Young, Restless, Reformed
Just finished reading a fascinating book, Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists by Collin Hansen (Crossway Books, 2008). Hansen is editor-at-large for Christianity Today magazine, and a phenomenal writer and story teller, in my humble opinion.
His new book is an expansion and more detailed research project of his September 2006 article in Christianity Today magazine . During that time and afterward he traveled all around the country (for nearly two years) chronicling the diverse movement, from the Passion conferences to Southern Seminary, to Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis (home of John Piper, pastor for preaching and vision), to Sovereign Grace Churches, to visit with dozens of churches and pastors and professors across the country, to Yale and Princeton (Jonathan Edward’s roots) and all the way to Seattle (home of Mars Hill Church and Mark Driscoll, preaching pastor, and the Acts29 church planting network). It is truly amazing how much info, interviews, reflections and candor he Hansen was able to pack into 156 pages.
Having read and followed most of the "key players" among the resurgence in and towards the doctrines of grace for a few years, I was delighted to better understand their interwoven story. I recommend this quick read for those not familiar with the God-centered theology, or with an caricature/skewed view of it as it relates to biblical doctrine. Others have reviewed and responded to the book in other places (see links below).
Hansen’s book reads like a string of captivating articles, and he does more than give facts as he reflects, summarizes and connects the doctrines of grace, people of grace, the centrality of Christ and some of the various issues facing the American church with journalistic creativity. I especially appreciated the tone found throughout of an others-directed, servant-like humility and the need for evangelism, mission (and missions), and serving the local church and community. To be God-centered, Bible-saturated and Gospel-driven means to give our lives away sacrificially.
Spurgeon is quoted on page 114 noting how the doctrine of election is not aimed at dividing saints, but rather "Israel from Egypt" (as in the OT). He goes on:
“A man may be evidently of God’s chosen family, and yet though elected, may not believe in the doctrine of election. I hold there are many savingly called, who do not believe in effectual calling, and that there are a great many who persevere to the end, who do not believe in the doctrine of final perseverance. We do hope that the hearts of many are a great deal better than their heads. We do not set their fallacies down to any willful opposition to the trust as it is in Jesus, but simply to an error in their judgments, which we pray God to correct. We hope that if they think us mistaken too, they will reciprocate the same Christian courtesy; and when we meet around the cross, we hope that when we meet around the cross, we hope that we shall ever feel that we are one in Christ Jesus.”[1]
Let all remember:
“What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” ( 1 Cor. 4:7 )
- Read Hansen’s original Young, Restless, Reformed article in the Sept. 2006 edition Christianity Today magazine
- Read the prologue and chapter one of the book
- Timmy Brister’s personal interview with Collin Hansen - part 1 | 2 | 3
- Audio/video of discussion with Hansen and Dr. Doug Sweeney recorded at the Henry Center at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
- Kirk Wellum’s review & response (originally on Wellum’s blog )
- Tim Challies’ book review
(Brister and Challies are both mentioned in the book.)
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