Common Grounds: Conversations about the Things That Matter Most [Paperback]

Ben Young (Author), Glenn Lucke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003

“Brad, Lauren, and Jarrod sit around a table at Common Grounds, enjoying their weekly Sunday evening get-together. The three are old college friends and, like many of their classmates, they started their careers in Houston . . . they make time on Sunday evenings to catch up, laugh, and compare notes on life . . . ” Three friends all at different places in the journey. A Southern Baptist, a nonpracticing Catholic, and a non-believer all meet a retired seminary professor who becomes their Socratic guide to explore Christ’s teachings.

Product Details

• Paperback: 178 pages
• Publisher: B&H Books (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805426973
• ISBN-13: 978-0805426977
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,211,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Took me by surprise, December 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Common Grounds: Conversations about the Things That Matter Most (Paperback)

A friend sent me a copy of this book. Even though I wasn't really interested in Christian doctrine or even "things that matter," I did pick up the book. It immediately captured my attention. I really liked how engaging the writing was and how interesting and real the characters seemed to be. That Professor MacGregor fellow seemed like a truly intellectual and compassionate person, so the conversations he has with the other characters kept me turning the pages. I think lots of folks would be surprised at how fascinating they find the book if they pick it up. Mr. Glenn Lucke really has a gift, and I hope he keeps using it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Conversation Worth Reading, September 19, 2005

By 

Tim Challies (Oakville, Ontario) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Common Grounds: Conversations about the Things That Matter Most (Paperback)

It seems that "theological novels" are becoming increasingly popular. Of course English literature began with a theological novel in the form of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. In more recent years we have seen a series by Richard Belcher that has been quite popular in Reformed circles and Brian McLaren's somewhat notorious series, popular in Emerging Church circles, that began with A New Kind of Christian. A recent addition to this list is Common Grounds written by Glenn Lucke and Ben Young.

Ben Young is a Southern Baptist who is associate pastor of worship at the inconceivably huge Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. Glenn Lucke is a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary and leads Docent Communications Group. Their relationship and a common concern about the lack of theological understanding in the young people they interacted with, led them to write a book presenting the basics of the faith. As they began to write the book evolved into its current narrative format.

Common Grounds is the story of three friends who are all at different places in life. Brad is a nominally Baptist investment banker; Lauren is an unbelieving former Catholic corporate attorney; Jarrod is a Charismatic graduate student in philosophy. These three friends gather each Sunday evening to talk and share their lives with each other. One day Brad meets a new friend, a semi-retired professor of theology. He invites this man to join their group and the professor begins to mentor them in the faith, presenting to them the foundations of Christian doctrine. These weekly conversations address critical doctrines such as sin, evil, revelation (both natural and special), sovereignty, and more.

This book is notable for at least two reasons. First, the doctrine presented is Scripturally-sound and consistent with Reformed theology. Second, the authors present a way of evangelizing people that is geared to a postmodern generation. They employ the twin concepts of narrative and story to present sound doctrine in a way that will appear to postmoderns more than the traditional abstract propositions one might find in a classic book like Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Today's generation is less-likely to be persuaded by a cold, rationalist presentation of the facts, and more likely to be persuaded by the presentation of a person's own testimony or story. Common Grounds will help believers understand how this can be effective.

My only concern with the book was that there was no clear presentation of the gospel. This postmodern method of evangelism can be effective, but only if it includes the gospel! My concern was alleviated, though, when Glenn Lucke sent me the following in an email. "The 3 key missing words on the last page are 'To Be Continued.' Book 2 is largely done but needs revision as MacGregor continues to teach Brad and Jarrod more deeply about the Christian faith and to explain it to skeptic Lauren." Common Grounds is only the first chapter of the story. I look forward to reading the continuation of this fascinating dialogue. I echo Al Mohler's endorsement where he writes, "If you want to reach the postmodern generation, read this book and give it to your friends."

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivated, April 9, 2004

By 

Katie Rooney (Charlottesville, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Common Grounds: Conversations about the Things That Matter Most (Paperback)

From the first paragraph this book captivated my attention as it became a true page-turner. The theology is understandable for anyone - Christian or not - and some of the faith's most difficult questions are clearly explained. At the same time, the simple frame of the story doesn't detract from the messages being conveyed. I found this book to be cleverly written and hope another book will follow the first.