Are the glory days of the church now over? Is the truth about God just a rumor? If we look at our culture, Christian gospel may seem to have lost its power. Many major denominations witness the rapid decline in their membership. Against such reality, authors Darren Whitehead and John Tyson paint a hopeful picture of the church that the life transforming power of the gospel is alive and real. The authors use stories from their ministries to convince readers that Christianity is not merely a rumor, and they invite the readers to experience the freshness of the power of the gospel in practical ways.
The primary practical step is our openness to God's intervention. Will we be willing to have our plans be replaced by God's plan? Will we be willing to pursue God's agenda instead of our agenda? Will we be willing to pursue the ways of Jesus instead of following our cultural direction?
The book is inspiring but also challenging. It is inspiring for us who have lamented church decline because the church revival is very possible. However, it comes with sacrifice. Are we willing to stop living by the standards of consumer culture so that we can practice biblical vision of radical generosity? Are we willing to reorder our understanding of the gospel? Can we love those who oppose our message? Can we graciously reach out to our Muslim friends?
I would rate the book 5 stars for its practical message that gives hope to the church that we can reclaim the freshness of the gospel. We can transform our church so that it is no longer lukewarm but vibrant and alive, but we need to take a radical step. We need to allow God to reorient us from consumer culture to Christ centered life.
