I don’t consider myself much of a “radical,” really. I mean, when others look at my lifestyle, I think most would say that I live very much like most other Americans who are around my same age and life-stage. Even though I identify myself as a Christian and as a minister of Christ’s gospel, my family doesn’t lack for anything we need while billions around the globe are starving both physically and spiritually. So when I say that I don’t consider myself much of a radical, I say it with the conviction that our family needs to invest even more for the sake of the gospel and the kingdom of God – and I am not just speaking about our finances, but about our lives. David Platt has reminded me of what is at stake globally. There are 4.5 BILLION people in the world who don’t even claim to be Christians, not to mention all those who claim to be Christians but who are trusting in a false gospel for their salvation. And there are 5,000 people groups in the world (about 1.5 BILLION of those people) who are classified as both “unreached” and “unengaged.” No one is doing anything to reach them. I’ll repeat that. No one is currently doing anything to reach the 1.5 billion. No one.
Radical has caused me to re-think how much of my own understanding of the gospel is American and how much is biblical. It has helped to re-awaken me to the desperate needs in the world around me and has challenged me to renew my commitment to trade in the American dream for a life lived with more urgency to share the gospel and live out its implications to the glory of Christ. Although Platt weaves the gospel throughout the book, the entirety of Chapter 7 is devoted to a very well-articulated primer on the content of the gospel message. In the last chapter of Radical, Platt challenges the reader to (over the next 12 months): pray for the entire world, read through the entire Word, sacrifice your money for a specific purpose, spend your time in another context, and commit your life to a multiplying community. David Platt is a prophetic voice in our generation that the American church needs to hear and to heed. Read Radical at your own risk. Then commit to The Radical Experiment. Then buy several copies and give them to your friends. I plan to do the same!
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