Book Review: The Gospel of Yes

The Gospel of Yes. By Mike Glenn. Colorado Springs: WaterBrook Press. pp. 240. 2012. ($14.99 Print | $15.39 Audio)

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I decided to listen to this book because I saw it had an endorsement from Thom S. Rainer and Scot McKnight. With a title like The Gospel of Yes, I thought I’d get to enjoy a thoughtful look at how all the promises of God find their Yes in Christ, with a solid foundation on the gospel (cf. 2 Cor. 1:18-20). Unfortunately this book is light on Scripture, light on the gospel, and heavy on Christianized self-actualization philosophy.

Glenn deals sparingly with Scripture, and when it does cite the Bible, he usually reinterprets the passage to be about his idea of finding our “Yes,” which roughly ends up meaning being positive and hopeful about life’s circumstances while pursuing our dreams. Some of us may need to hear that message, but this book won’t get you there with the Bible. Likewise, most of the book is silent on what the gospel is. When the gospel is touched on, sin is not presented as an offense to a holy God, and salvation is more of a necessary step for finding your own “Yes.”

Also, as I listened to this book in audio format, I was treated to the author’s frequent mispronunciations, slightly loud breathing, and audible swallowing throughout. Reading to an audience is a skill, and I’m going to make sure the next book I listen to is read by a professional.

If you’re looking for a book that touches on your life and purpose in the community of believers, try something like Crazy Love or Radical. Don’t waste your time on this one.

I received this audio book from christianaudio for the purpose of review.

Book Review: A Radical Idea

A Radical Idea: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God. By David Platt. Multnomah Books, 2011. ($19.99, pack of 10)

 Radical and Radical Together were bestselling books that everyone was talking about. I wrote some pretty positive reviews of both books myself. The first book had a companion piece called The Radical Question. The sequel now has it's own companion piece: A Radical Idea.

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A Radical Idea is mostly just chapter 4 of the book Radical Together. That's good to know for two reasons: 1) If you own the book Radical Together, you're not getting any new information, and 2) This little booklet gets to the main point of the book.

The radical idea is that church leaders' main work is not on building neat environments and great programs for the people who come on Sunday. Their main work is to mobilize those people to minister in their community and around the world all week long. This is not a new concept, although it is under-represented in a lot of what gets preached, published, and promoted these days. It comes right out of Ephesians 4.

Since I would rate Radical Together with five gold stars, I think I couldn't rate this booklet less. I would first and foremost recommend reading Radical Together, but this book would be helpful to introduce this "radical idea" from Ephesians to people at your church, especially the leadership. Since it comes in a packet of 10, I'm  handing them out to our church leadership team.

I received this book from the publisher for the purpose of review.

The Readers of Radical

Tim Challies just posted a review of the book Radical by David Platt. You may recall that I have already reviewed the audiobook, the paperback, and the sequel. Challies' review approaches the book from a different perspective and ends up critiquing the reader more so than the book. And I think he's right. What does that say about me?

So I guess I have several concerns with the book—concerns that stem from the fact that it is well-written and built upon a gospel foundation and very compelling and exciting. These aren’t the kinds of concerns that equal “Don’t read it!” but the kinds that make me wonder if we enjoy reading these books more than we like applying them.

For Your Reading Pleasure

Here are a few posts that I've read and pondered over recently. Enjoy!

• International Mission Board introduces an app to get prayer requests from the field to the people back home.
• Baptist21 highlights David Platt’s Disciple-Making International, a website with some helpful resources for families and small groups.
• Dr. Russell Moore and guest share insight into the meaning behind the classic song, American Pie.
• Hot on the heels of a tribute to John Piper, Crossway announces a tribute to D.A. Carson.
• Zondervan announces a podcast of the Easter Story with clips from The Bible Experience going up each day of Passion week.

Book Review: The Radical Disciple

The Radical Disciple by John Stott is more interesting because of what it says about John Stott than what it says about discipleship. Stott admits that he recognizes his time is short, and as such the topics he chose to include (and exclude) from this title tells more about what he finds important and worth saying than the content he puts forth in each chapter.

That’s not to say the chapters are lacking. They are well thought out and very biblical. However, compared to David Platt’s Radical, it is not as inspiring. Perhaps it is because Platt’s work seems more fundamental. Though environmental responsibility is important in our day and age, I don’t see it as a primary aspect of being a disciple as described in the New Testament. As a result, Stott’s work is novel, but not foundational.

The narrator, Grover Gardner, has also narrated many other books which I have listened to and reviewed before such as The Holiness of God, Desiring God, and A Sweet and Bitter Providence. His voice is both grandfatherly and professorial. Sometimes soothing, sometimes lecturing: at all times enjoyable.

If you are looking for a book on discipleship, I would recommend Radical and Radical Together. If you are looking for a book by John Stott, I’d start with The Cross of Christ and see where it takes you.

To buy the book, visit ChristianAudio.com (direct link).
To buy a hard copy, visit Amazon.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from ChristianAudio as part of their Blogger Review 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."

Book Review: Radical Together by David Platt

Radical Together goes on sale April 19, 2011. I received an advance reading copy lacking the additional study guide, which I'm guessing will only add to the value of the book and aid church leadership to ask more of the tough questions this book grapples with.

Radical Together is the forthcoming book from David Platt, author of Radical. I gave that book rave reviews, largely in part because Platt speaks to the heart of the matter and tries to pull people back towards a more biblical expression of our faith.

This book follows where Radical left off and asks questions of church leadership that should make us uncomfortable. Platt is himself working through the biblical mandates and how living in submission and obedience to God should affect him, his church, and the world.

Although the book is significantly shorter than its predecessor (I read it in two days), it is just as powerful. Chapter three calls us to a reliance on the Bible and not fancy and entertaining presentations. Chapter four calls us to put ministry into the hands of every believer and not just professionals who do it for them. Chapter six calls us to be so amazingly God exalting that I am challenged and seriously shaken.

What Platt has written here is the description of what we should be as the church. I pray (and really mean "pray") that this would only be the beginning.


To buy the book, visit Amazon.com (direct link).
For a sample chapter, click here.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their Blogging for Books 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."