Radical by David Platt

My friend LL showed me this book and asked if I’ve read it. I had not even heard of  the author (later to find that Platt is a friend of a friend I just met), but I was curious and always up for a good book. The cover says it’s a New York Times Bestseller. I was also intrigued by the subtitle – Taking back your faith from the American Dream. After reading Radical by David Platt, I am indeed challenged to evaluate how much our church really does operate on the same principles of the American Dream.

I’ve always felt that the way people measure the success of a church is all wrong.  David Platt talks about that.

“I am convinced that we as Christ followers in American churches have embraced values and ideas that are not only unbiblical but that actually contradict the gospel we claim to believe….You and I can choose to continue with business as usal in the Christian life and in the church as a whole, enjoying success based on the standards defined by the culture around us. Or we can take an honest look at the Jesus of the Bible…”

I’ve always felt that Christians should not indulge in luxury but be more generous to give to needy countries. Platt talks about that too.

“What would happen if together we stopped giving our scraps to the poor and started giving surplus? …What if we gave like this, not just because of the critical need around us, but because this kind of giving is actually what the heart of Christ in us both demands and desires?”

The book concludes with a challenge to live a radical life for one year, just one year, as an experiment of what might happen. One year to pray for the entire world, one country at a time; read through the entire Bible; sacrifice your money for a specific purpose; spend your time in another context; commit your life to a multiplying community.

I am not following all five challenges, but my own version of it. I am focusing on praying for Taiwan and Vietnam. I am looking for a specific purpose so I can increase my giving towards it. I am willing to spend my time in anther context, I don’t know what and where yet. I am leaving my current church to look for a multiplying community that is serious about the gospel and discipleship, as shown by their actions and not by a mission statement on paper.

The book will challenge you only if you keep an open mind to be changed.