Customer Reviews

Making Kingdom Disciples: A New Framework

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Concerned that discipleship today lacks its proper framework, pastor/teacher Charles Dunahoo strives to reconnect Christian discipleship with its "kingdom of God perspective" (p.xiii). For Dunahoo, discipleship is more than initiating individuals into a set of devotional and behavioral patterns; it is reordering one's life around living in the Kingdom. As a result, while growth and consistency in Bible reading, prayer, witnessing to others, etc., all remain foundational, yet they are considered the beginning of a life-long transformation -not as an end in themselves.

Defining a kingdom disciple as "someone who thinks God's thoughts after him and applies them to all of life" (p.5), Dunahoo wants to focus less on the typical processes of disciple-making and more on the end result: a transformed person who is able to understand and apply God's Word to all of life and live in increasing obedience to God's commands. This of course is praise-worthy and a vast improvement on some forms of discipleship which basically leave you dependent on your discipler, or mentor for navigating life. However, it is also a rather broad definition and one that I suspect anyone actively engaged in disciple-making would wish to claim.

In terms of the framework being offered, what Dunahoo is directing us to do is to take the discipling process as we commonly perceive of it and revamp it by adding several key, reformed additions. To this end, Part 1, The Framework for Discipleship, argues for the importance of a biblical epistemology which emphasizes the personal nature of truth and knowledge; the concept of the kingdom of God, which relativizes clergy-laity and secular-sacred dichotomies, and which tilts against the privatization of one's religious beliefs; a Christian world and life view that enables us to integrate our values, feelings and ideas; Reformed theology; and a covenantal hermeneutic.

In Part 2: The Context of Discipleship, Dunahoo encourages us not to overlook our present circumstances and to make these additions without considering our unique moment in time. To aid us in this, he includes chapters which address modernity, post modernity, and the generational context. Throughout these chapters the focus is upon comprehending the philosophical developments taking place in today's world and upon understanding the five generations of people presently alive and to whom we are called to minister. While there is little new information contained in this middle section, yet Dunahoo's concern for the younger generations does reverberate loudly and clearly.

In Part 3: Biblical Models for Applying the Word to the World, Dunahoo focus on what adopting the various emphases he has discussed might look like in practice. Here Paul's ministry to the Athenians (Acts 17) demonstrates what it can look like to understand our world and communicate clearly into it. The Book of Ecclesiastes demonstrates the setting forth of a Christian world and life view over and against a non-biblical worldview. And a careful reading of the account of the separation of Abram and Lot (Genesis 13) demonstrates how to read, study, understand and apply the Scriptures from a covenantal framework. Once again, there is little that is new here but we are helped to better grasp what Dunahoo is aiming for: a discipleship model that is faithful to the Bible and sensitive to the culture we must operate in.

Overall, the broad framework that we are offered is helpful, even vital. In so far that anyone's efforts at discipling others lacks the elements emphasized, they are likely to do as much harm as good. However, although Dunahoo's Making Kingdom Disciples contains much that is essential to the discipling process I have to confess to finding this work less than what I had hoped for in terms of developing the kingdom motif. For one thing, the introductory chapter that aims to distinguish the kingdom model from various other models is not compelling at all. The taxonomy we are offered (p.8) is more convenient than it is convincing. For another, apart from the chapter on the kingdom of God, there is not a lot to help us think about how the task of discipleship is actually related to the kingdom. To be honest, it seems to me that the kingdom of God is one more topic to be remembered rather than the overarching theme that the title suggests. (This volume could just as easily have been titled, "Making Reformed Disciples," or "Making Covenantally-Aware Disciples"). And while I do not say this harshly and do not wish for this to overshadow the many fine elements of this book, yet it does draw attention to how much work still remains to be done in relating the core disciplines and responsibilities of the Christian faith to the kingdom of God. Integration, not just inclusion remains important if we are truly to make kingdom disciples

I found Making Kingdom Disciples to be a tremendous resource. It is very helpful in thinking through the need for discipleship, one that is holistic in nature to all of life, founded in the Word of God, and geared toward spiritual growth in the context of who we are and the created world around us.

I would tend to disagree a little with the other reviewers assessment that chapter 1 is not compelling. It provides a summary and the support is given throughout the book. This book is not a "how to" book, but it is critical for anyone thinking through what is truly means to "make disciples of all nations" and the aspects that need to be considered culturally, generationally, covenantally, and Scripturally.