Taking Back Your Faith from the Americans Dream - Book Report/Review Example

Radical Taking Back Your Faith David Platt Introduction In the book Radial: Taking Back Your Faith from the Americans Dream,Platt a tries to spark the American Evangelical a greater desire to abandon the hot pursuit of all entrapments of a society that has gone rogue as they live of secularism. In this literary challenge, he almost begs the reader to consider exchanging the life of acquisition of things that feed their need of materialism for a life that gives it all away as they seek the conversion and discipleship of not just a few individuals but the world. If you look at the first chapter of the book, he states that the reason as to why he is writing the book is to enable the reader and himself to explore the biblical gospel alongside their cultural assumptions with the aim toward embracing Jesus for whom he really is and not for whom they have created him to be. With the help of this analysis, they should look at the core truth of a God-centered gospel and how they have morphed it top becomes human-centered. His desire is that they will discover a reason for their lives that transcends their nationalistic allegiances and cultural morays. It therefore the intention of the writer to summarize each chapter of the book, examining it critically and to apply the lessons learned through the reading of the book and makes a conclusion. Chapter summarization In chapter One, Platt discuses Luke 9 and outlines a mandate to abandon familial ties because of the kingdom of God. He goes ahead to state that Jesus informed his followers that if anyone comes to him and does not hate his father and mother or any of their relatives, and even his own life cannot be his disciples. Platt also discusses the pervasive resistance of the American Christian to identify with Jesus to the extent that he would be willing to radically abandon all relationships in pursuit of Christ and the advancement of his kingdom. However, Platt says there is a higher cost of no-discipleship and introduces with great emotion the amount of money that Americans spend in buildings verses the amount they use for missionary endeavors. In chapter Two, Platt talks about his trip to a region where Christians were being persecuted for their faith. The thing that stood most in this chapter was the reverence. Platt said that native Christians held for the scriptures and gaining an understanding of them. He goes ahead discussing how they begged him to teach them the old and New Testament. Platt relates how this experience of simply teaching the bible to spiritually hungry believers carried over into his ministry at his local church. Platt gives a moving story about how he was standing outside a Buddhist temple and having a conversation with Buddhist and a Hindu about their concept of man having to climb up to God. He informed them about the god who came down to man. In chapter Three, he seeks to cause the reader to recognize their feeble attempts to accomplish things in their own strength without the aid of the living God. He relates a story about a missionary who was confirmed by a witch doctor and chosen to fight him physically even though the witch doctor challenged him. The witch doctor was informed that God would fight for him and in a few minutes the witch doctor was choked to death in front of the entire community leaving the community saved. Platt states that the reader would see more of the power of God if he stops relying on the contextualization of the American Dream into church life and just rely on the power and pressure of God to draw people and transform their lives. In chapter Four, the author talks about the inability of the American church to internalize the commandment of Jesus to church. He informs the members to go to the uttermost parts of the world and share the message of the kingdom. He illustrates his truth by relating a story about how a church, its pastor and members were very happy to give monies for someone else to go to the uttermost parts just as long as they did not have to go. According to Platt, “God created human beings for a dual purpose to enjoy his grace in a connection with him and to extend his glory to ends of to earth”. He takes head on the linguistics problem of saving Jesus and states that he did not just die for you because that would place you as a the subject of his death. In chapter Five, Platt makes the ministry life of Jesus so simple by stating the he did not invest in the masses but into the lives of a few men. According to him, it seem like Jesus goal was to make disciples and he goes further by stating that his job of making disciples is every believers job. Platt then relates the story of how he began a discipling of the discipleship ministry on Bourbon Street in New Orleans and how it was eventually taken over by one of the gentlemen who had been in that ministry. He then concludes that perpetuation of the discipleship ministry is how ministry ought to flow. Chapter Six, Platt attacks the prosperity mentality of the American church as he looks at the poverty that exists in the world around it. He states that “Americans church is blind to the vast amount of poverty in the world while they are buying French fries”. Platt passionately gives the view point of God concerning the poor and the punishment of those who ignore the poor. He is disturbed by the pursuit of affluent individuals who scramble for more and more while there are others who are starving to death. Platt further says that God has opened his eyes to a major blind spot in his life, the usage of all his possessions for the advancement of the kingdom. In chapter Seven, Platt hits the reader with seven truths which are; everyone has knowledge of God, all people reject God, all people are remorseful before God, all people are destined for rebuffing God, God has made a way of deliverance for the lost, people cannot come to God apart from faith in Christ and lastly Christ command church to make the gospel known to all peoples. After giving the readers the truths, he tells them that there is no more time to waste because of the devastating thing that happens to a person when he dies without Christ. He also states that there are over 1.5 billion of people who are unreached with the gospel and unengaged. Chapter Eight, the author discusses what Jesus meant when he asked individuals to follow him. Platt tells a story of how members of his church went to minister those who were HIV infected and two of them ended up being stuck with needles that were used to treat those who were infected. He still pursues the readers to follow the commandment of Jesus to carry the gospel into the uttermost parts of the earth what the cost. He ends the chapter by talking about individuals who loved not their lives unto death and their lives became radially when death is seen. Chapter Nine, Platt challenges the reader to a one year program that will turn a life upside down. He assures reader that the American Dream is a letdown for several reasons; connotation is found in community, not individualism; truth is found in Christ and not universalism and joy is found in generosity, not covetousness. The one year program is actually a one year sacrifice to the teachings of Jesus exhibited in the following five hold way; pray for the whole world, read completely through the world, sacrifice your money for a specific purpose and spend your time in another context. Critical Analysis The book is written in an offensive way to American church. The author uses his platform to shake the church from its hibernation in a place called the American Dream. The overall view of the book is that American Dream and its philosophical concepts do not have a place in the church of the living god. The author sets out to prove Jesus words in the gospel should not be interpreted but be obeyed. The book is written in a readable format that can be easily understood. It is also fast moving as it gives the reader names of individuals who have struggled with the concept of following Jesus. The author is literalist as it is evident when he deals with the passage in Luke 9 when Jesus informs the man who needs time to bury his father. He is told by Jesus to let him dead and bury the dead but you go and preach the kingdom. The author seem s to understand the American Dream and uses his book to promote its ultimate and final demise among the people of god as they pursue the mandate of God on their lives to take the gospel to the end. It is therefore an excellent book for those who want their faith to participate with god as he draws the world to himself. This book is very important for every theological and serious believer. Personal Application After reading this book, the writer is determined to do several things like, examine his life to see what is of the kingdom of God and what is of the American Dream radially excise the American Dream from his mindset as he pursues the agenda of the kingdom of god, to locate an unreached and unengaged people and begin praying for god to give him opportunity to go to that place and develop relationship that will foster a presentation of the gospel, to study the statements of Jesus when he says and interpret them literally and map them out in his life to see how radically different he would live if they were applied to his life. Conclusion In this paper, the writer has given summarization of every chapter contained in the book. He has also given a critical analysis of the book and application to his life. This book is one of the best reads that this writer has experienced over the last couple of years. Platt has been given wisdom beyond his years. This book should be a requirement for every pastor and seminary student. The book also challenges its readers in two significant ways; if focuses the reader to look at his life to examine his motivation concerning the kingdom of god and it forces the reader to examine the world around him and determine his level of participation in the world as god uses him to extract his kingdom there. Bibliography Platt, David. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. Colorado Springs, Colo: Multnomah Books, 2010. Read More