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RADICAL – A Great Read
Posted by: Jacob Friesen
Church: Nassau Street Church Winnipeg
Date: January 31st, 2011
If you have not yet read David Platt’s book on “taking back your faith from the American dream” then I suggest you do this soon. He articulates the key concepts we have been wrestling with in the “rethink process”. I appreciate his view of every one of us being called, his focus on “going” and his view of living out our faith in community.
If you are within driving distance of the home office, I will lend you a book and promise you a coffee when you return it.
I read the book in December. Very good and easy reading. The one thing I appreciate about the author is that he is right and deep down, everyone knows it. Nor is he a controversial figure in the evangelical community.
If I can offer a critique, his practical application is a little bit tame in comparison to what I have read from K.P. Yohannan, but the book draws our attention to our errors in the Western world, especially North America.
I am however, attempting to live out Platt’s Radical Experiment. He has left components of it ambiguous enough to allow us to either play with it, or give it our best.
Les, thank you so much for responding and interacting with the book. Someone stopped by the office yesterday to pick up a copy. Darrell is reading it right now, I am taking some copies to Belize.
I just came back from coffee re-reading parts of it. I discovered that I am filthy rich. Platt says that if you make 10,000 /year – wealthier then 85% and if we make $50,000 / year – wealthier then 99%. Now what are we going to do with all that money?
I have also been working at where the people are that have not yet heard the gospel and I am more convinced then ever that we will need to go to them. And most of these live in the 10/40 window. Where do we start?
My heart is in Turkey, yesterday I talked with someone from Bulgaria. A radical follower of Christ working in the Gympsy Ghetto’s. What a heart warming story of God’s leading and provisions. So, this Frank guy, a successful business man has sold everything and is living incarnationally right in the midst of all this poverty and illiteracy. His joy and excitement made we want to pack up and go there.
Yes, lets keep exploring together how to live out this Radical faith. We will need each others help in moving into this new adventure of following Jesus more sincerely and dangerously.
Looking forward to getting a copy of the book from you Jacob.
p 117-118 Every year in the US about $10 billion is spent on church buildings. The real estate owned by churches passes a value of 230 billion. Nearly half a billion per year is spent on carpeting. Maybe we could justify some big numbers if all these churches were multiplying the gospel – but the majority are holding their own or losing ground. Because buildings tend to be theatres where religious goods and services are consumed. How do we change that mindset? One of the questions Platt implies again and again is just that – from a mindset of receivers to a mindset of givers…
I read “Radical” last summer and it was a great read, and not only that but it lead me to a place of “put up or shut up”. If I can put it that way. I line this book up right next to Chan’s “Forgotten God” or “Crazy love”. Chan and Platt are writing a discipleship book together so I’m sure that will be a book I want to read too.