Don't Call It a Comeback

I recently got my long-awaited copy of Don't Call It a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day.  It is published by Crossway Books as part of the Gospel Coalition Series, and includes eighteen chapters by different authors representing a young generation of Christian pastors, theologians and writers.  The stated purpose of the book is "to assert the stability, relevance, and necessity of Christian orthodoxy today," while introducing "young, new, and under-discipled Christians to the most essential and basic issues of faith in general and of evangelicalism in particular."

As I work through the book I'll share some of the highlights here.  Project editor, Kevin DeYoung writes the first chapter in which he shares what he sees as "the secret" to reaching the next generation with the gospel.  He makes many good points, among which are,

Reaching the next generation -- whether they are outside the church or sitting there bored in your church -- is easier and harder than you think. It's easier because you don't have to get a degree in postmodern literary theory or go to a bunch of stupid movies. You don't have to say "sweet" or "bling" or know what LOL or IMHO means. You don't have to listen to...well, whatever people listen to these days. You don't have to be on Twitter, watch The Office, or imbibe fancy coffees. You just have to be like Jesus. That's it. So the easy part is you don't have to be with it. The hard part is you have to be with him. If you walk with God and walk with people, you'll reach the next generation.

He goes on to assert,

You can have formal services, so long as you don't have formalism. You can have casual services, so long as you do not approach your faith casually...Our sincerity and earnestness in worship matters ten times more than the style we use to display our sincerity and earnestness.

After a great first chapter, I look forward to reading the rest of the book and sharing some of its best insights with you.