Unfortunately, in today's world, the term 'radical' invariably brings to mind negative images. Acts of terrorism and other forms of extremism are what immediately comes to mind. Thus, one may look at the title of this book and subconsciously tense. What is Stott advocating? Thankfully, there's no calls for wanton destruction here, though reading this will make you uncomfortable, because it will take you out of your comfort zone.
The premise is straightforward: we are called to be followers (disciples) of Christ in every area of life. Stott rightly laments that today's Christians too often pick and choose ways in which we follow- we commit when and where we please. His call to radical discipleship is simply saying "follow God with your entire heart;" it is, after all, what we're called to do. Jesus is Lord of everything- not just what we want to give Him. Stott proceeds to examine, in detail, eight aspects of Christian life he feels are particularly neglected: nonconformity, Christlikeness, maturity, creation care, simplicity, balance, dependence, and death.
This book is convicting, challenging, and humbling- more so than any book I've read in recent memory outside the Bible itself. Stott's call for simplicity (living non-materialistic, generous lives) hit me especially hard, but other areas were equally convicting. I am such a selfish person, and I need to die to that to truly represent Christ. In that respect, the book is indispensable. It loses some marks for (by Stott's own admission) being arbitrarily selective- he picks ones that mean the most to him, and ends by encouraging the reader to make their own list of aspects of calling. As a result, the book felt a tad meandering or unstructured at times, and more like a collection of wise principles than a cohesive unit. Still, I highly recommend it. He passed away shortly after writing this, and he knew it would be his last book. He'll be missed.
Rating: A-
No comments:
Post a Comment