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Don’t Call It A Comeback

Edited by Kevin DeYoung

Reviewed by Joshua Maule

24 Mar 2011

10:55pm Thursday, 24th March 2011

When Time Magazine reported the "10 Ideas Changing The World Right Now", among them was the so-called "New Calvinism". If this new compilation of essays by young American evangelicals has any purpose then, it's suggesting "New Calvinism" isn't so new after all. It's actually just the same old Christianity as always, hence the title: Don't Call It A Comeback.

The main intention of editor, Kevin DeYoung, Senior Pastor of University Reformed Church in Michigan, is to "introduce young Christians, new Christians, and under-disciplined Christians to the most important articles of our faith and what it looks like to live out this faith in real life". DeYoung hopes to breathe meaning back into the term "evangelical".

Its chapters deal with three aspects of evangelicalism - history, theology and practise - and the authors in their 20s, 30s and 40s write across topics such as: scripture, the gospel, Jesus Christ, new birth, homosexuality, abortion, worship and missions, to name a few.

From the outset I liked what the book was aiming at. As someone who grew up in church circles, and was gripped by God at university, I know there must be a point when Jesus is presented as fundamentally important to one's life and future, a moment of awakening and spiritual realisation. DeYoung, as a uni pastor, must have this in mind.

It's heartening not only to see young men writing this kind of book in the United States - among them bloggers such as Tim Challies and Justin Taylor - but to see their spiritual fathers encouraging it. Don Carson wrote the forward, while CJ Mahaney and Rick Warren gave happy endorsements (incidently John Piper probably gets the most footnotes within the text).

Various essays I found better than others. DeYoung's opener on "the secret to reaching the next generation" was punchy and substantial. To quote him:

"I'm tired of talking about authenticity, as if prattling on about how messed up you are or blogging about your goldfish are signs of spiritual maturity. We need passion, a zeal fuelled by knowledge (Romans 10:2). Young people want to see that our faith actually matters to us."

His main argument: don't worry about new fads, just get on passionately living a Jesus-focussed life. At this point I did wonder whether his prophetic voice would be better aimed towards pastors and up-and-coming leaders.

Another great paragraph sees Owen Strachan go for the jugular of the sacred cows of sport, celebrity, pop culture, shopping and appearance. "[M]any of us guys ignore our children, disdain our churches, and harm our work and studies for the sake of games. Sports are games. They are not life-and-death."

Tim Challies' reminder there is only one way to salvation - through Jesus - and Justin Taylor's prophetic word on abortion - brought great immediacy to the book. But other chapters lacked depth and freshness, sometimes feeling more concerned with churning out true statements than qualifying their need to be said.

But the most lively essay, and my personal favourite, is written by pastor Tullian Tchividjian from Florida. It's on worship. Tchividjian brings to mind the depth and honesty of Spurgeon as he unpacks God-centred worship from Isaiah 6. He talks about his own experience of being rescued from a worldly life through an ordinary church that practised "doxological evangelism".

"I didn't understand everything the preacher said that morning, and I didn't like all the songs that were sung. But the style of the service became a non-issue as I encountered something I couldn't escape, something more joltingly powerful than anything I'd ever experienced... Through song, sermon, and sacrament, the transcendent presence of God punctured the roof, leaving me - like Isaiah when he entered the temple - awestruck and undone."

Wow.

Its a useful title, I'm happy to recommend to Christians needing an injection of excitement about faith in Christ.