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I haven’t read or been inclined to read Kevin DeYoung’s newest book Why We Love the Church other than the fact that I love the church too. But just because I love the church doesn’t mean I should read the book. In fact, if I really love the church I will probably not read this book and spend more time with the church instead. As a matter of act, the probability of my not reading this book increased after reading someone who did.
Well-written Vs. Good Book Reviews
As the theological diversity of the various commentators on Bill McKinnon’s review reveal, one does not have to agree with Kinnon or Piper to appreciate a well-written, negative book review. However, a distinction should be made between a well-written and a good book review. While Kinnon’s review offers an occasional citation from DeYoung (aka RevKev), he frequently makes ad hominen arguments. Instead of critiquing the issue at hand, he critiques DeYoung himself. For instance: “Following the natural path of unrestrained hubris, RevKev recently decided to take on the theology of the Bishop of Durham, NT Wright, and Wright’s book on Justification.” Kinnon offers no interaction with DeYoung’s critiques of Wright (not that I am hungry for more!). McKinnon’s condescending tone and pet names for DeYoung and Kluck throughout leaves the reader with a general uneasiness about the review.
Defective Ecclesiology in Why We Love the Church?
However, Kinnon levels some pretty solid critiques, including DeYoung’s Emergent Straw Man and his failure to think through the enormous debt associated with the idolatry of church buildings. Apparently, “in 2006, the American church owed 28 billion dollars in mortgages, loans and church bonds…” He also argues against what DeYoung and Kluck favor—20 hours of sermon preparation for 30 minute messages each Sunday. Is this a good use of a pastor’s time? Perhaps some of that time could be used in spending more with with the church, with unbelievers, and on mission?
Young, Proud, and Reformed?
Kinnon’s closing remarks reveal an issue present among young Reformed folks (whether this is true of DeYoung/Kluck I do not know). He writes: “DeYoung/Kluck are the young celebrities of the Truly Reformed book audience. They are content to splash and scream in their end of the theological swimming pool. The rest of us are idiots for swimming where we choose to swim.” I would hope that DeYoung and Kluck would be grieved by this statement. What is the issue? Theological and personal hubris. Pride. Wielding Reformed theology as an extension of one’s own strength, rather than relying on the pre-existing strength of the Gospel. Good Reformed theology is winsome, charitable, and humble. Far from considering others idiots, it lovingly engages others in theological debate. Eager to learn, not merely to defeat. Good Reformed theology makes the gospel central, not Reformed theology central. It embodies the character of a crucified Christ.
Whether you read the book or not, I hope you’ll take the time to learn from Kinnon’s post. He makes some good points about the church, and ultimately reveals how desperately she/we needs more redemption and less division. Who knows, maybe I will end up reading Why We Love the Church after all. Regardless, may we all come to love her more, with the love of Christ.
Here is a great post from one of Austin City Life’s worship leaders, Miranda. Miranda has just started The Reluctant Worshipper and I look forward to reading her posts. Here is a link to her personal music website. She is a singer-song writer with vocals like Patty Griffin!
As a church planter, it can be difficult to find time to read good academic missiology. With the surplus of half-baked missional ideas floating around the blogosphere, we can get tripped up on digesting statements that have very little support or merit. I hope to avoid making these kind of statements and posts. There is, however, a place for winsome dialog about planting best practices, church methods, and preferences. My Tools for Missional Church is an attempt to contribute in this way.
Seven Mega-Trends
However, I find that my passion, insight and practice are most helped by reading deeply. Fortunately, I’ve had time to read some good missiology lately. Naturally, I have drifted to my missiological mentor, Dr. Timothy Tennent now President of Asbury Seminary, and to his mentor, Dr. Andrew Walls, “the most important person you don’t know”. I have the good fortune of reading an advance copy of Tennent’s Invitation to World Missions: A Missiology for the 21st Century (Kegel, 2010). In this work Tennent outlines Seven Mega Trends affecting missions in the 21st century. These 7 trends reflect major shifts in Global Christianity that must be addressed theologically and practically. Tennent does just that, drawing from his rich understanding of church history, theology, and missiology. The 7 Trends are:
- The Collapse of Christendom
- The Rise of Postmodernism
- The Collapse of the West Reaches the West Paradigm
- The Challenging Face of Global Christianity
- The Emergence of a Fourth Branch of Christianity
- Globalization
- A Deeper Ecumenism
How we engage and address these seven trends will inevitably shape the theology and character of Christianity and the advance or decline of the gospel in our context. Some books have been written on these Mega-Trends; however, the issues are proving increasingly complex, requiring more thoughtful reflection and attention. For instance, how does he re-centering of Global Christianity to the South and the East affect the way we think about missions and theologizing? For some great insight on this, check out Tennent’s Theology in the Context of Global Christianity. In the weeks to come, I will be blogging through some of these issues and look forward to some healthy interaction to learn and grow with you all.
Tim Chester lists several differences between House Church meetings and Missional Communities. Read them over. Are there any missing?
Community
House groups often tend to be a weekly meeting. People talk about ‘house group night’ – the evening in which they ‘do’ house group by attending a meeting. A missional community is about a shared life, a network of relationships, a genuine community of people.
Bible-centered
House groups are often centred around a Bible study. The Bible is central to the life of a missional community, but the Bible is read, discussed and lived throughout the week in the context of a shared life.
Pastoral Care
House groups are often insular and focused on the mutual care of their members. Pastoral care is a feature of missional communities, but they are also groups with a strong sense of mission. They can articulate their vision for mission and identify the specific people they are trying to reach.
Leadership
House groups are normally managed centrally by the church leadership. Leaders are often fearful of house groups becoming independent. Missional communities are given a mandate to reproduce organically or spin off into church plants.
Missional Communities Leadership Summit @ Austin Stone (Hugh Halter speaking)
August 23rd
en: trust Church Planting Initiatives (Chandler & Dever)
August 24th @ Sydney
Your Gospel is Too Safe (Thune & Wilson )
August 18th
Is social action part of the Gospel or merely an important implication of the Gospel? This is an issue I have been working through biblically, theologically, and practically. I am working on a short paper to address this issue for our Acts 29 Region. Today I came across a conservative lecture “The Gospel and Social Action” by D.A. Carson that addresses the issue head-on. For those interested in understanding these important distinctions, and wanting to clarify just what the gospel is, this will be a helpful resource.
Andy Naselli provides a helpful summary of the 60 minute audio.
There has been a collapse in American Christianity. For some of you that comes as no surprise. What has collapsed? Christendom. Christendom is a term that refers to a special arrangement between church and state, sometimes official sometimes unofficial. In the U.S., Christendom has been unofficial but the influence of Christianity has stretched over public and private life for two centuries. The Evangelical vote helped put Bush in office in 2004, in 2008 their vote was less influential. Fewer people than ever are laying claim to the Christian faith. In fact, Americans are more likely to obtain their understanding of Christianity from The DaVinci Code than they are from the Bible. As a country, we are experiencing and increasing biblical illiteracy. Our theological memory is failing.
Shifting Center of Global Christianity
Christendom has collapsed. There is room for grief and for applause, but if Christendom has collapsed where will it resurface? The center of global Christianity is no longer in the West, North America or Europe, it has now shifted to the South and the East, to Africa and Asia. In fact, America is the one continent where there is no overall growth in the Christian population. We aren’t even replacing ourselves as Christians. Africa, on the other hand, is soaring in conversions to the Christian faith. Currently there are around 4,000 conversions a day. The statistical, geographic center of global Christianity is Timbuktu, Mali. That’s West Africa. As Philip Jenkins book title suggests, The Next Christendom is Africa. The center of global Christianity has shifted and the Majority Church is outside the West.
Will this be good for global Christianity or will it be bad? We do well to watch. To follow the growth and character of African Christianity. To learn from our African brothers and sisters. Consider Uganda, the country our church mission team just returned. We spent two weeks training pastors and working with orphans. Uganda is 80% Christian according to some stats, so naturally you would expect a good level of Christianity.
Lessons from the African Church
Theology Proper (Doctrine of God): Consider the following Ugandan Christian greeting.
This is a remarkable statement about the sovereignty and character of God. Consider who is speaking–rural and urban Africans who live with daily poverty, famine, war, and disease. And they say: “The Lord is good. The Lord is good all the time!” What do we say when some suffering comes along? “How can a good God let bad things happen to good people?” Our suffering, in many respects, is incomparable to our African brothers and sisters. Yet, they begin with a theology proper that confesses the goodness of God. We begin with a theology proper that questions the goodness of God! Who do we think we are?! How high is our view of God? Is he good, all the time?
Ecclesiology (Doctrine of the Church) – Consider this story on creeds and prayers. When we were in the village of Kadama, we were frequently greeted “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” A robust trinitarian greeting that forms the starting point of community, relational interaction grounded in the Divine Community. Working with the Bishop Waco of the Lutheran Church of Uganda and his brother, Moses, we learned a lot about our theology of the church. In a casual conversation, Pastor Moses remarked: “I go to too many churches where they do not even say ‘The Creed’ or the ‘Lord’s Prayer.’” I was cut to the heart. Austin City Life is too disconnected from these historic confessions of faith, made by our brothers and sisters across the history of our Faith. Sure, we talk about them occasionally, but we don’t recite them and haven’t yet dedicated a sustained teaching on these important confessions of historic Christian faith. We might meet in a bar, connect with unchurched, and engage culture…but what about engaging our rich Christian heritage? Many newer expressions of church are untethered to the historic Church. We will be making some changes
Exegesis and Community: Ugandans sing the chorus This is the Day that the Lord Has Made. But they sing it differently that Americans. They change one word. Guess. A Pronoun—“This is the Day that the Lord has Made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” The render a better interpretation of Psalm 118:24, which actually reads plural in Hebrew “let us rejoice.” Americans have read our culture into the text. We interpret this verse individualistically, singing “This is the Day that the Lord has Made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Even in our songs, we sever ourselves from dependence upon one another. Why? Because we are sinfully self-reliant and proud. We prefer to sin, struggle, and rejoice alone. We do well to learn from African exegesis and community.
Summary
If you’ve struggled to follow Jesus by veering away from the gospel into duty-bound legalism or moralistic indifference, then this book is for you! Fight Clubs is a radical call to fight the fight of faith in the strength of the gospel. Jonathan Dodson calls us to join the fight against sin, legalism, and license by looking to Christ and His gospel. Fight Clubs equips us to fight the fight of faith by exposing the fleeting promises of sin and drawing us into the grace-saturated promises of God. Displacing defective forms of discipleship, Dodson keeps the gospel central by tapping into various layers of biblical motivations that promote joyful obedience to Christ. The book also provides a strategy to fight sin as the church—small fighting communities called Fight Clubs. Read this book; form a fight club; and start fighting in the strength of the gospel.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Why Fight?: The Call to Fight
2. Fighting for the Church: The Failure of Accountability
3. How to Fight: Motivations for Discipleship
4. Fighting with the Church: The Three Conversions of the Church
5. Fight Club: Practical Gospel-centered Discipleship
Appendix 1: Gospel-centered Questions to Ask
Appendix 2: Gospel-centered Resources
Get the Book
The Austin City Life worship Ep, ONE, is now available on iTunes! We’ve been getting lots of good feedback from respected critics and worship leaders. Check out Steve McCoy’s review. We are currently working on a page that will provide song explanations, chord charts, and song samples. Keep an eye out for that at www.austincitylife.org.
Purchase ONE at:
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