# Radical



## coramdeo (Jan 17, 2011)

A friend just gave me a copy of David Platt's Radical. Although not a deep theological work, it is eye opening and makes me wonder if we all are not playing church. Have any of you read it or heard of the Radical movement?


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## Covenant Joel (Jan 17, 2011)

I wrote a review of it a little while ago: Radical by David Platt

As I say in the review, I think David Platt gives a lot of great things to think about regarding how we view our faith in the midst of a materialistic American context. Nonetheless, I think there are a couple of areas which needed more nuance:

(1) He constantly urges us to give up possessions, time, etc to live radically for Jesus. But by the end of the book, I felt like he gave very little practical direction on that. In other words, one doesn't want to be taken in by materialism in the corporate setting, but how? He gives some pointers, but I felt like his pointers needed a lot of nuance, and perhaps some more biblical-theological reflection.

(2) His view of short term mission work seemed very simplistic. Part of his final appeal was to go somewhere else and do something, particularly overseas or in a short term mission context. While I do think these opportunities can be very beneficial in getting people to look past themselves (they were in my own life), he doesn't give much nuance on how to do such service activities well, as they can easily be butchered, and he also seems to give the Western-dominant view of us going to help others, whereas sometimes we need to be humble and listen to what our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world have to say.

Kevin DeYoung also has some very helpful thoughts and interaction with David Platt here: Getting to the Root of Radical: a Review and Response


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## saintandsinner77 (Jan 17, 2011)

I recently was given Radical to read and found it to be challenging in that it attacks the idolatry that many Christians have imbibed, namely, the American dream in terms of pursuing wealth and status to the detriment of serving Christ. I have been on two missions trips, have seen people living in garbage dumps and who have never had a clear gospel presentation provided to them. This book made me reflect on the fact that many in the body of Christ (myself included at times) are content with a cozy, middle-class lifestyle, with little to no personal risk/ investment in global evangelism. Granted, not everyone is called to be a missionary to a foreign land, nor is everyone equipped/able to do so, but we should be engaged in missionary endeavors as the early Christian laity did:

"Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went." (Acts 8:4)

Our Lord has called us to a radical commitment- Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 

I'm not saying that means we have to literally sell everything, which Platt acknowledges, but it is easy for us to sidestep this radical commitment to the gospel which may call us to follow after Christ via spreading the gospel at the risk of one's wealth and life by saying, "well the responsibility for missions work/evangelism is only for ordained pastors or seminary-trained, board-approved missionaries."


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## coramdeo (Jan 18, 2011)

Covenant Joel said:


> I wrote a review of it a little while ago: Radical by David Platt
> 
> As I say in the review, I think David Platt gives a lot of great things to think about regarding how we view our faith in the midst of a materialistic American context. Nonetheless, I think there are a couple of areas which needed more nuance:
> 
> ...


 
I had the same feeling, wanting to respond in a positive way, and yet at a loss as to how. I am still reflecting.


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## Pergamum (Jan 18, 2011)

Radical is a short book with the goal of motivating. It is not a careful, exegetical or comprehensive treament of the Christian life. I think Platt achieves his purposes with the book. 

Also, when I survey the religious scene, even among the Reformed, the big danger is NOT that we would actually get too radical or off-balanced due to David Platt. The far bigger danger is the general lukewarm ho-hum-ness and a lazy and un-applied Christianity that infects us, too.


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