Radical, by David Platt

225 Book Reviews

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream.

David Platt.

Multnomah Publishers.

217 pages.

“I realize there is never going to come a day when I stand before God and he looks at me and says, ‘I wish you would have kept more for yourself.’ I’m confident that God will take care of me’ (123). This is Radical in its pure essence. Created for God’s glory, we must go forth to the ends of the earth telling the good news of Jesus Christ. Instead, too often, we horde the gifts he’s given us and reject his radical call in Christ.

David Platt calls us to take up the cross of Christ and reject the siren’s call of the American Dream. It’s a very good introduction to radical (biblical ) Christianity. Written in a compelling way that keeps the readers’ attention, Radical could have been a little bit deeper. It seemed that he defaulted to the surface of some very common texts. At times, I think he pressed too hard to make his point. He made the mission life seem to simply be in going without answering the logistical issues that these raise. Also, his chapter on “Living When Dying Is Gain” sounded alot like John Piper, but I didn’t see any note of him in the citations. All in all, I think this is a great book for those who’ve never considered the call to missions.

3 out 5 stars.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.