Book Review

The book A Lovers Quarrel with the Evangelical Church by Warren Smith is both stimulating and somewhat disappointing. It's stimulating in that I am glad that some people are aware that the evangelical church doesn't seem like she has a handle on our culture. The church seems like it is loosing or has lost her influence on our culture. More later.

I also was disappointed with this book because I was expecting more ideas about what to do about this "lack". I suppose that we could "go back" to what worked before the second great awakening (as the author seems to suggest) but it seems to me that we're past that and rather than instituting an archaic way of doing things I'd like to be able to take what we are already doing (or should be doing) and re-work it so it can be what God wants.

I am like Warren - I love the church. I believe that God has called me to help prepare His Bride (the church) for His return. One of the things that frustrates me is that people come to know the Lord and then when times get tough (or easy) they leave the church and blame (or forget) God. I agree with Warren in that we (established churches) have watered down the Gospel and made it easy for people to "be saved" when in fact people really need to understand what they're signing up for when they receive Christ as Saviour and LORD.Too many people have simply made a 'decision' to follow Christ but have no desire for or understanding of the commitment necessary to allow God to be your LORD and Saviour.

This book presents a very real problem (the lack of influence the church has on our culture and the operating mentality a lot of churches utilize to 'market' themselves to an apathetic culture). As a pastor in a church I am pleased with the call to be more Scripturally based in the discipleship options that we implement at our church. It disturbs me that we are quick to utilize books and methods that are written about or based on Scripture but rarely do we simply use Scripture to properly disciple our adherents.

That said, I am a bit disappointed that the author doesn't seem to go far enough in helping to create a solution to the dilemma that we face in the modern (or post-modern) evangelical church. He seems to be suggesting that our culture and the "Great Stereopticon" have diluted (or even twisted) the Gospel message. In some ways - at least as he points out in his book - I agree but at the same time I believe that a lot of good has come out of the church. People do find wholeness. People do find peace. Peple do find a life-long purpose. People do enter into real community. People do have a life-changing experience with God. I have met these people and I am one of them.

The book is a good 'wake-up' but left me wanting more time to work out a better solution to our issues. I would recommend the book but I want to believe that we can redeem the times and this culture through the church - Christ's Bride - so I'm not sure it's a good book for someone to read if they already have an axe to grind with the faulty church and simply want more ammunition with which to continue to break down the church.