Young, Restless, Reformed is relatively short (156-page) journey by a Christianity Today journalist (Collin Hansen) to a number of key churches, pastors and conferences of what he terms "New Calvinists."
I lack the theological nuance and depth that clearly many on this board possess so perhaps some of the people he speaks about or the specific theology don't fit everyone's view of "sound" but I found the book to be an encouraging read. The basic thesis is that Calvinism is now increasingly popular today among young American evangelicals as a response to the rather superficial faith that often emanates from seeker friendly churches.
The author criss-crosses the USA from unlikely pockets of growth for Calvinism (eg, Yale University) to the controversial Mark Driscoll at Mars Hill Church, Seattle to South Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville) to the home of John Piper in Minneapolis. Mr. Hansen also visits a number of conferences (Passion and New Attitude) where old school school Calvinism often sits along side very contemporary worship.
The book is very readable (I finished it in a few days on my commute on the London tube) and is largely sympathetic to the growth of Calvinism beyond its normal habitat in the likes of Grand Rapids, MI. A lot of the "New Calvinists" appear to have found their desire for something more than "Jesus Loves You" in the writings of Edwards and Owen and are often radically reforming their home churches across the US. Often comes in the face of opposition from those who find Calvinist intrepretation difficult to accept.
The book is mainly a series of distinct chapters based on the specific pastor/church the author is visiting but he does a reasonable job of weaving a common theme throughout the book. The finance guy in me would like to have seen some hard numbers to back up the growth claims but, that minor geeky point aside, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it as an encouraging holiday read.
I lack the theological nuance and depth that clearly many on this board possess so perhaps some of the people he speaks about or the specific theology don't fit everyone's view of "sound" but I found the book to be an encouraging read. The basic thesis is that Calvinism is now increasingly popular today among young American evangelicals as a response to the rather superficial faith that often emanates from seeker friendly churches.
The author criss-crosses the USA from unlikely pockets of growth for Calvinism (eg, Yale University) to the controversial Mark Driscoll at Mars Hill Church, Seattle to South Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville) to the home of John Piper in Minneapolis. Mr. Hansen also visits a number of conferences (Passion and New Attitude) where old school school Calvinism often sits along side very contemporary worship.
The book is very readable (I finished it in a few days on my commute on the London tube) and is largely sympathetic to the growth of Calvinism beyond its normal habitat in the likes of Grand Rapids, MI. A lot of the "New Calvinists" appear to have found their desire for something more than "Jesus Loves You" in the writings of Edwards and Owen and are often radically reforming their home churches across the US. Often comes in the face of opposition from those who find Calvinist intrepretation difficult to accept.
The book is mainly a series of distinct chapters based on the specific pastor/church the author is visiting but he does a reasonable job of weaving a common theme throughout the book. The finance guy in me would like to have seen some hard numbers to back up the growth claims but, that minor geeky point aside, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it as an encouraging holiday read.