A book worth reading...

A book, I would highly recommend that you read, is Why We Love the Church, co-authored by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. I have just finished reading this and it is well worth putting on your reading list and even moving it up near the top! The book confirmed much of what I have felt, I was seeing, and hearing about the church from different corners, but I have to say that I did not know how blatant the critics were. What I thought was an insidious attack on the local church is actually a very open denouncement coming from many fronts. Chapter one opens with these words, “The word on the street is that the American church is gasping for its last breath.” The authors document with solid references (many helpful footnotes) that so many today are advocating that the church is somewhere between lame and completely irrelevant. The solution is to leave the traditional church and find other ways to connect with God. That could mean that you have church with your buddy on the golf course on Sunday morning. Or, Starbucks will provide a nice place for some friends to meet and ‘have church’ while they address the real problems of the world that the church is missing as they do that same old boring routine church stuff that includes evangelism which should no longer be the emphasis.

The authors write, “Now the emphasis is on human trafficking, AIDS, poverty, the homeless, and the environment. To bring Christ’s kingdom of peace, justice, and blessing to the world is the mission of God for the church.” The church is failing and lame crowd says, that the church is not doing its job and not doing enough to transform communities. Along with this, is the quest for ‘revolution’ and ‘redeeming the culture.’ We would do well to remember that Christ is the redeemer. We do not redeem- He does. We would also do well to make sure we fully embrace and proclaim the gospel in its simplicity before we trade it for something more in line with the perceived needs of the world.

One thing I love about this book is that the authors do not gloss over the church's weaknesses and problems. Nor, do they assert that human needs are to be neglected. Their argument is that those who are so down on the church need to take a fresh look at the high value Christ places on His church. For those that wish to love Jesus but not His church, they need to consider that one cannot love his friend and enjoy him and hate his wife or even not like her. It would be a strange relationship indeed.

The authors make a strong plea not to give up on the church. The church is not perfect but is just the same the bride of Christ that we should love and involve ourselves in fully and meaningfully.

Oh, by the way, did I mention that the authors are both in their early thirties! J.I. Packer sums up the book best for me. “Two young men, a pastor and a layman, here critique the criticisms of the institutional church that are fashionable today. Bible-centered, God centered, and demonstrably mature, they win the argument hands down. As I read, I wanted to stand up and cheer.” I did too and I think you will as well when you read the book.