Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

David Platt wants you to take back your faith from the American Dream. American Christians are living under influence of the American dream to have more and better things. Platt, however, wants to call us a different dream, a dream that is Radical. He's not afraid to be upfront about it either.

Platt begins with by questioning the reader's faith. He even says that he wants to show you how, despite your best intentions, have turned away from really following Jesus. Real discipleship (following Jesus) requires something of the disciple, and here in America, we're not giving what is required of us. We've lost sight of Jesus and follow after the American dream. But his question to the reader is whether or not Jesus is really worth it. Jesus calls us to come and die, to abandon our attachments to the things of this world, and turn our lives over to Christ. Platt argues to bring the reader back to that point.

At times this can be a hard book to read, and I think it is harder for those who lived longer in pursuit of the American dream. Platt describes some of his encounters with church leaders and Christians who have told him that they are glad that he has gone into the inner city and around the world so that they didn't have to. This seems extreme, but there are many of us who, although we won't say it, live like this. We want others to go around the world and into the tough places with the good news so that we don't have to. That's not, however, the call of Christian discipleship. Platt writes Radical to remind us that the dream of God is not two cars, three children, and a house with a picket fence, but instead the dream of God is for all people to hear his gospel of love and salvation. And this dream does not just happen, it happens because God's people answer the call of to go and preach the good news.

This is one of two books I have read by David Platt. He writes passionately and honestly. Both of these make his books interesting and convicting. His call is an heartfelt and honest call to get off our couch, turn off the TV, and go do something for God. Radical has changed my view of what a Christian does and how they live. There were times when I got frustrated and thought that he was just another person guilting me into being a missionary, but in his conclusion he makes attainable goals for any person. He doesn't ask you to move out of the country, but instead to give at least a week of your time outside your culture and to give part of your offering to spread the gospel. I would recommend this to anyone. It's an easy read and hopefully it will change the way you live your life.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah's book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

What is Faith?

I'm currently working on my masters thesis and the topic is faith, specifically faith as described by James W. Fowler. The main question of my thesis is a question of how we understand what faith is. What is faith? How does it work? Who has it?


Faith is essential to who we are and our identity. Fowler writes that faith, "...is what keeps us going when love has turned to hate or hope to despair. Faith helps us carry on when there is no longer any reason to go forward. It enables us to exist during the in-between times: between meanings, amid dangers of radical discontinuity, even in the face of death. Faith is the sine qua non of life, a primal force we cannot do without” (Life maps: Conversations on the Journey of Faith, 1). According to Fowler, we really wouldn't be much with out faith. That's why I'm writing about faith for my thesis. Not to question faith, but to examine deeply what we really do when we have faith.

So what do you think? What is faith? How would you describe it or define it? (If you answer is good enough, I just might quote you in my thesis.)

Is there really Greener Grass?

When you're living the American dream, you're always reaching high for bigger and greener pastures. This, however, leads to a life of always looking to the next thing, always wanting something bigger and better.  Life is spent playing the "if only" game. If only you have something nicer, newer, and different you'd be happier. This game of "if only" is at the heart of a conspiracy. Stephen Altrogge believes that American Christians are falling prey to the Greener Grass Conspiracy. Our enemy is tempting some the richest Christians on earth to be richer.

At the heart of the Greener Grass Conspiracy is discontentment. It seems that the people in this world who have the most are the least content with what they have. But why are we discontent? Altrogge writes the Greener Grass Conspiracy to remind us what why we should really be content. God gives us what we need to survive. God also gives what we really need in life: salvation. Altrogge reminds us that God has given us the greatest gift and we should be extremely anything beyond that. The message of this book is the same as Paul's message in Philippians 4: the secret to being content is have Jesus Christ in your life because he will always give us what we need and he is giving us eternal life.

This book is an easy read with a great message. I would encourage you to read it if you are always feeling like you want more. I think, however, this book is really missing the call to take what you do have more than you need and use it for the good of others. It's there, but it's not really the focus. If you are struggling with wanting more and not having enough, this book is a great reminder of what God has done for you, but once you've read this book, you need to remember that the step after contentment is generosity. If you've taken Dave Ramsey's FPU, you should remember what the last lesson is. Dave Ramsey teaches how to live like no one else so that you can give like no one else. When you have learned to be content with what God has given you its not hard to take the next step and be generous with what God has blessed you with.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from Crossway for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Learning to be Radical Together

David Platt has become known recently for his book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. In Radical, Platt writes how that we need to forget the American Dream and remember what God is calling his people to do. God is calling his people to be radical. Now, he is writing about how to be Radical Together. If you've read radical you know that life is not about the nicer car, the nicer house, or the 6 figure salary, it's about doing whatever we can to spread the gospel, and sometimes that looks a bit radical. In Radical Together, Platt writes about how we need to be working together in churches and small groups to be radical for God's mission. The gospel will not be spread if people are not willing to do radical things and we do them as the church. God never called us to live this life alone and he does not want us to help other alone either.

It's only appropriate that I would review this book on the Thursday leading up to Easter. Today is Maundy Thursday. Maundy is related to the word Mandate and is connected to the new command (or mandate) that Jesus gives to his disciples in John 13:34. Radical Together follows that command to love. Platt is calling us to do whatever it takes to show the love of God to people around the world who need help. Just as in Radical, he calls his readers to the radical experiment: To pray for the entire world, to read through the entire Word, to commit our lives to multiplying community, to sacrifice our money for a specific purpose and to give our time in another context.

While I am one to get frustrated by books that seem like they would be just another guilt trip about being a rich american, Radical Together is a great book with a great message. I do believe that this is a book that American churches need to read and implement. Even if the church only did the minimal of what Platt asks in the radical experiment, the world would be a better place. I appreciate what Platt writes in this book and hope that his words are effective in convincing more of the church to rise up and be the church.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review of Tithing by Douglas Leblanc

Tithing is one of the oldest practices in the Bible. It goes all the way back to Abraham giving Melchizedek a tenth of everything in Genesis 14. It is also one of the most widely known about practices in church today. Because of this, one might think that another book about tithing is not needed. The Bible is pretty straight forward: the Old Testament says to give a tenth, and the New Testament says to give generously. Leblanc, however, is not writing just another book on why we should tithe or how to tithe. Instead, he writes to tell the stories of people who are deeply committed to giving their financial resources to the kingdom of God and how God has blessed them in their lives.

In all honesty, I mostly got this book to complete the ancient practice series. What I got out of Tithing, however, was a blessing. Typically people make the argument to tithe based on a legalistic conviction that God will abundantly bless you with more and more wealth if you tithe, but Leblanc gives the stories of real people living in the conviction that their possession are blessings from God and they should pass on those blessing to others. Most of the stories convey a conviction to love those around them. From an author who gives all the money made by his books away to a minister sacrificing to rebuild after Katrina, Leblanc tells real stories of real people loving God and others. Tithing is not just about fulfilling a obligation to God, it is about living sacrificially so that others might live and this book testifies to that.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review of the Final Summit by Andy Andrews

There is only one chance to save humanity. David Ponder is summoned to lead a summit of all the world's greatest thinkers to do just that in Andy Andrews' book The Final Summit. In the story, Ponder is summoned by the archangel Gabriel to come and lead a meeting with the world's greatest thinkers and leaders of the past. They are given five chances to determine the two word answer that will put humanity back on the right course. Through the book, Ponder discusses what principle will correctly guide humanity with the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, George Washington Carver, Joan of Arc and many others. Eventually they do find that principle, and Andrews leaves the reader with the challenge to live by that one principle.


I have never read anything by Andrews before, and this story was very interesting. He's is able to tell a story that is primarily about people talking in a way that you want to keep reading. He does this through telling the story of each new historical figure that is brought in to help find the solution. It is obvious that Andrews is trying to teach you something in every chapter, but it he does through historical figures and the story of The Final Summit. Personally I enjoyed the book, but I was a bit surprised by simplicity of the solution at the end. I'm not really sure if I completely agree that the solution finally presented in the end is the solution that will really "save humanity" or if it just a good principle in life to remember. Overall, Andrews is a good writer, with a good story and you definitely learn something by the end. If you are looking for a motivational book, than this is a good one, but there may be better ones out there.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Does Love Win?: A Review of Rob Bell's book Love Wins

There has been a lot of discussion around the internet about Rob Bell's new book Love Wins. Before this, I have been a supporter of Rob Bell. I have read all of his books (except drops like stars), seen most of the nooma videos, and watched two of his longer videos. And while I have not always agreed with him, I think that he's a great communicator and has brought some great insights to the table. That being said, while I try not involve myself in internet debates, but I felt that it was appropriate to share with the few people who read my blog about Love Wins and what Bell actually says in the book (You should check out my friend David's blog post about this as well).


There were a lot of people crying heresy and accusing Rob Bell of universalism. Those claims were based mostly off of the title and a book trailer. After actually reading the book, I believe that claims of Bell's flee from Orthodox Christianity have been greatly exaggerated.

So what does he say?
First, he plainly says that there is a heaven, a hell, a final judgment, a bodily resurrection and that there will be a new heaven and new earth. Is this Biblical? Yes. Second, he says that Jesus is the only one through which people receive salvation. Is this Biblical? Yes.

So far, so good.

He begins to stray from the pack in his discussion of who gets spend eternity with God and the permanency of hell.

He believes that because God is love, he would never be so exclusive as to make salvation dependent on human effort to spread the gospel. God works in ways that we don't know to save people who would never receive the gospel. It would be unloving for God to never give some people the chance to receive the grace that he so freely gives to all people if they will choose to follow.

Is this Biblical? Bell would say yes. I would say only God knows. God tells us to make disciples of all peoples and we should leave the rest up to God.

He also argues that the gates of New Jerusalem will not be shut and that there will still be opportunity for people to turn to Jesus after the final trumpet sounds

Is this Biblical? Sort of. The gates of New Jerusalem never shut, but I don't agree with Bell's interpretation. The verse says that the gates never shut because there is no night. My interpretation: God is in the city, he has banished the darkness (symbolic of evil) there is no more night (symbolic of evil), therefore there is no need to lock the gates, there is no need for security measures. New Jerusalem is safe because God has defeated evil once and for all.

So Heretic? Probably not. Stretching the interpretation of some scriptures? Yes. His interpretation, however, do not negate the saving power of Jesus and Jesus alone. Therefore, he's not a universalist either. If you need a label, he's an inclusivist. In his opinion there are people who will be saved (through Jesus) that we wouldn't expect.

Honestly, this is nothing new. There have been many Christians through the centuries to hold this. One of whom is C. S. Lewis. Although he never wrote a book specifically about this area of theology, one example is found in the Last Battle Lewis shows a Calormean entering Aslan's country who never followed Aslan. Aslan tells him that all the good he did for Tash, he actually did for Aslan. Another, although it's more like a parable than theology, is the story of the Great Divorce. A group of deceased ride a bus from Hell to Heaven and are given a chance to follow God even though they have already died and gone to Hell. These are both similar to Love Wins, but it should be remembered that these are both stories and not theological explanations.


Why did Bell write this book? Because he is so convicted by the fact that God is love, that he believes should show that love to all people. I think that most of us can get behind that. Christians should be known as a people of love because God is love. God loves people and in the end God's love rules the day. In other words, Love Wins.