Do I dare blog about a book I have not read? Sure, why not? I read the newspaper article. So here goes…
My story begins last January when my FSU son and daughter returned from the Atlanta Christmas Conference with glowing reports regarding the teaching of David Platt . This guy has good credentials! Two undergraduate degrees and three advanced degrees, including a doctorate from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. David is now the pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama and he is only 31. But the credential that caught my attention was that he taught the Bible straight up and captivated the listening ears and open hearts of my kids. That will get my attention!
Then in July, Multnomah Books sent me a complimentary copy of David’s new book, R adical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream . Given the experience above, I thought, “Hmm… this should be a good read, eventually.” I placed right on the stack of six or seven other new books I had collected beside my bed. But alas, it hasn’t made it to the top yet.
Then this week, David Brooks of the NY Times writes an op-ed entitled, “ The Gospel of Wealth. ” Who is featured in it? David Platt. He quotes for example, “The American dream radically differs from the call of Jesus and the essence of the Gospel… God actually delights in exalting our inability.” The American dream emphasizes upward mobility, but “success in the kingdom of God involves moving down, not up.”
Hmm. It may be time to move this one to the top of the stack and actually read it. Do you want to race?
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