Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God
David Platt
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In Radical Together, David Platt teaches on how entire churches can live radically for God’s glory.
I had been a bit frustrated by his previous book Radical which covers many of the same themes. I felt that it risked getting people excited on their own about being radical and as a result rushing out to do things for God without necessarily receiving wise council about whether their plans were suitable for them and likely to be helpful. In Radical Together, there was a strong emphasis on the importance of sacrificial living as an endeavor for the whole Christian community and our need for each other which I think should help check any tendency towards rash individual action without watering down the call to radical living.
Another area where this book improves on radical is having a stronger emphasis on being saved by grace. I felt at times Radical (almost certainly unintentionally) communicated that the Christian life was primarily about what we do rather than what Jesus has done. In Radical Together, Platt is a lot more clear about the idea that good works don’t make us Christian, but that being saved should motivate us to do good.
Also valuable in this book is Platt’s attempts to get people to question the necessity of fancy buildings or programs for Christian outreach and discipleship. I think this is a helpful question to raise as we often seem to assume such things are required rather than considering whether a change of emphasis or direction would be appropriate.
Overall, I think this is a helpful, challenging book that is bound to make you think about how you are living out your faith.
Review copy courtesy of Multnomah Books
