How to Reach the West Again: Six Essential Elements of a Missionary Encounter by Timothy Keller. Redeemer City to City. 51 pages. 2020
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In this short book, Tim Keller writes that the overall decline of Christian influence in the West is inarguable. Each generation is becoming less religious and less Christian. He tells us that this decline should prompt us to examine ourselves, pray, and work toward a new missionary engagement with Western culture. He states that we have to model and proclaim the Christian faith in our generation in a way that is both intelligible and compelling to our neighbors. Our challenge is how to evangelize people who “lack any sense of sin or transcendence, or who lack the traditional basic religious infrastructure such as belief in a Supreme Being or the afterlife?”
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BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Truths We Confess by R.C. Sproul
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Keller shares six basic elements to having a missionary encounter with Western culture. He discusses the Christian social project as a unique kind of human community that defied categories then and still does today, and states that it has at least five elements.
He tells us that to model the spirit of the early church, the late modern Christian social vision today should include:
- Building a multi-ethnic church
- Creating a church committed to the poor and to justice
- Being a pioneer in civility, peace-making, and bridge-building
- Having a church that is strongly pro-life
- Becoming a sexual counter-culture
Keller addresses a number of topics in this short book, including technology, political polarization, the Christian social project, elements of evangelism, secular narratives, a counter-catechism, a moral ecology, integrating faith and work in public spheres, a faithful presence, becoming salt and light in culture, the rediscovery of the gospel of grace, and collaborative independence.
Keller writes that although the challenges and responsibilities outlined in the book are formidable, there are some encouragements.
There is much wisdom to consider in this book, and I commend it to you.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:
- Culture is becoming more actively hostile toward Christian beliefs and practices.
- If it is true that more and more people lack any religious foundation and that the dominant cultural narratives are making the Christian faith more offensive, then we must find new and compelling ways to share the gospel in this generation.
- The early Christian community was both offensive and attractive.
- Tolerance shows respect for someone made in the image of God, even when the person is espousing something morally reprehensible. It does not require accepting views and behavior that are terribly wrong, nor refraining from calling out such things clearly.
- There has never been a fast-growing revival in a post-Christian, secular society. But every great new thing is unprecedented—until it happens.
- Ask Pastor John. Tim Challies reviews Tony Reinke’s new book Ask Pastor John. He writes “The book is a fascinating and helpful archive, whether taken with or without reference to the podcast that was its origin. I expect you’ll enjoy it every bit as much as I have.”
- Are We Living in the Last Days? Tim Challies reviews Bryan Chapell’s new book Are We Living in the Last Days?: Four Views of the Hope We Share about Revelation and Christ’s Return. He writes that it “Is a tremendously helpful and clarifying book. Besides that, it is a wonderfully charitable book that explains without dividing and that draws distinctions without taking sides. It lays out the differing perspectives, then focuses heavily on the unity believers share in Christ regardless of their particular understanding of the end times.
- Study, Savor and Share Scripture: Becoming What We Behold. My wife Tammy has published a book about HOW to study the Bible. The book is available on Amazon in both a Kindle and paperback edition. She writes “Maybe you have read the Bible but want to dig deeper and know God and know yourself better. Throughout the book I use the analogy of making a quilt to show how the Bible is telling one big story about what God is doing in the world through Christ. Quilting takes much patience and precision, just like studying the Bible, but the end result is well worth it.
BOOK CLUB – Won’t you read along with us?
“The Westminster Confession of Faith is one of the most precise and comprehensive statements of biblical Christianity, and it is treasured by believers around the world. R.C. Sproul has called it one of the most important confessions of faith ever penned, and it has helped generations of Christians understand and defend what they believe.
In Truths We Confess, Dr. Sproul introduces readers to this remarkable confession, explaining its insights and applying them to modern life. In his signature easy-to-understand style and with his conviction that everyone’s a theologian, he provides valuable commentary that will serve churches and individual Christians as they strive to better understand the eternal truths of Scripture. As he walks through the confession line by line, Dr. Sproul shows how the doctrines of the Bible—from creation to covenant, sin to salvation—fit together to the glory of God. This accessible volume is designed to help you deepen your knowledge of God’s Word and answer the question, What do you believe?”
This week we look at the first half of WCF 13: Of Sanctification. Here are a few helpful quotes from this section:
- The idea that a person can be justified and fail to show any fruits of sanctification is completely contrary to the teaching of Scripture. It is a misunderstanding of the doctrine of justification by faith alone.
- We have to remember that justification is by faith, not by the profession of faith. A mere profession of faith justifies no one.
- Sanctification follows justification necessarily, inevitably, and immediately.
- The more holy someone becomes, the more unholy he realizes he is.
- The order (of salvation), from a Reformed perspective, is: effectual calling, regeneration, faith, justification, sanctification, and glorification.
- Effectual calling is the Holy Spirit’s work of bringing about a change in someone. The change that is brought about in and through the effectual call is regeneration.
- Our assurance of salvation rests not on our achievements but on the God whose plan of salvation it is.
- Reformed theology teaches that salvation is monergistic at first and then synergistic after effectual calling and regeneration.
- The most important task that any Christian has in his life is the quest for the kingdom of God.
- The goal of the Christian life is to be righteous.
