the whole, the material is excellent-- he considers matters of the tyranny of the good over the best, how believers are expected to work, how God's Word is the Source and how it does the work, how people who may not feel qualified can serve God's purposes well, working toward evangelizing the world, and glorifying God and working toward His glory as opposed to being continually selfish.
Platt takes aim at the practices of American churches in Radical Together just as he took aim at Christian practices in Radical. He is a needed breath of fresh air, focusing back on the Word and not programs and glitz, getting people to think about using resources to serve God in His Kingdom more effectively than for building projects and unnecessary social 'benefits' for believers, and the general attitude that says that God should serve us rather than us serving God.
As usual, I'm not too terribly fond of some of the more Evangelical comments; I fear that his use of Matthew 24 out of the context of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE undermines one of the main supports of his chapter on world evangelization. The world ought to be evangelized but never at the neglect of the local area; Platt tries to reassure readers of as much but I still feel that he undermines it by focusing on "Brook Hills Baruti" more than "Brook Hills Bob." I can understand his point when he declares that God is "self-centered" but wonder if we are wise to project such a condition upon the God whose "self awareness" or "self understanding" are never in doubt and Who Is, in reality, Three Persons expressing relational unity.
These concerns should not overshadow the powerful import of the book and its value for the Christian community. On the whole the book is a welcome reminder of what is really important regarding the church and how so much has been missed because the church's mission was expanded beyond the intentions of its Author and Lord.
*-- book received as part of early review program
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