I read a lot of books these days. I am devoted to reading virtually everything that has to do with evangelism in particular, but my reading goes much wider (I don't do novels, however...with the exception of Paul Young's little jewel a few years ago). I post reviews here now and then when I read something that I think contributes to the conversation here, or perhaps is another voice saying what we're saying. "Untamed" didn't seem to fit any of the categories for a review at first, but as you'll see, you can't judge a book from it's cover.
And actually, I put off buying this book precisely because I judged it by it's cover...I didn't like the title or the artwork. It seemed a little over the top, like a rather bad 70's Christian marketing attempt. But I've been a fan of Alan Hirsch since "The Shaping of Things to Come" rocked my world several years ago (co-authored with Michael Frost). That book reset the course of my life, and I've been keenly tuned to both of these men ever since. They've written a few solo books since then, and have spoken all over the world on topics relating to the missional church. I have the deepest respect for them and their work. But "Untamed"?? Sounded like a low budget biker/prison/action movie, to me.
I was finally suckered in by a blog post that referenced a section in the book suggesting the radical idea that discipleship begins prior to conversion. This, of course, is precisely what we teach via the Doable Evangelism material, so I was intrigued enough to order the book and read it. I must admit that my initial reluctance was overwhelmed by the heart, passion, and content of the book, and by a somewhat rare chance for those who do not get to spend time with Alan or Debra to get a small peek at their own personal journeys and passions. I found myself wanting to meet Debra some day, and to hear more about her personal passion and love for the GLBT community in particular. And "untamed" was a consistently used theme throughout, so I guess I got over it eventually.
What I liked:
* While the premise is not necessarily new (we've made God/Jesus/the Church into our own image...tamed and controllable), the context was new for me. Woven through the story of their personal lives and their corporate mission(s), Alan and Debra paint the picture of what it might mean to live dangerously and, in some cases, recklessly for the sake of the Kingdom of God. These are practitioners, not just theorists. They speak out of what they have DONE, telling story after story to paint a rather vivid and earthy picture of what a commitment to being "all in" with Jesus might look like.
* There was little of the culturally acceptable (these days) church bashing in the midst of all this. They offered critique without being overly critical, in my opinion. While they have some fairly clear bias and objections to the standard church fare, they have for the most part spoken respectfully while offering helpful and challenging alternatives (born of their own practice).
* It's scholarly without being snooty. Alan is one smart cookie, but he writes for those of us who are of average brainpower.
* There's a healthy call for a renewed reverence for the person and work of the Holy Spirit...and a willingness to step into the unknown and mysterious with Him. This is a theme I'm finding in a lot of new books these days, and something this non-speaking charismatic finds challenging and refreshing...and absolutely necessary to the re-formation of the church.
* Their missional discipleship model (beginning on page 146) is worth the price of admission all by itself. Not just a theory, but a pragmatic and theologically sound model is presented which encompasses a far more biblical and realistic view of the process of making disciples (aka: The Great Commission). They call this "undercover discipling" which is clever, but adequately describes the process by which we participate with God in making apprentices of Jesus...a process that begins well before a person is `converted' and which continues well beyond any such conversion. Here's how they say it:
"We want to propose that this be taken with the utmost seriousness: Put aside your prevailing understandings of evangelism and simply (re)adopt the Great Commission as your guide. We suggest that we should all simply disciple people everywhere. And we should see discipleship as a process...including pre-conversion discipleship and, if God does his thing, post-conversion discipleship. The person's salvation is God's business; our part in it is to be a "little Jesus" that devotes significant time and commitment to making disciples of whoever wants to go on the journey with us. Of course, it's about Jesus, and we will get to share the saving message of Jesus along the way, but we need to reframe evangelism within the context of discipleship." (page 149-150)
It would be unfair to critique this idea apart from reading the whole of their argument in the book, so please refrain from taking this snippet out of context and shredding it as if it were the whole. They make a compelling and (I believe) thorough case for this important paradigm shift around evangelism. For me, this was the most significant part of the whole book (although it's only a small piece of their whole idea, obviously). And I'm overjoyed that it's coming from a voice as highly respected as Alan Hirsch.
What I didn't like:
* Most of my dislikes were matters of preference and taste, really. I didn't like the cartoons scattered throughout (although I thought one was pretty funny).
* I thought the first third of the book was a bit tedious. Alan suggests it might be, but insists the theological underpinnings he presents are important to understanding the whole idea. I would disagree, but I read it all so maybe I'd have missed something if I hadn't.
* I thought some of the personal illustration stories were a bit dramatic and beyond the reach of the ordinary Christian...to the point of potentially being a discouraging (this is all too common among Christian writers, all of whom mean well and intend to inspire us). In one story (which has far more detail than I'm giving here), Debra is asked by a guy in a bar if she would be willing to roll some joints for him, and she follows him outside to a dark alley to do so. This just sounded creepy and unnecessarily risky. Not the rolling of some joints for a guy, but following him outside to a dark area to do it (perhaps there was more context to the story that wasn't in the book). I wouldn't suggest anyone follow that lead, frankly...especially my wife. But these two have a long history with, and a sense of awareness and understanding of, their neighborhood and the people who live there, so this might make more sense to them than to me.
I'm pretty sure this would make for a lively discussion book, if you were looking for one to read together with your group. There are lots of good discussion questions and thought exercises at the end of each chapter to use as a guide. My guess is that you'll be challenged, disturbed, and convicted by the content in many ways. I know I was.
And if you're interested in the paradigm shift for evangelism that we press for with Doable Evangelism, this is as good as it gets when it comes to widening the scope of the Great Commission...which is at the core of our proscribed paradigm shift here in DE Land. I heartily recommend this book, and offer my deep appreciation to Alan and Debra Hirsch for doing (and living) the work, and sharing it with the rest of us.
May this book help lead the way to discovering the "untamed" Jesus who is worthy of our lives.Get more detail about Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship (Shapevine).
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