Book Review

I read a lot of books. The Courage to Be Protestant by David Wells is one of the best I've read recently. I highly recommend it. The sub-title is Truth-lovers, Marketers, and Emergents in the Postmodern World. The words on the flap of the inside-front cover begin, "It takes no courage to sign up as a Protestant." These words begin this bold new work--the culmination of David Well's long-standing critique of the evangelical landscape. But to live as a true Protestant--well, that's another matter. This book is a jeremiad against "new" versions of evangelicalism--marketers and emergents--and a summons to return to the historic faith, defined by the Reformation solas (grace, faith, and Scripture alone) and by a high regard for doctrine. Wells argues that historic, classical evangelicalism is marked by doctrinal seriousness, as opposed to the new movements of the marketing church and the emergent church. He energetically confronts the marketing communities and their tendency to try to win parishioners as consumers rather than worshipers, advertising the most palatable environment rather than trusting the truth to be attractive. I will stop there with the inside-cover comments. David Wells calls God's people back to biblical Christianity as opposed to cultural Christianity (if there is truly such a thing for how can one possibly be unbiblical but Christian? That is nonsense--a total contradiction. David Wells calls Christian people and the church back to the position of faith, grace, and Scripture alone as the means by which the church will fulfill its mission and bring glory to our Savior. He calls true believers to have their hearts and minds molded by the Scripture, to resist cultural pressures that would form us into the image of the world, and take a stand for and be firmly rooted in biblical truth. I highly recommend this book.