[rating:3.75]
( Birmingham, AL: New Hope Publishers, 2012)
192 pgs
Daniel Darling is senior pastor of Gages Lake Bible Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and is the author of numerous books, including Teen People of the Bible (nominated for a Gold Medallion Award), Crash Course, and iFaith.
Let me first say that I found the book very enjoyable, honest, accurate and insightful. I loved the format of writing with interviews of those in this generation who have worked through the issues of faith and church. Dan’s contemporary examples and illustrations hit home to today’s reader (though they may be dated in a few years) and have immediate appeal. Dan challenges many of the outdated and ineffective approaches to connecting with today’s generation. This book is not about reaching the un-churched in today’s generation, or evangelizing the lost. It is about preventing today’s young people from leaving church and creating an environment where genuine faith can thrive.
I appreciated the matter-of-fact approach Dan takes rather than being accusatory or judgmental on ineffective churches. Dan has a lengthy section on the perils of legalism, as well as various discussions on the “additives” we put in the gospel that should be removed. In many ways I am reminded of Christ’s report card to the 7 churches in Revelation, where he sees both the good they are doing and the destructive things they are doing. This Book is not a diatribe against the church and neither is it a research-intense book, or a ‘blame the other denomination’ book. It is a book that shares suggestions on ways churches, parents, and influencers might create environments for faith to flourish.
A strong feature of this book is the personal interviews with such people as the children of notable Christians such as the daughter of Max Lucado, the son of Josh McDowell, grandson of Billy Graham, the son of Dr James Merritt, and others.
Perhaps the main weakness of this book is that is comes from a father with four young children who have not yet tested their faith and grappled with their beliefs. It is not a book of struggle ending in victory, but of bracing one’s self for what is coming. That being said, the insights given in the interviews are with those who have struggled and kept the faith. It might have also been helpful to have a few interviews with people who left the faith and abandoned the church to hear their stories and reasons for doing so.
Tom Blackaby