Waterbrook Multnomah sent me a copy of Radical by David Platt as part of their Blogging For Books program. I am not required to give the book a positive review.
But I will, for the most part. The themes of Radical are themes that are near and dear to my heart. Platt calls on us to reject comfort and complacency and to embrace a radical Christian lifestyle, focused on taking the gospel to the world. His goal is to lead people to commit themselves to a one-year trial of radical living, with the following resolutions:
- Pray for the entire world
- Read the entire Word
- Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose
- Spend your time in another context
- Commit your life to a multiplying community
To lead his readers to this point, Platt blends a critical analysis of American Christianity, anecdotes of his own experiences overseas and accounts of Christians who are trying to live the life he describes.
Despite my sympathies with the themes under discussion, I found the book to be less than engaging. Part of it was the fact that I found Platt spending a lot of time discussing David Platt. Some of that is necessary in writing so that readers can be connected on a personal level with the author. And I’m sure he wants us to see that he’s not just preaching it, he’s living it as well. Still, I felt a sense of relief when he turned his focus to telling the stories of others.
I also found that I was ready to move on from a topic before the author was. That could easily be an indictment of my own reduced attention span, but I often felt that I had heard all he had to say about one subject and wanted to see what the next one was.
Platt has a web site with additional resources, links, etc. for those interested in exploring the subject further. If you’d like a taste of the book, you can sign up on the site to read the first chapter.
Overall, I’d recommend the book. There are lots of ideas within that challenge our ordinary run-of-the-mill Christian experience. They call us to be, well, radical.
(The Amazon link in this book review generates a commission for me when a purchase is made)