The Hidden Life of Prayer

This book is short in pages but large in content and you will not be disappointed. You can read it online for free but the book is packed with footnotes that are also rich in content. I would highly encourage you to pick this book up. You can find it online for about $10.

These endorsements for The Hidden Life of Prayer: The Lifeblood of the Christian—originally published in 1891—make me eager to get it, read it, and put it into practice.
“God brings books at their appointed times. The Hidden Life of Prayer arrived late but well-timed. This little jewel-strewn tapestry has done for me at 64 what Bounds’ Power Through Prayer did at 34. I could be ashamed that I need inspiration for the highest privilege. But I choose to be thankful.”
—John Piper, Senior Pastor, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota

“”I have read The Hidden Life of Prayer again and again since Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia first gave it to me when I visited there as a prospective student forty years ago. Every time I read this book, the Lord uses it to deepen my prayer life and encourage my faith. I strongly recommend it!”
—Wayne Grudem, Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies, Phoenix Seminary, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

“It was in 1971 I first read this book I was shown a copy in Al Martin’s home and he told me how he used it, which plan I took up enthusiastically and have used ever since. I have read it through aloud during a week of morning meetings with various assistants and with deacons before they have started work. . . . Every time I read it I discover something fresh, convicting and helpful. The book does not make you afraid of prayer. It has a fragrance of Disruption times and the Awakening in the middle of the 19th century, in fact the author was born in that great year of 1859. He later married the daughter of Andrew Bonar and that warm piety and close walk with God characterizes this, McIntyre’s best book.
—Geoff Thomas, Alfred Place Baptist Church (Independent), Aberystwyth, Wales

The Unchurched Next Door: A New Look at the Challenge

Below is a great book review on "The Unchurched Next Door" by Thom Rainer.  The book review was written by Albert Mohler and is also available at lifeway.com.  I thought this was appropriate as we are entering our 9th week of FAITH evangelism training at our church: 

Thom Rainer thinks that most Christians have no clue about how unchurched people really think. Given Christianity's mandate for evangelism, this represents a big problem.

Rainer is founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Over the past decade, he has emerged as the nation's leading expert in church growth and evangelistic strategies. In a very real sense, Rainer operates in two different worlds, with one foot in academic research and the other firmly planted in the local church.

In The Unchurched Next Door, Rainer and his research team consider the real issues involved in reaching unchurched Americans. His findings will surprise many Christians--including many pastors--and offer vital insights as the church looks forward into the twenty-first century.

The Unchurched Next Door represents a massive research project based in a national survey. From the onset, Rainer was determined to force Christians to look at the unchurched all around them. "Most of the unchurched are your neighbors, your coworkers whom you know well, and even your family members," he explains. "That is why we call them 'the unchurched next door.' They have much in common with us. Many of them have your moral values. Most are not antichurch or antireligion. They are very much like you--except that they are lost without Christ."

After interviewing thousands of unchurched Americans, the Rainer research team looked for patterns in the profiles. Based on the results, Rainer suggested five different levels of responsiveness to the gospel. "U1" identifies unchurched Americans who are highly receptive to hearing and believing the good news. They know something about Christianity, and have a positive attitude toward the church. "U2" individuals are receptive to the gospel and willing to hear a message from the church. Those categorized as "U3" are identified as neutral, "with no clear signs of being interested, yet perhaps open to discussion." The "U4" group demonstrates resistance to the gospel but no antagonism. The most unresponsive group in the population is identified as "U5" The most secular Americans are "highly antagonistic and even hostile to the gospel."

Given the contours of post-Christian America, many believers would assume that the U5 category would include a large number of our fellow citizens. That assumption is not sustained by the facts. Rainer's research indicates that the U5 category fits only about five percent of the American population. Most unchurched Americans are grouped in the central three categories. Those already friendly to the church, the U1s, comprise eleven percent of the population, serving as something of a bookend to the U5s.

The majority of the unchurched fit the middle categories, with 27% listed as U2, 36% as U3, and 21% as U4. As Rainer summarizes, "Most of the unchurched are not antichurch or anti-Christian." By and large, they have had little contact with Christianity, and are not highly motivated when it comes to issues of faith and belief.

In reviewing the research, Rainer and his team came to some surprising conclusions. First of all, most Americans have never been invited to church--never. Yet, 82% indicated that they would be at least "somewhat likely" to attend church if invited. As Rainer comments, "Only twenty-one percent of active church goers invite anyone to church in the course of a year. But only two percent of church members invite an unchurched person to church." He concludes: "Perhaps the evangelistic apathy so evident in so many of our churches can be explained by a simple laziness on the part of church members in inviting others to church."

One of the most devastating insights drawn from the research is the fact that most unchurched Americans feel themselves safe from the evangelistic reach of believing Christians. They do not sense that Christians are seeking actively to share the gospel with them, and many nonbelievers are actually wondering what makes Christians so reticent to talk about their faith. Furthermore, most of the unchurched indicate that their Christian friends have little actual influence on their lives.

The withdrawal of men from participation in many churches has led a good many researchers to believe that men are most highly resistant to the gospel. This is also born out by a great deal of experience in local churches. Nevertheless, Rainer's research indicates that most men are grouped in the middle categories, and show relatively low levels of interest in the gospel--either positive or negative. Indeed, this research indicates that unchurched Americans classified in U5--the most antagonistic category--are more likely to be women. As a matter of fact, women tended to predominate in both U1 and U5, perhaps indicating that women are more likely to place a high value on the issue of faith, and thus tend to be more passionately Christian or secular.

Unsurprisingly, Rainer also discovered that the U5s tend to be more highly educated, more wealthy, and more condescending toward the Bible than other Americans. This group is marked by an anti-supernatural bias combined with a secular lifestyle. One woman interviewed for the project said simply, "I have no need for the Bible. The Bible was written for very simple people. It was written to give moral and ethical guidance to uneducated people".

The Unchurched Next Door is a serious look at a serious problem. The undeniable fact is that America's churches are falling behind in the challenge of evangelism. The best data available indicate that the percentage of the population active in Christian churches has failed to grow in even a single metropolitan area in the United States over the last twenty years. More to the point, churches have failed to grow even at a pace that would equal the growth of the population in general. America is being transformed into a secular society at a pace that would shock most Christians--if they ever cared to look.

Thom Rainer is a specialist in church growth, and he clearly wants to help churches to grow--both numerically and spiritually. At the same time, however, he wants to make certain that it is the church that grows, not merely a crowd or voluntary associciation. He is a powerful advocate for expository preaching and clear Gospel proclamation.

For that reason, he gives serious attention to theological issues at stake. Specifically, Rainer identifies a creeping inclusivism in the pews, combined with a growing disbelief in Hell among the public, as sources of evangelistic malaise.

Inclusivism, the belief that personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is not fundamentally necessary for salvation, has been growing among some Christians for decades. Driven first by liberal theologians who intentionally sought to redefine the faith, inclusivism now fits the cultural mood, and allows Christians to claim simultaneously to be believers in Christ and to deny the gospel.

As Rainer claims, "belief in inclusivism goes completely against the teaching of Christ and Scripture. The Bible teaches exclusivism, the belief that explicit faith in Christ is the only way of salvation." The impact of creeping inclusivism is obvious. "Why should one go to the trouble of sharing Christ when that person can be saved without placing explicit faith in Christ? Why waste your time?"

The denial of Hell is another issue that diminishes concern for evangelism. The denial or redefinition of Hell is now found among many who claim to be Christians, and Hell has disappeared almost entirely from the public consciousness of the nation. Today's Christians should note that Jesus himself was bold to warn sinners that they should fear Hell and understand its very real and pressing threat. Far too many Christians see Hell as an embarrassment rather than as a motivation for sharing the gospel.

Most helpfully, Rainer points to an array of evangelistic touch points that Christians should seize for the cause of the gospel. After all, most of these unchurched Americans are living all around us. Their children play with our children on the playground; Christians and non-Christians work together in the business world; and we all live in neighborhoods filled with persons who desperately need to hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A simple conversation with our neighbors will help to reveal their own disposition toward the church and the Gospel. Nevertheless, we should not assume that one who fits the U5 category is further from the reach of the gospel than those who seem to fit U1. The fact is that every single unbeliever is united in an absolute and unconditional need for the gospel. Furthermore, there is a basic antagonism between belief and unbelief.

We cannot predict who will respond to the Gospel. Often, those who appear most likely to respond never do so. At the same time, many of those who are most antagonistic to the church and to the gospel, do come to Christ. This is an important reminder to us that every single conversion is a miracle of God.

The Unchurched Next Door will prompt much thought and should move every thoughtful Christian toward greater faithfulness in evangelism. This book will also help us to understand our unchurched neighbors. Who are they? "They are the unchurched next door. They are your friends, your neighbors, your classmates, your coworkers, your merchants, your acquaintances, and your family members. They need Christ. And they are waiting to hear from you." What are we waiting for?

End Note:

R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. This commentary is reprinted with permission. For more articles and resources from Dr. Mohler go to www.AlbertMohler.com.

Book Review: "Radically Unchurched"

In his book titled “Radically Unchurched” author Alvin Reid writes an incredible book about sharing Christ is the rapidly changing culture that threatens to swallow up and overturn the 21st Century church of today.[1] Dr. Reid is an accomplished author, leader and professor. He currently serves as Professor of Evangelism and student Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also the founder of Bailey Smith Chair of Evangelism and has earned a M.Div and Ph.D with a major in, what one will find out quickly to be his passion – evangelism.

He is a highly sought out speaker and has spoken at a multiplicity of conferences in just about every state and continent. Reid’s writings focus extensively on evangelism, in one way or another, and he has a soft spot for student ministries that is evident in much of the titles of his books and writings. In addition, Reid’s writings challenge and help to equip current leaders to deal with the upcoming generations and the tremendous opportunity leaders have to make an impact on the “radically unchurched.”[2]

The thesis of “Radically Unchurced” is found right in the book’s subtitle, which states “who they are and how to reach them.” His premise is that the church is not focusing on the upcoming generation and the great opportunity that the church has to reach them. He goes on to state that the church is not reaching them, partly because the church does not know how or what to do to reach them. Reid’s passion is to help equip the church and its leaders to reach these radical’s and that is evident throughout the book as he injects numerous challenges to the reader with a question that strikes at the heart: “The question is, will the adults who lead such your people in our churches take advantage of this opportunity.”[3] Reid is highly successful in achieving his intended purpose in profiling not only who these people are but more importantly how to best reach them with the gospel. The author accomplishes this by first giving the profile of who exactly these radically unchurched are in the first part of the book. Then, in the second part, the book details a plan on how the church can reach these people in the most effective way.

In part one, Reid does not only profile who the radically unchurched are, but what the author also includes the underlying causes of this loss, which he states as unequivocally as the “failure of the church to follow the New Testament pattern for penetrating the culture with the gospel.”[4] There is no doubt in the authors mind that to be “successful” at piercing the culture will be through a mighty movement of God on behalf of His church being obedient to the Great Commission and living lives that resemble and reflect Jesus Christ. Chapters one and two, will give the reader a complete picture of who the radically unchurched and what the church needs to do to reach them. The strategy Reid gives is a biblical model as seen in Scripture and notable the Great Commission. However, the author illustrates how the church reacts and speaks to its culture. What’s missing, he surmises, is the power of God through the preaching of the gospel in the fullness of the Spirit through prayer and a holy life. In the remaining chapters of part one, he explains the incredible power that one person can have and how that can be the impetus for moving the church to change and focus on the great opportunity the church has.

In the second part of the book and what will be refreshing to the reader, is that Reid attacks this issue in a positive, rather than just being argumentative about the problem, and here offers various solutions to reaching the radically unchurched. Within these five chapters, Reid explains the specific changes and mindset the church must have in reaching this unreached people group. In these chapters, Reid stresses that the church must not abandon a solid biblical foundation, but will have to look at its methodology. Testimonies and narratives are the norm as these “radicals” want to know how the gospel has affected our own lives. The worship needs to bring folks to encounter the presence of God, and not just filler within a particular church service. Lastly, in reaching these radically unchurched, the leadership and churches need to be willing to plant specific churches that understand and are focused, trained and equipped with a goal to reach this people group, Reid calls the “Radically Unchurched.”

Overall, I would put this on the must read list of books and should be on the shelf of every church pastor and leader. The author does a great job in the book’s architecture in breaking it down into two parts. In the first part, he explains in detail, who these radically unchrurched are, and that we, the church, are in a different and emerging culture that must understand who these people are. One does not have to go out on visitation or talk with people very long to understand that our present culture has little understanding of what a church is, nor do they comprehend or have been given a clear presentation of the gospel message. This book will give you the background and understanding of who these people are and more importantly how to communicate to this generation that regards the church irrelevant and outdated.

Reid defines the “radically unchurced as those who have no clear personal understanding of the message of the gospel, and who have had little or no contact with a Bible-teaching, Christ-honoring church.”[5] Shame on us, who are called to reach people right in our “Jerusalem” and yet this generation makes up 41% of a people group that is untouched by the church.[6] This is true in my own church that I have been pastor now for two months. I find that most of the new membership is coming from other churches and not from new converts. In fact, there is little to no emphasis on reaching let alone even trying to understand this untapped, unchurched generation. This is why the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptists are putting more effort, energy and money into starting new churches that are slanted at reaching this untapped generation with the gospel. I can see why it would be easier to “start new” as opposed to waiting on churched who, refuse to budge from their time continuum. I experienced this personally in talking with many pulpit committees as I was looking for a church. Most wanted me to keep the status-quo and found it difficult to find a church willing and eager to reach this generation.

Reid articulates well and spells out in a way that is motivational and yet challenging to pastors, and leaders to “re-tool” their church. I personally was challenged and before this believed that we had the gospel and that they would and should come to us our way. However, I think if we are to be effective in reaching this generation, we are going to have to take the church to them. This is doable, and the author does a good job of telling us how and shows that it can be done without, as he explains in chapter six, subtracting or taking anything away from the fundamentals of the gospel. In fact, Reid is adamant that “To reach the changing culture, the church needs doctrinal conviction, compassion for people, and the realization that the church belongs to God, not to us.”[7]

As pastors and leaders in the church, we need to look closely at chapter nine, where it talks about communicating the Truth in new and creative ways. We must remember that we are only communicating if what we say is listened to and to be listened to by this generation we need to speak their language. One way I have implemented some of what I read is I am now having my associate pastor teach the Wednesday night service so I can meet with the teens and singles in an environment that is conducive to them. We also have brought in the “older” generations to give their testimony to them each month. What we have found is that there is a connection being made as they are beginning to look at and talk with one another as we work through the language and generation barriers. We found that they want to be prayed for more than they want to be preached at. They also want to be actively involved in the church and are excited about starting a “Teens On-Mission” ministry that has set a high bar for standard for themselves in their personal lives and what they are doing to reach their generation. I agree that the best folks to reach these “radically unchruched” are those who understand it the best and who are part of that generation.

In conclusion, this book will be one that I will keep close at hand as we “re-tool” our church to reach this generation. I praise God, that although we have a long way to go, that my people are willing and eager to radically reach this unchurched people group. Reid ends the book with a chapter titled “What is Your Passion?” Our passion needs to be what the author’s friend Richard’s was “a consuming passion for Jesus.”[8] Ultimately it is not about any program or a philosophy but a person – Jesus Christ. We need to have and reflect the same passion as He did for the lost because infiltrating this unchurched culture will come at a great cost.

Bibliography:
[1] Alvin L. Reid, Radically Unchurched: Who are They & How to Reach Them (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2002).
[2] Alvin Reid, "Http://alvinreid.com/as-a-speaker/my-bio," http://alvinreid.com// (accessed May 6, 2009).
[3] Alvin L. Reid, Radically Unchurched: 101.
[4] Ibid. 13.
[5] Ibid. 21.
[6] Ibid. 22.
[7] Ibid. 112.
[8] Ibid. 194.

Book Review: "Family to Family"

In the book “Family to Family: Leaving a Lasting Legacy” authors Jerry Pipes and Victor Lee write this much needed book to help equip parents and families in passing on their Christian legacy.[1] Jerry Pipes is the author of several books besides this one that are related to personal growth and the family. Additionally, he has produced numerous booklets and training processes along with being the Team Leader of the Prayer and Spiritual Awakening Team at the North American Mission Board. He has traveled internationally, speaking at crusades, seminars, and is a sought after conference speaker. He earned his M.A. at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and D. Min. at Luther Rice Seminary. Dr. Pipes and his wife, Debra, have two children.

Co-author, Victor Lee is a veteran journalist and minister with a focus on discipleship, sports evangelism, singles a ministry, purposeful family living, and evangelism strategy. A former newspaper reporter, Victor has written several hundred articles for Christian web sites and magazines. He also serves as Minister of Single Adults & Evangelism for First Baptist Concord, in Knoxville, Tennessee.[2]

The book is a short book made up of only six chapters totaling a little over a hundred and twenty pages. Although it is a small book it is packed with a wealth of information to help and assist families in passing on a Christian legacy. This is done through short easy to read chapters that give plenty of practical examples and illustrations that help the reader to relate personally with what Pipes and Victor write. Many parents are without answers and have never been taught on how to pass on their faith and are frustrated that many of the children, when they leave the home also leave the faith. The author writes that this book and “the success of our families will be determined by the commitment to know and live the principles of God’s Word.”[3] This book depicts at the end of each chapter examples on how any family, no matter where they may be at in the journey in raising children practical applications to begin leaving a lasting legacy.

The introduction to the book gives the reader the background and purpose for writing the book and encourages the reader that the tools given can get a family off in the right direction. However, the authors warn that it won’t be easy nor is it a quick fix. He encourages the reader, that the book should be read together as parents and states the importance of that throughout the book. The first chapter continues to substantiate the need for families to be “on-mission” as the author supports that with not only illustrations of a typical 21st Century family, but page after page of startling statistics that what families are doing now, is not being successful. He then gives the reader ways to examine where their family is at, which helps best determine where to state. Once a family begins to implement the biblical principles, the author then gives clear marks or distinctions of what a healthy, biblical family will become.

Chapters two and three look at the nuts and bolts of developing a mission statement that is unique to your family and situation. Through this process of developing a personal family mission statement is the means in which the baton of their faith is passed on. Much through understanding how to lead children or different ages to Christ. The family mission statement allows what the author calls a “centerline and will show when and if a family has strayed from the centerline of faith.”[4] Both of these chapters along with all of them are packed with Scripture verses and biblical examples with the primary focus being on evangelism. First of one’s own family and that affect that this will have as families “pass the baton of their faith to the next generation.”[5]

The last three chapters focus and give rather a unique “bull’s-eye” approach on how the gospel then expands from the family outward to relatives, all the way to what the authors call person “X.” However, it all starts from the family, then from there this faith moves out of the house and into the world. The whole idea the authors try and emphasize is that the family, due to its purpose statement and being on-mission will pass on their faith to their immediate family, friends and into the world. However, it does not stop there, because now these Christians then move out from their families and into their own churches. However, because of being on-mission, they are fully devoted followers of Christ.

The author’s purpose was to provide a simple, yet very practical book that would be able to help parents and families develop a family mission statement that would keep families from losing the next generation and equip them to pass on their faith. To that extent the authors were highly successful. The authors also do an exceptional job in setting up the chapters that flow in a logical sequence. Because of this, the book is user friendly and will be more likely to be used and put into implementation as opposed to just read and cast aside.

Each of the six chapters of the book gives the reader plenty of real life scenarios, which are then followed by practical steps to be taken to implement a comprehensive purpose statement no matter the make-up of a family. In addition, at the end of each chapter are the “steps to making it yours.” This is an actual outline of what you just learned in the chapter and require you to fill in the empty blanks. I like this, because it makes you go back through the chapter and review the main principles. In addition, these “fill in the blank” pages can also be used as handouts to teach this in a small group scenario.

The reader will also enjoy reading and implementing some of the “Family Building Activities” that are also at the end of each chapter. These are great ideas to help families give and plan quality and quantity time together. There is also a list of key Scriptures at the end of each chapter that were used in support of the principle being taught. I like that each chapter is packed full of Scripture and the verses are not taken out of context. In addition to this, there is also a list of additional resources, which gives the reader a wealth of additional material that may help a particular struggle a family may be experiencing.

In summing up the book, I would say it is more like a workbook. This makes it an incredible usable tool for any family to pick up and begin to train themselves to be an on-mission Christian family. God’s building block for society has always been the family. The key, however, is if that if a family wants to cooperate with God in building a strong family and carry out our mission as Christians to make disciples, as given to us in the Great Commission, we need to be taught how that can be done. This book does that and should be required reading for parents. This is a book that would be a great tool to use in premarital counseling. The couple can go through it fairly quickly and produce a family mission statement that could then be reviewed by the pastor or counselor. It’s also great, for any couple to have on their bookshelf as it shares with parents how they can lead their children to Christ.

In conclusion, I initially wondered why this book would be included in a class about evangelism. I quickly realized the importance that this book has on passing on our Christian legacy and how that our faith is caught more than taught. This book teaches parents how we can pass on that legacy, by simply producing a family mission statement that can guide us in keeping our priorities on-mission. Our culture is fast paced, and it is so easy to lose sight on what is important and what will make an eternal difference. In having a family mission statement it will aid us in identifying when we have strayed off course and not doing what is really important. By being on-mission, our children won’t just hear about what we are supposed to do as Christians, but they will live it!

[1] Jerry Pipes and Lee Victor, Family to Family: Leaving a Lasting Legacy (Alpharetta, GA: North American Mission Board, 2008).
[2] Victor Less, Victorlee.org, http://www.victorlee.org// (accessed May 3, 2009).
[3] Pipes and Lee. Family to Family. 3.
[4] Pipes and Lee. Family to Family. 25.
[5] Ibid. 51.

Book Review: Concentric Circles of Concern

In his book "Concentric Circles of Concern" Oscar Thompson, Jr. gives the reader a fresh new idea in reaching people with the gospel in the 21^st Century. The author speaks from a wealth of experience as he was a pastor for twenty years before joining the faculty of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in the area of evangelism. He served as president of the Oscar Thompson Evangelistic Association; as a pastoral consultant of Cancer Counseling and Research Foundation; and pastoral consultant and board member of the Trinity Valley Hospice Association, Inc. The book was written post humorously. In reading the book it is obvious to the reader that the author lived what he taught and has made a tremendous impact in the lives of those that followed these teachings on the "seven stages for making disciples.

The book is published as a book on evangelism. However, the book's title gives a hint that it is much more than just another method or outline on how to share ones faith. In the first four chapters, the author lays the ground work that prepares the reader for what lies ahead. First there is the importance that God places on relationships and that people are built to be in a relationship with God and one another. The author states that "the most important word in the English language, apart from proper nouns, is relationship." His premise is that the gospel moves through a person's relationship and that there is, in fact a hierarchy or order of importance that one must be aware of when sharing ones faith. In other words, one can't expect to share the gospel with a friend if he is not willing to share that same "good news" with his family member. The Scripture is clear that we must not only be reconciled with God but with those who are closest to us too. The author then summarizes his strategy for reaching the world through these different "relationships" that a person has. He ends his introduction of the book with familiar barriers of why a person might not share the gospel. The key aspect to the barriers is a word that is repeated often in the 200 pages of this book – relationship. In this case, the barriers stem from broken relationships.

The book is subtitled "seven stages for making discipleship" and that is what the author explains in detail throughout the rest of the thirteen chapters of the book and how that making disciples is done in and through the different relationships a person has. The big idea, the author states, in the Great Commission is to "make disciples." To do that completely and effectively is to follow the authors stages and how that then is followed by specifically who one is to reach and in what order. These seven stages and concentric circles are as follows: (1) Get Right, (2) Survey, (3) Pray, (4) Build Bridges, (5) Show Love, (6) Make Disciples, and (7) Begin Again.

Stage one is "getting right with God, self, and others. The author states, "once you have a right vertical relationship with your heavenly Father and a balanced view of self, God moves you to correct relationships with others. The Scripture is clear in many places that a person can't be right with God and have broken relationships with other people. This is especially true with those that are closest to a person, like a spouse or other close family member. This leads and fits into the authors "concentric circles of concern" and that you must make those relationships right before one goes and shares the gospel with someone further away from his "concentric circle."

Stage two is to survey ones different relationships. Most do not even know who is really within their sphere of influence for Jesus Christ. The author recommends writing down who a person's family members, relatives, friends, and so on. As one "surveys" all the different people that God brings into a person's life one finds that many of those people are lost and need to hear a clear presentation of the gospel. This too is evident and shown in several instances in Scripture. It wasn't by happenstance that Joseph was there in Egypt and all the different people Joseph touched with the gospel.

Stage three is one that is so often neglected in most church evangelism programs – prayer. The author exhorts the reader to "work with God." He goes on to state that these prayers are to be specific, and gives a great pattern of things that one could pray for. Another them that is repeated throughout the book is that love is demonstrated by meeting a need. Just as the need for salvation is met in the love that was demonstrated by Jesus Christ by dying on the cross (Romans 5:8). A key element in that pattern of prayer is asking God to reveal a need that can be met. Most do not want to pray specifically like this because God will reveal a need and then the real battle begins in whether a person will then follow through with the Lords leading. Personally, I have been praying for my neighbor and God revealed that I should fix her fence, and I have not as yet shown her the love of Christ by meeting that need.

Stage four is building bridges. The author explains that many times ones relationship with people in ones concentric circles are so shallow or distant that there is little way of reaching out to them in love. At other times, one will become aware of a person who needs the Lord and will intentionally begin building a relationship bridge to that person so that God's love can flow from the person witness to the person that needs Christ. He goes on to give several examples that are practical and doable in a any number of different situations.

Stage five is to show love. Not just a superficial love, but God's love by meeting a specific need in someone's life. This, along with prayer is another idea that is often absent from evangelism programs. Many would rather punch their time clock on a Thursday night visitation program to ease ones guilty conscience about being a good witness. However, the author states that this is one of the best ways to be used by God in reaching the world is by showing God's love. It is God that will engineer the circumstances in the lives of those for whom a person is to pray for and then God will also create opportunities for these people to experience his love through meeting a need in a life. As God loves people though you by meeting a need, this has a profound impact on how that person begins to be drawn to the Lord.

Stage six is to make disciples and help a person to grow and continue the stages from the beginning all over again. The author is clear that it is God the Holy Spirit that draws, convicts, and does the work of salvation. However, after people turn to Christ, they need to grow as disciples of Christ. This is the job of the one who witnessed to him or her to then help develop and establish a personal relationship with Jesus through prayer and the reading and study of the Word of God. This is not an easy process and will take time, energy and a continued love for that person as they become fully devoted and followers of Jesus Christ.

Stage seven is the last stage and is simply to begin the process all over again and to help other Christians to make disciples too. It is often thought that witnessing is over once a person accepts Christ. However, that is just the beginning. Just like when a new baby is born into the world, that baby then needs to be fed, protected, nurtured, and cared for. The process of discipleship continues until they themselves are taking someone else through the concentric circles of concern and making disciples.

The author does a great job in looking holistically and the commandment of God "to make disciples." The book is an easy read in that it is organized in a very logical way and can be used in a small group setting or to teach from it as an evangelism curriculum. Each chapter ends with a section on how to personalize the chapter for oneself and also a section that can be used for small group settings and discussion. Although this is an easy read and one could read the 200 pages in one sitting, if you were to put the teachings into actual practice this would take a considerable longer time to complete.

The author makes the book interesting by providing numerous personal illustrations throughout each chapter. This will encourage the reader not only to continue reading the book but also motivate you to put these concepts into practice. Many of the personal examples will bring great conviction and even tears to one's eyes.

This is not just a book on how to do evangelism, but how to make disciples. It is not just what you do but why you are doing it. Many will find themselves in these chapters being guilty of trying to win the world to Christ and forsaking our own families and those closest to us. Therefore, those that God has put in our concentric circles are there for a reason, a God reason. Thus, we are to love them and to meet their need and thereby winning the opportunity to share the greatest news in the world. The news that Jesus Christ died on a cross and rose again so that we might have a "relationship" with God the Father.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Thompson, Oscar W. Jr.; Ritzman Thompson, Carolyn; Kind Claud V. Concentric Circles of Concern: Seven stages for making disciples. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holdman, 1999.

Book Review: God in the Wasteland

David F. Wells is a professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and in his book God in the Wasteland: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams; he depicts how modernity has invaded and corrupted the church and offers a biblical antidote so that the characteristics of biblical faith are preserved. This is Wells sequel on the subject to his first book titled No Place for Truth. In that book, he set out and described and diagnosed the cultural factors that have diminished the place and importance of theology in the church but offered no resolutions in solving the dilemma. Forthwith, Wells advances these arguments about how the evangelical crisis of modernism or more commonly known as "worldliness" has pushed out God and the truth of His Word. In this relationship between Christ and the culture, what is highly prescribed is an awakening and the necessity of rediscovering our theological roots.

According to Wells, the rudimentary predicament in Evangelicalism is the identical one that has taken out the effectiveness of mainline Protestantism today. Wells calls it "modernity" where liberal Protestantism conciliated to the modern world. This is not because the modern world has become more theological but because Protestantism has become modern. It has become an informal religious establishment that derives its power not from its theology but from the culture. Thus, the central issue is the relationship between Christ and culture and that modernity is not just an issue, but according to Wells it is the significant issue (p. 26). In his analysis of modernity, he contends that it is necessary that we understand that the love of God and the love the world are in competition. However, most evangelicals are oblivious to it because over the past few decades there has been an erosion of biblical separation and a distinct movement to conformity and a gradual descent into the "me" generation. Distracted by the cajoleries of modern culture, we have lost our focus on transcendent biblical truth. Evangelicals have been beguiled by the efficiency of our culture's techniques, and strategies (p. 58). This modernity movement has gone far away from looking for men who can preach and teach to those who can manage and have the knowhow of marketing and selling the goods of the gospel.

Wells stated that in light of the church being run as an organization in contrast to the body of Christ as an organism, the focus of the church has shifted from God to that of an organization. Although there is still a belief in God, it is only now that he has become to be less significant or as Wells puts it, God becomes weightless. Weightlessness is a condition, a cognitive and psychological disposition that can sweep through all doctrinal defenses because it is not itself perceived as a doctrine (p. 90). The answer to rediscover the importance of the biblical doctrine of God, according to Wells, is to decisively move away from modernity and prevailing anthropology and to also move away from our humanistic theology. At this point, Wells turns from the culture and focuses on primarily the theological. The two themes that Wells develops are the transcendent holiness of God and secondly the immanence and the church's need to rediscover the one and to run from its abuse to the other. Only then will God begin to have weight again.

In the closing chapters, Wells looks at the coming generation of church leadership by surveying seminaries. In that he found that the respondents were first of all at least aware of the changing shape and that theology was important to them. Secondly, that theology is indeed important and should be central in the life of the church. Thirdly, that the students were dissatisfied with the current status of the church, and that it has lost its vision (p. 213). Finally, in his last chapter he talks about some of the changes that the church needs to effect in order to regain its spiritual authenticity.

God in the Wasteland is a companion volume, as already stated, to his earlier No Place for Truth, a book described by Time magazine as a "stinging indictment of evangelicalism's theological corruption." Wells is not alone and has been joined by evangelical leaders as Charles Colson, Mark Noll, and Richard Mouw and as Carl Zylstra states that they "have begun to outdo even mainline critics in questioning whether modern evangelicalism has sold its principles in order to achieve popular success." The central issue for Wells is the proper relationship between Christ and culture. He opposes any fusion between the Christian faith and modern culture, whether that of Protestant liberalism or the more recent cultural accommodation of evangelicalism. Evangelicals, he contends, have bought cultural acceptableness by giving a blind eye to theology, and substituting a message of happiness versus that of holiness. He says he has written this book because "the vision of the evangelical church is now clouded, its internal life greatly weakened, its future very uncertain, and I want something better for it…the evangelical church to be the church" (p. 214).

In this book Wells presents his argument for a counterculture Christianity from a classical Reformed evangelical theology. His analysis is fastened on some familiar and yet dismal examples of the mega-church phenomena, televangelists, Barna and his connection and influence with the church-growth movement, and the social gospel. The result is theology loses its necessary place and preeminence in our Seminaries to that of management and marketing techniques. The degree in which your church is considered a success is the size and structures you have and how many needs can be met by the congregation, or more accurately stated—consumer. Pastors and church leaders can still preach about all the great doctrines but seldom does it get out from within the church walls. The TV preaches about a consumer gospel and how God can be used as the means to good health, riches, and, a trouble free life. Wells believes that Christians are to stand against worldly culture and stay true to its nature. Only, "this kind of distance, this kind of dissociation from modernity, this kind of opposition to modernity as an essentially ungodly worldview" (p. 119), will preserve Christian identity.

This "otherworldliness" has as its nemesis the second generation western evangelicals who have been captivated by the social scientific. Rather than being sensitive to subjective belief, Christians should understand that the issue is a matter of truth rather than psychology. For Wells one either begins with the human perspective or with God. However, Robert Johnston states the following:

Wells inability to hold on more comprehensively to the dialectic of Christ and culture causes him to lose sight of aspects of classical theology that would make his theology more adequate biblically. The example is given where Wells believes the cross takes precedence over resurrection, and in the process the material is slighted for the spiritual. Transcendence is highlighted over immanence, with the Spirits work in the wider world noted but effectively ignored for the Spirit's work in applying what Christ has accomplished. God's holiness is asserted as fundamental in defining God's character, with divine love of being reduced merely to an expression of holiness. (What does Wells do with the theology of 1 John?) In his desire to argue "objective" truth, he undervalues the "subjective." … But his propensity for overstatement and his revulsion from contemporary culture causes him to underestimate or ignore other biblical doctrines which are more culturally "relevant" at present.

The last two chapters Wells focuses on the seminarian himself through a comprehensive survey take in 1993 in which seven Evangelical seminaries took part in. His findings were relatively hopeful as those taking the survey do have a high regard of Scripture and believe that theology should be a cornerstone in the life of the church. He also stated that most were indeed not satisfied with the current status of the church (p. 213). Although this book was written in the mid-nineties it holds true today. As I presently serve as a pastor in a church, I see how modernity has crept virtually unnoticed into my own thinking and church. It is an easy thing to do to begin to give our congregations what they believe they want rather than what they need—theology. Most within the church are more concerned with what they believe and yet have no idea why they believe or where it fits theologically if at all. They want a gospel that will answer the question to their problems quickly and painlessly. God is just another means to the end that can be pulled off and put back on the shelf as needed.

God in the Wasteland is a book that has no doubt shaken a few chains of evangelicals and those whom are not as, no doubt, we all to some degree have come under the shadow of modernity. The competition between this world and God is evident and most have unfortunately put God aside and not allowed God to have the preeminence, he not only deserves but commands. The challenge for the church and those that lead in it is to bring back theology and allow it to have its prominent place in the teaching and preaching. That the decisions and actions we take would be based on a biblical worldview rather than the bottom line.

Bibliography

Johnston, Robert K. "God in the Wasteland: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 63 (Winter 1995): 872-875.

Zylstra, Carl E. "God in the Wasteland." Homiletic 2, no. 20 (Winter 1995): 52.

Wells, David F. God in the Wasteland: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1994.

Wells, David F. No Place for Truth; or, Whatever Happened to Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1993.