Don't Call It a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day (Gospel Coalition the Gospel Coalition) [Paperback]

Kevin DeYoung (Editor), D. A. Carson (Foreword), Ted Kluck (Contributor), Russell D. Moore (Contributor), Tullian Tchividjian (Contributor), Tim Challies (Contributor), Justin Taylor (Contributor), Collin Hansen (Contributor), Jonathan Leeman (Contributor), Greg Gilbert (Contributor), Owen Strachan (Contributor), Thabiti M. Anyabwile (Contributor), Denny Burk (Contributor), Jay Harvey (Contributor), David Mathis (Contributor), Andrew David Naselli (Contributor), Darrin Patrick (Contributor), Ben Peays (Contributor), Eric C. Redmond (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2011 | Series: Gospel Coalition the Gospel Coalition

Recent cultural interest in evangelicalism has led to considerable confusion about what the term actually means. Many young Christians are tempted to discard the label altogether. But evangelicalism is not merely a political movement in decline or a sociological phenomenon on the rise, as it has sometimes been portrayed. It is, in fact, a helpful theological profile that manifests itself in beliefs, ethics, and church life.

DeYoung and other key twenty- and thirty-something evangelical Christian leaders present Don’t Call It a Comeback: The Same Evangelical Faith for a New Day to assert the stability, relevance, and necessity of Christian orthodoxy today. This book introduces young, new, and under-discipled Christians to the most essential and basic issues of faith in general and of evangelicalism in particular.

Kevin DeYoung and contributors like Russell Moore, Tullian Tchividjian, Darrin Patrick, Justin Taylor, Thabiti Anyabwile, and Tim Challies examine what evangelical Christianity is and does within the broad categories of history, theology, and practice. They demonstrate that evangelicalism is still biblically and historically rooted and remains the same framework for faith that we need today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“I absolutely love this book! First, each chapter solidly tackles a critical component of our Evangelical faith and practice. Second, the authors demonstrate not only a strong grasp of God’s Word, but also of the perspective of church history, which is sadly lacking in most contemporary books. Third, these guys write tight, making every sentence count, so even though it packed with truth, the book is a quick read. I am so proud of these brilliant, godly men.”
—Rick Warren, #1 New York Times best-selling author, The Purpose Driven Life; Pastor, Saddleback Church

“It brings this aging man great joy to see a rising generation address contemporary questions with theologically informed answers. These are the right guys, on the right topics, at the right time.”
—C. J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries

“Sometimes I wonder how I could have spent my entire life in the church, safely ensconced in the evangelical subculture, and yet have such a difficult time articulating the essence of significant biblical concepts and convictions that I claim to have built my life upon. And I don’t think I’m alone. Don’t Call It a Comeback is more than just a primer for the young and uninitiated; it is essential reading for all who want to make sure they are clear and convinced on the things that matter most.”
—Nancy Guthrie, Bible Teacher; author, Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament Bible study series

About the Author

KEVIN DEYOUNG (MDiv, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is senior pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan. He is the author of several popular books, including Just Do Something and Why We Love the Church.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Crossway (January 6, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433521695
• ISBN-13: 978-1433521690
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, Effective, and Timely January 25, 2011

By Sharefaith

Format:Paperback

Are you an evangelical? Before you answer that question, maybe we need to define what exactly an evangelical is. Is it synonymous with Christianity? Conservative Christianity? American Christianity? Protestant Christianity? Clueless Christianity? In a day of anything-goes evangelicalism a cadre of younger evangelicals has put their heads together to attempt to bring some degree of clarity to the confusion surrounding engimatic evangelicalism.

Overview of the Book
The product of their labor is a book called Don't Call it a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day (Crossway, 2011). The title, pugnacious or edgy as it may seem, does not totally describe what you'll find in the 240-ish page book. Half theology and half Christian living handbook, Don't Call it a Comeback is a book with two goals: 1) "To unpack what Christians ought to believe and how they ought to act...and 2) to articulate the essentially theological nature of evangelicalism" (from the foreword by D.A. Carson).

The book begins with a quick peek into some tips on reaching the current generation ("The Secret to Reaching the Next Generation," Kevin DeYoung), and a flyover history of evangelicalism ("The Story of Evangelicalism from the Beginning and Before," Collin Hansen). Following a brief Part 1, the authors move on to discuss some of the core beliefs of evangelicals: theology proper ("God: Not Like You," Jonathan Leeman), Christology ("Jesus Christ: The Only Way and Our Only Hope," Tim Challies) bibliology ("Scripture: How the Bible is a Book Like No Other," Andy Naselli), a few chapters on soteriology ("The Gospel: God's Self-Substitution for Sinners" by Greg Gilbert, "New Birth: 'You Must be Born Again,'" by Ben Peays, "Justification: Why the Lord Our Righteousness is Better News than the Lord Our Example" by Jay Harvey) and the Kingdom ("Kingdom: Heaven after Earth, Heaven on Earth, or Something Else Entirely?" Russell Moore). The section on theology is solidly biblical and conservatively aligned. It provides an accessible, refreshing, and devotional read.

In the remainder of the book, the authors turn to the potentially inflammatory topics of contemporary life. Issues as relevant as one's vocation ("It's Sometimes a Wonderful Life: Evangelicals and Vocation," Ted Kluck) as intriguing as social justice ("Social Justice: What's God Got to Do, Got to Do with It," Darrin Patrick), and as incendiary as Homosexuality ("Homosexuality: Grace, Truth, and the Need for Gentle Courage," Eric Redmond and Kevin DeYoung) are all treated in individual chapters, along with the topics of abortion, gender confusion, worship, and missions.

Disagreement, Anyone?
In a book with 22 authors, there is bound to be something you'll disagree with. Some may take issue with what's been included and what's been left out. Others may argue about the obvious reformed tilt in the theological chapters. Others may complain that the writers weren't broad enough in their acceptance of who's in and who's out when it comes to evangelicals. All of these objections are to be expected. When it comes to polarizing topics, people will be polarized. Do the authors make the evangelical club too small? Contrast this with a book like Everything You Know About Evangelicals is Wrong, Well Almost Everything (Wilkens and Thorsen). These authors turn "evangelicalism" into a dragnet term that pulls in just about everybody, regardless of where they land on the far reaches of the theological spectrum.

As editor Kevin DeYoung explained in the introduction to the book, "This book is an attempt to suggest some of the doctrines, ethics, and practices that ought to mark out the evangelical Christian. But we realize for some folks we have not weighed in on enough issues, and for others we spouted off too many. Our goal is not to say, `Believe this or else,' or `Believe this and nothing else,' but to say, `Here are the things that seem most essential and basic to the Christian faith in general and evangelical identity in particular.'" DeYoung's irenic tone and gracious gesture is not pandering nor is it belligerent. It is an appropriate "betweeness," that sets the book off on the right tone.

One of the advantages (and risks) of writing about the rubber-meets-the-road topics of Christian living is that you're informing people about how the Bible intersects with daily life. The risk of course, is that someone may disagree with the fact that you've put a stoplight at that intersection. The authors have not attempted to be the evangelical whistle-blowers--figuring out who's "in" and who's "out," but they have provided solidly biblical answers to the issues with which evangelicalism is grappling.

Features--Present and Lacking
The book could use an epilogue. A tidy introduction by D. A. Carson (the only gray-haired contributor; he wrote wrote the foreword) is helpful, but I found that my mind was gearing up for a winddown and wrap up session as I approached the end of the book. Unfortunately, I came to a lurching to a halt when the book concluded. Don't get me wrong. The conclusion ("Missions: The Worship of Jesus and the Joy of All Peoples" by David Mathis) was among my favorite chapters. It was a majestic theme which provided a powerful application on which the book could close. My complaint, however, is that there was nothing at the end to tie together the book as whole--an "okay, now what?" sort of deal.

For all its emphasis upon "evangelicalism" and "evangelicals," I found myself wondering, what is the difference between a Christian and an Evangelical? Is evangelicalism a subset of Christianity? If so, are there good Christians who aren't evangelicals? What do they look like? Do they adopt evangelical theology, or is there a different, yet legitimate kind of theology that they embrace? Some of my musing is of course facetious, but rather than answer all my questions about evangelical identity, the book raised some new ones.

The book is full of positive features. As mentioned before, each of the authors writes in a way that is absolutely understandable. Without sacrificing precision and accuracy, the authors penned their respective essays in a way that is concise, clear, and anecdotal. I even had some LOL moments while reading Ted Kluck's chapter on vocation. The book is an ideal read for younger evangelicals and even for new Christians who are trying to get a handle on Christian doctrine and Christian living.

Although I say that the book is "good for the newbies," I am not being condescending. In fact, yet another commendation is in order. Although it's entirely readable by just about anyone, informed and uninformed, the book does a fantastic job of dealing with the issues, both theological and practical, in a comprehensive and convincing way. The chapters are comprehensive because they don't deal with every nitpicky issue that may fall under their given topic. The material is convincing because they do deal with popular objections and areas of potential confusion. For example, Andy Naselli's chapter on Scripture doesn't go into a detailed discussion of canonicity, but it does deal with three common objections regarding bibliology. DeYoung and Redmond, authors of the chapter on homosexuality, don't deal with the issue of monogamous homosexual relationships, but they do solidly counter five common objections to a biblical view of homosexuality. Being somewhat informed about these objections, I read the book with the "devil's advocate" approach, trying to find out where the book leaked and where it was watertight. I found it to be watertight.

Conclusion
No book is perfect, and Don't Call it a Comeback hasn't proved that maxim wrong. Anytime you assemble nearly two dozen authors to contribute essays on a difficult topics, you'll find minor areas in which you may disagree. The book isn't about what Christians should disagree on, however. Instead, it shows us the rallying points for Christians to rejoice over. It shows us the biblically-based daily choices that cohere with biblical living. As a whole the book furnishes evangelicals with a handy tool that combines readable theology with practical lifestyle guidelines, equipping believers to defend and live out their faith.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars More Please!! February 4, 2011

By G. Dunlop

Format:Paperback

Don't Call It a Comeback, Edited by Kevin DeYoung, Published by Crossway

"Don't Call It a Comeback" is one of a number of books that publishing house Crossway set for release in early 2011. It is not the work of a single author, but instead has a number of contributors who, when their theological pedigrees are combined, pack enough weight that they would make knocking out undefeated Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight king Anderson Da Silva look easy (for those non-UFC fans, Da Silva has been the number one, undefeated, hard-man champ for four years straight). Some notable names who we can expect to hear a lot more from in the months and years to come include Kevin DeYoung (editor), Colin Hansen, Tim Challies, Russell D Moore, Jonathan Leeman, Justin Taylor, Thabiti Anyabwile, Darrin Patrick and Tullian Tchividjian to name but a few.

What then, is the books thesis? According to Deyoung, the books two main aims are,

1) "To introduce young Christians, new Christians, and underdiscipled Christians to the most important articles of [the Christian] faith"
2) "To reassert the theological nature of evangelicalism."

Thus, having completed the book and been set the task of reviewing it, I must pose the question "Does it deliver on its aims"? To this I answer a resounding YES, it most certainly does! Divided into three parts, the book seeks to cover Evangelical History (Part 1), Evangelical Theology (Part 2) and Evangelical Practice (Part 3). Part 1 on Evangelical History is the shortest of the three containing only two chapters by Kevin DeYoung and Colin Hansen. DeYoung tackles the issue of how to effectively reach the next generation with the gospel without selling out, whilst Hansen provides a whistle-stop tour through church history.

Part Two- The Meat on the Bone

Part two contains eight chapters and could be said to be the "meat-on-the-bone" of the book. It is within this section that the aims of the book are met, in that the authors deal with some of the most important beliefs that have been held historically by those who have claimed the title of evangelical. Whilst remaining fairly introductory in the depth of its content, the contributors manage to explain clearly, yet concisely why it is so important to possess a right view of God, Jesus, Scripture, the Gospel, the New Birth, Justification, Sanctification and the Kingdom. The content is neither exhaustive nor `scholarly' in its treatment of the issues but I don't believe this is a reason to criticise or give the book a lower rating. After all, the book is aimed at `introducing' young, new and underdiscipled Christians' to the really important `details' of biblical Christianity, and that's exactly what it does. One chapter that I believe deserves a stand-out mention is Greg Gilbert's chapter on the Gospel. There is a lot of misunderstanding today about what the Gospel is, with many younger Christians being influenced by the Emergent `conversation'. Within this movement there is much talk of `being' the gospel or `living' the gospel. This talk of `being' and `living' is all very confusing if you ask me. What I need is someone to give me GOOD NEWS because `being' and `living' the gospel does not resolve the fact that I am a guilty sinner who is subject to a holy and righteous God. Within the emergent paradigm there is a lot of `kingdom now theology' or the `gospel of the kingdom' but as Gilbert asserts,

"The only way into the kingdom is through the cross. Yes, Jesus came to inaugurate a kingdom, which will one day be established with perfect justice and righteousness. But that is good news only because he also came to save a people from the wrath of God so that they could be citizens of that kingdom, and the means by which he did that was his penal substitutionary death on the cross"

Part Three- How Then Shall We Live?

Whilst part two deals with evangelical orthodoxy (right beliefs), part three is concerned with evangelical `orthopraxy' (right practice). In this section of the book, some contemporary ethical and Christian living issues are addressed. Issues as relevant as one's vocation ("It's Sometimes a Wonderful Life: Evangelicals and Vocation," Ted Kluck), social justice ("Social Justice: What's God Got to Do, Got to Do with It," Darrin Patrick), and as touchy as Homosexuality ("Homosexuality: Grace, Truth, and the Need for Gentle Courage," Eric Redmond and Kevin DeYoung) are all treated in individual chapters, along with other hot topics such as abortion, gender confusion, the local church, worship, and missions.

I particularly enjoyed the chapters on vocation, homosexuality and abortion as these are areas in which I am not particularly well read. Ted Kluck provided much encouragement in his assertions that, more often than not, God's vocational calling on our lives is not the pie in the sky dream, but, as Martin Luther once put it, more the dairy maid milking the cow. My generation have been raised on the curriculum of self-esteem, being reared to believe that we all possess an inherent genius and almost `deserve' to be successful by worldly standards, yet the reality is that, for the majority of us, our careers will consist of nothing more than punching rivets into metal or tapping keys on a keyboard for years on end. The good news however, is that God has called us to this for a reason and we are to honour and glorify him through our work.

Redmond and Deyoung's treatment of the sensitive issue of homosexuality was a joy to read as they lovingly and graciously showed how the Bible is in no way ambiguous about God's design for sexual relations, and finally Justin Taylor's coverage of abortion was heart-wrenching to say the least. Reading that, each year, in the US, 1.37 million unborn babies are killed reduced me to tears as the weight of the evil of selfish abortion was pressed upon my soul. How can one call themselves Christian yet continue to support abortion? The vivid account of an abortion given by a former director of a Planned Parenthood clinic filled me with a righteous indignation as I read of how the baby, entirely helpless, wriggled and squirmed in its attempt to escape the clutches of the abortion probe. I once heard K.P. Yohannan exclaim that "God's heart bleeds at the cumulative sound of the cries of the unborn babies being murdered in the womb all over the world!" On reading the abortion account in Taylor's chapter I must say that I echo Yohannan's statement.

Concluding Thoughts

As a whole "Don't Call It a Comeback" equips evangelicals, young and old, with a handy, albeit introductory tool, to aid them in their understanding of what it means to be an evangelical follower of Jesus. To be evangelical is to listen and submit to the authority of the Bible, to be connected to historical Christianity and to believe that Jesus, the God-Man died for our sins that "whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). I recommend this book without hesitation as it is an easy, informative and enjoyable read and, whilst not perfect or exhaustive in its treatment of the issues, it highlights what it means to be truly biblical and evangelical. If you are a young Christian buy this book. If you know a young Christian, buy this book for them. If you have considered yourself a Christian for quite some time, yet still do not know what to believe and why, then buy this book. I know of no other introductory book currently available that is as wide-ranging in its coverage, faithful in its treatment and gracious in its delivery as "Don't Call It a Comeback" is.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Call It a Comeback Review February 10, 2011

By C. Hennessey

Format:Paperback

Only a few times a year do I pick up a book that is so captivating that I read almost the book in one sitting. To start 2011, Don't Call It a Comeback (Crossway, 2011), was that book for me. In this relevant, deeply convicting, and educational book, Kevin DeYoung has assembled a crew of some of the younger Christ centered, evangelical thinking men to write a book that had the two intentions. First, introduce Christians, especially newer Christians, to some of the most important articles of faith and to help them live out this faith out in real life. Second, to reassert the theological nature of evangelicalism. Both of these intentions are achieved in this book resoundingly. All the contributors do a wonderful job of showing the important truths and doctrines of Christianity while working within an evangelical theology.

The book tackles some of the primary doctrines of Christianity such as God, Scripture, the gospels, salvation, justification, sanctification, the Kingdom, and Jesus Christ. Also looked at in the book are some of the most prominent issues within the church and Christians such as social justice, homosexuality, abortion, the local church, worship, missions as well as others. The most important thing to consider in a book written on Christianity and it's main doctrines and issues is whether or not the book is immersed in Scripture. The only opinion that matters is what the Bible says on these doctrines and issues. All of the contributors use a great deal of Biblical evidence in their writings, and it is not a matter of their opinion on the matter, but what does God say about it. I absolutely recommend this book to all Christians, newer or older to the faith, as it is a great lesson and/or reminder of what God says about the main doctrines of the church, as well as some of the hot button issues that are common to Christians today.