A Call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future

by Mark Driscoll, Mike Chamberlain (Narrator)

It’s tempting to believe that the Christian faith is alive and well in our country today. Our politicians talk about God. Our mega-churches are filled. Christian schools dot our landscape. Brace yourself. It’s an illusion. Believe it or not, only 8 percent of Americans profess and practice true evangelical Christian faith. There are more left-handed people than evangelical Christians in America.

In this book, Mark Driscoll delivers a wake-up call for every believer: We are living in a post-Christian culture—a culture fundamentally at odds with faith in Jesus. This is good and bad news. The good news is that God is still working, redeeming people from this spiritual wasteland and inspiring a resurgence of faithful believers. The bad news is that many believers just don’t get it. They continue to gather exclusively into insular tribes, lobbing e-bombs at each other in cyberspace.

Mark’s book is a clarion call for Christians. It’s time to get to work. We can only do this if we unite around Jesus and the essentials found in his Word, while at the same time, appreciating the distinctives within each Christian tribe. Mark shows us how to do just that. This isn’t the time to wait or debate. Join the resurgence.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christian Living, Religion, Church, Christianity, Cultural

Audiobook

Published November 5, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Mark A. Driscoll is the founder and teaching pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, as well as the co-founder of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network where he also served as President for a short period. Driscoll continues to serve on the board of Acts 29. He has contributed to the "Faith and Values" section of the Seattle Times and the "On Faith" section of the Washington Post.

Reviews

[George P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

 Mark Driscoll, A Call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future? (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2013). Hardback / Kindle

I do not often read Mark Driscoll. I am neither a Calvinist nor a complementarian, as he is; and I don’t appreciate his occasionally bombastic statements. But when a copy of his new book showed up in my mail box, I decided to give it a read.

A Call to Resurgence is a heartfelt plea to America’s warring evangelical tribes to stop fighting about issues on which they disagree and to start uniting around issues on which they agree. Or rather, he encourages them to stop letting secondary doctrinal disputes get in the way of their primary evangelical mission. Those secondary doctrinal disputes include the debates between Calvinists and Arminians, between complementarians and evangelicals, between continuationists and cessationists, and between what he calls “missional” and “fundamental”—which is largely a debate about missiological strategy.

The reason for this heartfelt plea is twofold: First, one can be an evangelical Christian and belong to a mix-and-match of theological tribes. (Driscoll describes himself as Calvinist, complementarian, continuationist, and missional.) Second, North American culture is changing rapidly, and evangelical tribes need to stick together, both for survival and for mission.

A Call to Resurgence is a good book, though not a great one. I admire Driscoll as a church planter who has sown the seeds of the gospel in the very hard spiritual ground of Seattle, Washington. Though I am an Arminian, egalitarian, Pentecostal personally, I recognize Driscoll as a fellow evangelical and colaborer in the gospel. I found his social analysis and historical understanding to be a bit thin. But—and this is more important—his heart is in the right place. Evangelical Christians of various stripes shouldn’t necessarily dispense with their doctrinal distinctives, but they strive for unity, emphasizing their agreements (which are central) over their disagreements (which are peripheral).

In the Great Awakening, John and Charles Wesley worked with George Whitefield in planting and watering the seeds of the gospel, and God made those seeds grow. As I read it, A Call to Resurgence is a plea for similar cooperation today. How can we who disagree with Driscoll not agree with his request, and this despite our disagreements?

P.S. If you found this review helpful, please vote “Yes” on my Amazon.com review page.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Driscoll, so you are going to get raw truth. Sometimes it burns, sometimes it feels good, and sometimes pisses you off. I personally would rather be told about what is going on and what we face in this day in age. Driscoll starts with the premise that Christendom is dead. We no longer live in a society that is happy to see that you are a christian. In our churches people are leaving when they graduate high school and they are not coming back when they have kids. We are seeing our society starting to become more and more hostile to our beliefs and there does not seem to be any evidence that says this will stop soon.

Some of this book is typical Driscoll (you either like it, hate it, or tolerate it). But there were sections that reminded me of his doctrine book. Where it is more about the primary issues that all Christians agree on then the secondary issues. Primary issues being those that essential to christian faith (Jesus is God, trinity, God is creator, etc.) and secondary issues being on the way that we view pieces of scripture that can be interrupted in different ways (women preachers, husband's role, beliefs in the gifts of the spirit, etc). He concludes that secondary issues are important but they should not divide us to a point that we cannot work together. Secondary issues are like states boarders and primary issues are the nation boarders. Most of this book is about protecting our national boarders, because they are currently taking a beating.

I personally like Driscoll's tone because he makes the call to Resurgence sound so urgent. It should be too! Sometimes we get so complacent that we dont keep on moving. I like that Driscoll is not all about good deeds, but about preaching, working hard, taking up your responsibility, and good deeds. It is a better mixture. Good deeds can serve people, but only the Good News can save them. We need both and we need to make them a priority in our lives to get the gospel out. Good book I suggest it to all. Friends and enemies.

[Eli Snead · Rating 3 out of 5]

After listening to The Rise and Fall of MH, I saw this book lying around the office, so I wanted to read it for myself to see if Driscoll wrote as extreme as he spoke. The answer is yes. Calling evangelicals “evanjelly-fishes”, and continuing to make fun of other pastors you can see that this is a man that is just a bully verbally and in his literature. The reason why it is not a 1 star is because he continues to point to our desperate need for the Gospel of Jesus, and how we should be not of this world. That being said, maybe he should read his own book and be repentant / understand that he as well needs to be desperate for the Gospel.

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly good. There have been qualms over this book regarding plagiarism, but I’m not too concerned over it. Driscoll is a good communicator and it shows here. There was some gobbledygook here and there, but nothing that overtly bad.

[Mathew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Call to Resurgence is a clarion call for Christians to rise out of the ashes of Christendom (8) and the Moral Majority and return to a spoken gospel focusing on Jesus Christ’s finished work (24) and work towards unity with different tribes within the Church. A lot of the first chapters were heavy on politics, social issues, and cultural issues. He traces the history of evangelicalism starting with the beginning of the nineteenth century and looks at issues like pornography, father hunger, and homosexuality to show how Christendom died.

Driscoll then classifies the Christian tribes (for the record, I hate the term tribes) within the Church. He starts this section with a brief defense of the Elephant Room 2 debacle and T. D. Jakes. The main point of the entire fiasco, according to Driscoll, was T. D. Jakes didn’t know other Christian leaders in his tribe. “The point is that Christianity has become so splintered and separated that even Christian leaders don’t know each other” (85). Ironically, he says later that when he is talking about fellowship between tribes, he’s “not talking about tolerating false-teaching wolves who, in the name of false unity, love the sheep in order to feast on them” (115).

Read the entire review here

[Michael Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an age where it seems at every turn, our once Christian oriented society is rejected God at seemingly all levels of society, it is a natural inclination to seek to assess what is going on and for that matter, whether we as believers as living in a post-Christian milieu. This further begs the question as to whether the Church is actually on mission or whether our time has been unduly consumed with internal squabbling and bickering over so-called theological or socially focused turf wars. What are the important things for the Church to be concerned with in an age where God is constantly mocked in the public square and then many denominations have seemed to crumble under the weight of social pressures? It is to these very issues that pastor and author Mark Driscoll addresses in his latest book, A Call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future?

Anyone even vaguely familiar with Mark Driscoll will be immediately aware that his books often create a firestorm of controversy before they have even hit the bookshelves and this effort is clearly no exception. Perhaps this is due to an element of anti-Driscoll bias that some individuals have or it may be a result of Driscoll’s admittedly overly-candid or misplaced statements at times. With that said, despite any past foibles, this effort by Driscoll has much to be commended as it outlines the current state of Christianity to include the “tribes” various believers occupy, whether those tribal boundaries are worth fighting over, a discussion of just what should be deemed a point of focus for the church, and a call for the body of Christ to get back on or to remain focused on what is ultimately our mission, namely the proclamation of the gospel.

Being a pastor in Seattle, Washington has afforded Driscoll the opportunity to have dealt with the post-Christian, liberally oriented perspective that is increasingly bolting its way across the country. This hostility towards anything remotely related to God or biblical truth is no longer a trend and in the opinion of Driscoll, Christendom as a cultural norm in our country has come to an end. This may seem harsh or a misplaced commentary by many, however, one quick look at what comes through the media pipeline will quickly demonstrate that the godless are on a roll. This post-modern approach to truth has created a society that opposes itself to the absolute truth of Scripture. Driscoll aptly notes one area where the godless agenda has made headway is the push for the broad based acceptance of homosexuality. His own personal experience as one who is often interviewed by secular media provides Driscoll the ability to rightly note that the question “Do you affirm gay marriage has quickly transformed from a question of personal opinion to a mandatory moral checkpoint that secular culture uses to evaluate the validity of a person’s entire perspective. Furthermore, the impact of pornography has moved from the side streets and dark alleys to the main streets of American with an open invitation for sexual deviancy. Add to this a lack of tolerance for anything but the intolerant attitude of post-modern advocates, and as Driscoll ably declares, “Apart from the Holy Spirit dropping a grace bomb with a mushroom cloud of revival, the good days are behind us and hard days are ahead.” He follows this correct assessment with another correct assessment, namely “The church is facing a great opportunity – or harvest, to use the biblical term – to be a far-reaching and substantial movement of the Holy Spirit to see many come to Jesus.”

Arguably, the section of this book that has created the most discussion is the section on what Driscoll labels as “tribalism”. After reading the reviews by a number of other individuals who have worked through this book, I was honestly anticipating reading something that would be either shocking, incorrect, misplaced, or completely out of touch with the current state of evangelical affairs. After actually reading this section for myself, I submit the uproar by some seems to overlook the intent of Driscoll in that section given he clearly states “these questions do not get into all areas of theology, they do address the areas that most commonly color tribal affinity.” Driscoll presents a series of four questions that cover the often heated debates within evangelicalism surrounding being Reformed or Arminian, Complementarian or Egalitarian, Continuationist or Cessationist, and Missional or Fundamental. He provides a quick but worthy overview of what each position believes to include the major church leaders and authors that are influential within those so-called tribes. The entire purpose of such an exercise is to provide the reader a chance to take stock of what they believe, why they believe it, with the added element of understanding the basics of each position. There is no intent by Driscoll in this chapter to advocate for one perspective over the other, although he does provide where he stands on the issues in recognition that even he falls within a certain “tribal affiliation.” The point of this chapter is to help the reader realize where the internal debates are taking place or what Driscoll notes are the tribal boundaries where the skirmishes most often occur as each tribe engages the other tribe on these deeply held positions.

This background leads the discussion to the next logical stage, namely understanding what issues are worth collectively fighting for and what issues might best be served taking if anything, a temporary back seat. Driscoll correctly evaluates that “Primary border issues are points of division between Christians and non-Christians. Secondary border issues are points of distinction among Christians. These issues merit discussion, debate, and distinction among tribes, but they should not be a point of division if we are to see a resurgence of real Christianity.” This is an important point to make as tribes often spend more time battling one another over these secondary border issues rather than staying focused on the greater mission of the Church, that of declaring the gospel with clarity, fervency, and faithfulness to a world sorely in need of absolute, biblically oriented truth found only in the Word of God. Those who are so overly committed to their particular tribes position that it clouds or inhibits the mission of the church, do need to evaluate their efforts. Driscoll is not saying such issues are not important nor is he saying they are not worthy of discussion. What he is declaring and rightfully so in my opinion is these issues should not hamper the greater mission of the church which is of course to reach the lost with the Gospel. Part of understanding where you stand on a given issue involves the needed evaluation which Driscoll provides in part in this particular book. He does not cover every single issue that is up for debate on any given day, rather he provides a good overview of the main points that evangelicals agree upon in regards to theology, breaking those points down further into the typical secondary border issues that most overly consume their time debating, unfortunately to the expense of being actively on task.

The big overall takeaway from this book is that while there is nothing inherently wrong with belonging to one tribe or another, as the body of Christ, we should not let any secondary wars get in the way of proclaiming the gospel. Arguments over methods of worship, church structure, what bible translation to use, or whether the Left Behind books are real or fictional accounts of end time events, while the focus of far too many bloggers, writers, preachers, and church members, do have their place. With that said, the place of such arguments has far too often superseded the much more needed focus on spreading the gospel message. In this post-Christian environment in which we live, are we being overly tribal? Driscoll asserts the unfortunate answer is typically yes to that question and I have to say I agree with his assessment. Does a post-Christian environment mean all hope is lost? Driscoll saliently responds with the fact that “We have been chosen by God to live at this time and in this culture with all its faults and flaws, as part of the church of Jesus Christ with all her faults and flaws, as people with our own faults and flaws. Today we have an unprecedented opportunity for mission. Christendom may have died, but in that death there is a real opportunity for a resurgence of biblically faithful, personally humble, evangelistically fruitful, missional Christianity.” While every element of A Call to Resurgence may not be perfect, the overall premise Driscoll makes and continually drives home throughout this book is very much needed in an age where to a large degree, many within the body of Christ have become distracted by lesser issues while society around them is crying out for truth. To that end, this book is highly successful and it certainly helped this reviewer evaluate his approach on quite a number of subjects, helping me along the way realize the need to constantly declare the truth and shine the light in the midst of darkness.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Don't give up, don't ever give up!" Driscoll doesn't use those exact words in this book (it is actually a quote from Jim Valvano's famous cancer speech), but I think it sums up well the message that Driscoll wants to convey to true born-again believers everywhere. This book is a resounding call for Christians to experience Resurgence and not to Retreat in the face of ever-growing animosity towards true Christianity.

The world loves to blend together Christendom and Christianity. However, what the Bible determines is true Spirit-wrought Christianity, and what the world classifies as Christendom, are two totally different things. Too often, those terms get blended together by ill-informed media members or church members, but they in fact have radically different meanings. Like Driscoll says, "Christendom bears the fingerprints of our faith, but it is not true Christianity." So, what separates true Christianity from Christendom? According to Driscoll, the following characteristics are what identify true evangelical Christianity: (1) Bible - The Bible is God's true Word. (2) Cross - Jesus died on the cross for our sins. (3) Conversion - Individuals need to be personally converted. (4) Activism - Belief in the gospel needs to be expressed in effort. If that is what truly defines Christianity, then the next logical question, which Driscoll asks of himself and the reader is, "Based on these criteria, what percentage of Americans could be classified as evangelical Christian?" Shockingly, to most people that is, the answer is in single digits (around 8% to be exact). Driscoll goes on to say, "Common statistics estimate that evangelicals represent anywhere between 40 to 70 percent of the country's total population, or approximately 130 million people. However, more-extensive research cited by John Dickerson in his book The Great Evangelical Recession indicates that the actual range is between 7 and 8.9 percent, somewhere between 22 and 28 million people. Moreover, all studies indicate that younger people are less likely to be evangelical. According to a 2012 Gallup poll, about 6.4 percent of the US population ages eighteen to twenty-nine identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered, which means in all likelihood there are as many young people with alternative sexual lifestyles as there are active young evangelicals in the United States." That may not have an affect on you, but it sure sobered me up. I knew that there was a radical difference in what the media was presenting as Christendom, and what the Bible defined as true evangelical Christianity, but I honestly did not expect that stat about there being almost as many alternate lifestyle young people as there are active young evangelicals. As one of the leaders of the College Ministry at my church, that was truly an astounding statistic and one that will send me to my knees in prayer for days to come.

The fact that society has progressed (or regressed depending on how you look at) should not send evangelical Christians into a state of depression. In fact, like Driscoll says, it should do the exact opposite. Instead of contending with a bunch of people who think their "Christian" morals make them true evangelicals, we are now dealing with people who no longer have any reason to keep up the moral charade and present themselves as Christians. Therefore, discerning the "wheat from the chaff" is a much easier job in the current culture than it was 60-70 years ago. Also, because of the cultures fascination with the supernatural (see Harry Potter and Twilight), it makes them much more open to the supernatural and less close-minded to a God that works both in powerful, and mysterious, ways. Knowing all of this, we should be seeking opportunities to build relationships with people around us by being intentionally missional. Our call is to go and serve and be light and salt to the earth, and that is what Driscoll exhorts each of us to do in this book. The world is filled with too many consumer-driven Christians who spend the a great deal of their time trying to see what they can get from God, their local church, and other Christians and neglecting the call to go out and make disciples of the nations. There is so much that I what to say about consumer driven Christians who treat the church and Christianity like it is Six Flags over Jesus, but I think I will let this quote from Driscoll do the talking for me as it sums up perfectly how I feel:

"I don't care if you buy a truck or play some video games or rock out on your guitar. But the problem is when those are prevalent, predominant, and preeminent in your life. Some of you would argue and say, 'It's not a sin.' No, but sometimes it's just dumb. You got fired because you fell asleep at work after staying up too late to get to the next level of some online game and become a guild leader. That's dumb. You work one part-time job so you can play more guitar or Frisbee golf. That's dumb. You spend all your money on a new car or truck or toys or gear or clothes or gambling or fantasy football. Dumb. Some of you say, 'Well, it's not a sin.' Neither is eating your cereal box instead of the cereal. It's just dumb. There are a lot of things that Christian guys do that aren't evil; they're just dumb and childish. There's nothing wrong with being a boy-if you are a boy. There is a big problem if you are a boy with a beard and a condo."

Rise up evangelical men and women and fight the good fight. Love people for Jesus! Serve people in the name of Jesus! Quit playing games, grow up, and win the world for Christ!

As it pertains to Driscoll and his writings, you either love him or hate him. He is very forward (sometimes too forward) with what he is thinking and how he presents it to his readers/listeners, but as someone who is a Type-A personality myself, I really love that about Driscoll. If you have ever read anything else by him, or heard any of his sermons, then nothing in this book will upset you or cause you to ask yourself, "did he just say that?" However, if you are not familiar with Driscoll and Mars Hill Church, then be warned that Driscoll is an in-your-face kind of writer/speaker, but that should not detract from his message at all. The truths Driscoll presents in this book about the difference between true evangelical Christianity and what the world classifies as Christendom are a much needed wake-up call and one I hope lights a fire in all evangelicals everywhere to be much for Jesus because He gave up everything for us!

Title: A Call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future?

Author: Mark Driscoll

Publisher: Tyndal House Publishers (2013)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Tyndale House Publishers book review bloggers program on NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

[Emily Bowyer]

This book had very little in the way of a defined flow or purpose, but it was a great read - especially for fairly new Christians. I learned a ton of new vocabulary, took some great notes, and was able to get into the nitty-gritty of my specific faith and what I believe. I especially enjoyed hearing the author's initial thoughts when transitioning from a Catholic to evangelical - I could relate to his confusion when people were raising their hands during worship. "Do you have a question?" Too funny!

[Nate Kinowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on the current affairs of the church and how to reason with it. Mark deals with multiple different denominations and what separates them theologically and how we, as the whole body of Christ, can work together towards God’s mission. I definitely recommend to Christians who grew up in the church, like myself, and newer Christians who wrestle with the sheer mass of different beliefs on the same Bible.

[TheReadingSpot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I agree in nearly everthing he says, the book left me a sweetsour taste in my mouth by the end of it. The lesson that I take, is that things are indeed going to get worse for Christians and christianity as a whole, and we have to accept it. But it comes with a whole new set of possibilities and opportunities to share the good news with the world in a time when it seems to need it the most.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was absolutely amazing to me how Mark Driscoll had his finger on the pulse of exactly what's going on in this nation, and as early as he did as well. It was also amazing to me how someone who can identify the problem so clearly can came up with such wanting solutions to those problems. It was like reading a five star book in one chapter and a one star book in another.

[Benjamen Ober · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is…stellar. I still don’t subscribe to Driscoll’s ecclesiology (read: I’m 9 Marks), yet this book is fantastic. I am forever grateful to Driscoll, while also acknowledging the pain that his disqualification from eldership caused.

[Dr. Trent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review, by Dr. Nicholson, has been provided courtesy of Desert Bible Institute www.desertbibleinstitute.com.

After listening to Mark Driscoll’s newest book, A Call to Resurgence, I feel like I just went through a week of seminar…on fast forward…uphill. I would gladly tell you what Driscoll talks about if only I could figure out what he left out. A Call to Resurgence is a fast paced, insightful, straight-forward work that doesn’t bother to pull any punches. In his introduction, Driscoll sums this up by saying that there are two primary groups that will listen to his book: those who agree with him on some level and those who are looking to cast stones. Being a good, considerate Christian, he has piled up said stones for the second group’s convenience.

Driscoll presents his well-researched, well thought-out points in his patent off-the-cuff sarcastic style. This will likely leave the listeners thinking, laughing, or grinding their teeth all depending on how close they are to Drisoll’s position on a myriad of biblical, doctrinal, and missional topics. Regardless of what side of each of these issues you fall on, the arguments presented are not easily waved away. Driscoll sets up solid arguments with far-reaching, real-life examples coupled with scholarly proof. Feel free to dislike what he has to say; however, if listeners can set aside their pre-conceived notions and biases for a few hours they will find that Driscoll makes some very valid, if somewhat disturbing, observations about both the church and the direction of Christianity today.

One of the areas that Driscoll addresses that was particularly beneficial was the idea of “tribes”. He talks about what we believe and why we believe it. I have always found myself shying away from classification since I felt it might limit me or stymie my spiritual growth in some way. After listening to what Driscoll shared though, I realized that we need to know what we’re not to know what we are. Additionally, it is difficult (if not impossible) to explain what you believe unless you know what beliefs are out there. It’s a little like explaining to someone who has been blind since birth what the color blue is. With no basis of comparison, explanation is largely an exercise in futility.

A secondary area that I found engaging was the author’s detailed analysis of various doctrines and how they are viewed by the various “tribes” of the Christian faith. I have to admit that I was so impressed with this section that I went out and purchased a hardcover of his book Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe. I did this primarily because I wanted to hear even more information it greater detail. I have to admit that I also did this to slow him down. In listening to this section, it felt like the theological equivalent of putting instant milk into condensed soup and warming it up in a microwave. If had gone through in any more quickly his flux capacitor would have engaged and he would have gone back in time! I’m not sure if this is a criticism or my awe at the fact that he could cram that much information into so little space so quickly. Airline passengers around the world grow green with envy at his professional alacrity as well speak. If only they could do physically what he does verbally, they could pack all the inventory of their local super Wal-Mart into a carry-on bag.

A final area that was not only useful but highly scholarly was Driscoll’s fairly lengthy appendix on church history. I found it useful and enlightening to quickly trace where many of the roots of ideas and values in many American “tribes” came from. It made me wonder in fact if they even know. As a pastor of an independent, non-denominational church, I find myself working in the midst of churches ranging from charismatics to fundamentalists. It was useful to see how coming out of the same place, historically speaking, these churched ended up where they are. It was enlightening to see the predominate points that we all agree as well as the secondary points that we differ on. Not only was this engaging from an academic sense, but also it gave me some tools for crossing the imagined boundaries that exist between brothers and sisters within the faith community.

Mike Chamberlain did a great job of narrating this book. He had a great sense of pacing, tone, and timing. At one point I actually stopped the recording to check that it wasn’t the author doing the narrating: always a good sign. I look forward to hearing more voice-work done by Chamberlain. The Christian community needs more understandable, talented speakers to help share God’s Word.

Dr. Nicholson reviews academic, Christian living, and fiction books for a variety of publishers in an array of formats. He is never paid for any of his reviews. He writes these strictly as a courtesy to his students at Desert bible Institute and for any other readers that might find his insights valuable. For more reviews or information, visit Dr. Nicholson’s blog at drtnicholson.wordpress.com.

A copy of the book was generously offered to Dr. Nicholson by christianaudio.com in exchange for this unbiased review.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book and I highly recommend it.

[Christopher-James Neethling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a powerful wakeup call for the church and for Christianity.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great books are written and only few people take the time to read it. Not only read it, but critically think about it and review it. Some read the book and immediately put pen to paper and start casting a review either positive or negative, others read the book, put it down, think about it, read sections over and really dive into the mindset of the author, and finally write a review.

It has been over a week and a half since I finished Mark Driscoll’s newest book, A Call to Resurgence, and I must say that my opinion has changed since I have gone back and reviewed sections more than once. Up front my initial reaction was wow; he is tackling A LOT of different issues and must be ready for a whirlwind of controversy outside and inside of “Christian” communities/tribes. After my gut reaction I started to read deeper into what he is actually saying. Driscoll is calling out the Christians to unite on the main point, Jesus. The main point is for us to point to the main point.

Over the last six or seven years, I have learned from Pastor Mark and various ministries that is a part of. I respect what he has to say on different subjects and was eager to read this book. “In this book, Mark Driscoll delivers a wake-up call for every believer: We are living in a post-Christian culture—a culture fundamentally at odds with faith in Jesus. This is good and bad news. The good news is that God is still working, redeeming people from this spiritual wasteland and inspiring a resurgence of faithful believers. The bad news is that many believers just don’t get it. They continue to gather exclusively into insular tribes, lobbing e-bombs at each other in cyberspace.”

This book is divided and organized into seven chapters. Each chapter is weighty and could one day be expanded into a book of its own (Driscoll gives recommended reading for each subject at the end of the book in an appendix).

• Chapter 1 is about how Christianity is dying in America and how we are no longer a strong faith filled country. “Instead of holding to an evangelical faith, many in America possess a “borrowed faith” or “civil religion,” devoid of true repentance, committed love for God, or any evidence of a godly life.”

• A great quote from Chapter 2: “Following Christendom’s funeral, where is our culture today? Outside of evangelicalism the predominant culture is now pluralism. There is no one dominant cultural ideology or spirituality. It’s literally everythingism-… “When a man stops believing in God, he doesn’t then believe in nothing, he believes anything.”

• Chapter 3 Driscoll breaks the different Christian tribes down into categories: 1 Reformed or Arminian; 2. Complementarian or Egalitarian; 3. Continuationist or Cessationist; 4. Missional or Fundamental He not only describes each ‘tribe’ but he also lists individuals, churches, and organizations that fall within the various categories as well as their ‘leaders’.

• Chapter 4 is where Driscoll gives a call to action. It is time to be united and come together over the bascis and fundamental of the faith.

• Chapter 5 is a call for evangelicals to quit bickering over or neglecting the Holy Spirit, but instead pursue a Spirit-empowered ministry.

• Chapter 6 is about repentance of the items and issues discussed in chapter 2 and the importance of it.

• The book concludes with Chapter 7 and the Seven Principles for Resurgence. The ideas presented are my favorite part of this book and I agree that these principles are essential for the Church broadly to embrace in order to be at our best. The principals mentioned are: Preach the Word, Love the Church, Contend and Contextualize, Be Attractional and Missional, Receive, Reject, Redeem, Consider the Common Good, and Evangelize through Suffering.

I highly would recommend this book and suggest that if you read it, to slow down and re read the parts of the book that made you raise an eye brown or if you ear marked the book to highlight something. Before you post your initial reaction, think about it and then discuss it. This book will cause some to erupt in an uproar, and the media will react (as the media often does) in a negative way. Mark’s book is a clarion call for Christians. It’s time to get to work. We can only do this if we unite around Jesus and the essentials found in his Word, while at the same time, appreciating the distinctives within each Christian tribe. Mark shows us how to do just that. This isn’t the time to wait or debate. Join the resurgence.

An advance complimentary copy of this book was provided for review purposes by Tyndale Publishing in eBook format. I was not required to post a positive review and the views expressed in this review are my own.

This review was originally posted on BattleBornNV website.

[John Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Call To Resurgence is not a book for spiritual wimps, nor is it suitable for reading a few pages in an attempt to induce sleep. Mark Driscoll’s writing style is acidic, perhaps even snarky, as he delivers a powerful wake-up call. The image Driscoll paints of Christendom in the United States is disturbing and heartbreaking. The percentage of evangelicals is shrinking while many churches are unaware of their plight.

Driscoll offers this insight, “Most Christians are sheltered within their own groups and are too busy arguing with other Christians to notice the sad state of Christianity in a broader sense.” (page 34) He explains that evangelical Christianity is divided among various tribes and provides his description of what those tribes believe. Christendom is splintered when we agree on key doctrines yet disagree on secondary issues. Appendix B is a well-organized bibliography keyed to those secondary issues. Driscoll’s summary chart and humorous group descriptions (pages 112-113) should help us stop and think about the pettiness.

Is tribe mentality harmful? Driscoll explains, “We aren’t one big group anymore with one key leader. We live and worship in tribes...because tribes have a tendency to circle the wagons and fight against one another rather than mobilize together for growth, we’ve unknowingly contributed to the rapid demise of Christendom in America.” (page 86)

Chapter 4 provides a summary of 13 “border issues for biblically faithful and culturally missional Christianity.” Driscoll defines each doctrine then lists related secondary issues. This chapter represents an opportunity for a slow read with many stops for deep thought.

Chapter 5 is teaching on the Holy Spirit. Driscoll states, “…much of the debate and division among tribes is in regard to the person and work of the Holy Spirit.” (page 154). He includes an excellent definition of what it means for a believer to be “empowered by the Spirit”, and his explanation (page 162) explaining how believers grieve the Holy Spirit brings a practical clarity to Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 4:30.

Now that we know there is a problem in Christendom, what next? In Chapter 7 Driscoll provides his solution. He does not offer a defined methodology, but a broad set of biblical principles that have worked in his church in Seattle, and can be adapted for use in other places. Resurgence starts with my willingness to be used by God as a “real, authentic witness.” I have Driscoll’s definition (page 229) highlighted and tagged, with plans to return to it often.

A Call To Resurgence is a book for thinking believers. It was not an easy read, and I had to reread several parts. I would advise tackling this book with a highlighter and sticky tabs in hand to mark areas of interest and sections to revisit.

Sometimes believers need a kick in the slats to get involved, stay involved, and act like the salt and light God intended us to be. In this book Driscoll provides a ready reference of quotable material that will make the point while deflecting any resulting flack Driscoll’s way. He admits in the first chapter he has conveniently piled rocks for his critics to throw.

Note - Tyndale House Publishers provided a complimentary copy of A Call To Resurgence to facilitate this review.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being offered a chance to read and review this title, I began with the mindset that I would be learning more about the decline of Christianity during today's modern digital age, and I expected an explanation about what was happening and solutions to the problem. What I found while reading Pastor Mark Driscoll's title was more like a war manual of sorts that explained the decline, guided the reader towards different paths in which an individual could take, as well as begin to attack the issue itself, which is something that is essential to a text that wants to solve a problem. "A Call to Resurgence" does a marvelous thing: it explains, exhibits and enhances the topic of the Resurgence, a topic that is prominent with those who are seeking religious salvation. However, as many statistics throughout the book state, there aren't that many individuals who are on the side of the Resurgence.

Driscoll provides many statistics throughout his book to help enhance his argument, which sets the stage like any other solution book on the market. The book begins with the basic statistic that only 8% of Americans are classified as Evangelical Christians, which is less than the amount of left-handed people, Texans or even pet cats that are in America. This 8% haunts you as a reader, and you become part of the mission to raise that number as you continue reading. But what was the main issue in the first place? How did Christendom die? The rise of various political platforms on the national stage as well as the promotion of civil religion and borrowed faith instead of the "raw devotion" to the gospel of Jesus Christ, whom Driscoll reiterates as "humanity's one and only hope". As a pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Driscoll continues evaluation the causes of death of Christendom, beginning with the idea of uniting various "tribes", which I interpreted through his elaborate explanation as the different denominations of Christianity. How does one do this? Identify the elements of your "tribe" (meaning understand your beliefs), then unite with others to begin promoting the message. Driscoll even tailors his argument to satisfy today's digital age by suggesting education, books, as well as the Internet. Considering that 61% of Americans say that they wish they read the Bible more than they do currently, the union of tribes could result in an initiative.

As someone who is not devotional in religious practices, this book was very informative in the different aspects of providing information on the subject, Driscoll is credible, well-spoken with his stories, statistics, and elaboration on the topics that could be otherwise considered dull and boring. He shows a drive to share this topic. However, with readers who are seeking a "how-to" manual, this is not a simple one. There is a lot of religious terminology that if you are unfamiliar with, you could become entirely lost, but nothing that a simple "Google" search wouldn't fix.

I received this book from NetGalley via the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest opinion in this review.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.

If you are a pastor or leader of a Christian Church - you should read this book. Driscoll has been the lead pastor of Mars Hill Church Seattle for approx 20 years, from planting the church in 1995 with a handful of people to now having 16,000 people in attendance in their multi-site campuses and millions of sermon and podcasts downloaded annually, as well as over 500 church plants in the USA along and almost as many outside the US, he certainly seems to have the runs on the board and his experience alone makes him worth reading.

Driscoll works from his experiences and observations of his home town Seattle which is a culture making hub for the US and then also most of the Western world, plus he combines his observations and conversations with dozens of other pastors and conferences around the world. From this he talks about the past, present, and possible future of the way Christianity is presented to the world.

He also helps us understand tribalism and what tribe we belong to, but goes to lengths to urge all the tribes to work together for the sake of the gospel and the advancing of the Kingdom of God, rather than fighting between ourselves over secondary issues.

The book is written in Driscoll's typical no-holds barred style, it is raw and honest and not just about his own personal beliefs (although he does tell what he believes). There is a lot of ground covered in this book. I will be going back and re-reading it over and over.

I think you, like me will get a lot out of this.

Get your copy Here:

A Call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future? [Kindle Edition]

A Call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future? Hardcover

A Call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future [MP3 Audio Edition]

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Driscoll’s dedication at the beginning of the book, “This book is dedicated to the young men and women—who will be filled with the Holy Spirit and raised up by God to lead a new movement of gospel-centered, missional community. I’m praying for you and excited to see who you are. May you labor to the glory of God and not merely the good of your tribe. While you are young, go ahead, take a risk, and make a difference. If you love Jesus, do something. If you are not ready to do something, get ready and then do something. If you do something and God does not bless it, then do something else. Whatever you do, do it under the authority of a Bible-believing, Jesus-loving local church. Give your life to what Jesus gave his life for—the church.”

The basic premise for Driscoll writing this book is to encourage and empower those in the faith to live on mission for Jesus in a time when this is not a valued in the culture. I think that he has hit it right on the head when he states that Christendom is dead and how this came about in the second chapter, “Standing Knockout.”
He then proceeds to layout what he calls “A New Reality,” where he describes the discrepancies within the Christian faith in terms of different tribes. He’s received a lot of flack for this portion of the writing, and maybe rightly so. It definitely had me worried that he had said something he shouldn’t had when I had heard about it, and on the edge of my seat hoping it wouldn’t come when I was reading it, but I didn’t find anything that made me shake my head. Simply, what I think the point that he was getting at—instead of fighting each other within the Christian faith over what theology position is right, we should be fighting for Jesus to evangelize those not in the faith. Which if you think about it, it’s the best way to fight for your position on Scripture—make disciples who will then be taught the truth of Scripture by you and others within your theological convictions. Obviously, there are some truths and positions on Scripture that have to be held to be within the Christian faith. And that’s why he spends the rest of the book summarizing big theological concepts so that we can find a home and be on mission for Jesus from there. Much of what he covers are brief statements of what he get’s into more depth in his book, Doctrine. The last three chapters are on the Holy Spirit, Repentance, and Mission.

Lastly, I really enjoyed the appendixes at the end. The first is a great survey of mission movements and the second is a list of recommended reading. While I have not read most of the recommended reading, I have trust that the books listed are beneficial given how much time Driscoll spends reading.

If you are a Christian who wants to make a difference for the cause of Jesus, I think you should read this book.

[Darryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Call to Resurgence by Mark Driscoll
It’s time that we who call ourselves Christians/Evangelicals/ Believers re-assess our faith. It’s time for ‘A Call to Resurgence’. Pastor Mark used this book as a spark plug to ignite the passion and concern that all of us should have for the church. As a leader within the Evangelical church movement in the United States, Mark has been bold enough to speak about issues that others may want to ignore.
So what is A Call to Resurgence? It is a book that will challenge you to rethink your personal and corporate faith. Mark discusses how Christianity is under trial (and for some a threat of extinction) because of the current cultural climate. He calls it a post-Christian culture. Driscoll has not shied away from the realities that the Evangelical church is not in a warm and welcoming environment. According to the author there are 7 to 8.9 % of persons who fall in the category of Evangelical in the United States. This sets the platform for his suggestion of persons belonging to one of these three groups ‘no faith’, ‘lost faith’ and ‘borrowed faith’. Pastor Mark goes on to layout a well researched response on how Evangelicals ought to interpret and respond to topics such as aethism, paganism and a series of other ‘isms’. One of the major issues that is threatening the Evangelical church is its response to the rise of Homosexuality. Driscoll is succinct and clear in sharing his views on Homosexuality as a practice and a desire. Even the impact of pornography is discussed.
In my view, A Call to Resurgence should be read by anyone who is a stakeholder in the church. Pastor Driscoll has been clear in articulating his views on the state of the Evangelical Church and how it should respond to the current cultural climate. This book will help youth workers discuss a range of concerns to new believers and A Call to Resurgence can be an excellent tool for pastors in their bible study or cell group ministry. The author discusses a range of current and important topics plainly and thus not losing the reader in technical ‘Evangelical jargon’. This book will change the world by causing readers to rethink their faith.

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/d5g6D40RtQ8

Editors Note: Tyndale House Publishers provided me with an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) of this book in exchange for a free and unbiased review.

[Asheritah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s no secret. We live in a culture that’s increasingly hostile to Christianity. Just listening to the news is enough to make me wonder: What kind of world will my child grow up in? Will she be persecuted for her faith? Will she even have a faith?

And do I even care? Am I using every opportunity I have right now to advance the Kingdom of God? How can I even do that?

These questions, and more, are central to Mark Driscoll’s new book A Call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future, as he explains what is needed to ensure that the Church continues to shine brightly for years to come.

Driscoll writes:

“We are a minority in an increasingly hostile host culture, and the sooner we accept that reality, the better off we will be. We have to stick together around the national border issues, stop wasting our energies on infighting, and start investing our energies in evangelizing.“

Driscoll encourages readers within different denominations to stop bickering about nonessentials and unite on the things that matter: living lives of repentance and boldly calling others to faith in Jesus Christ. He provides practical steps the Church (and individuals) can take to lead to a resurgence of God-followers, including preaching the Word, loving the Church, contending for the faith in a culturally contextualized manner, and serving locally.

I wholeheartedly agree with Driscoll’s premise that we should spend less time lamenting the demise of Christendom and debating theological minutia and more time on what actually matters: preaching the Good News of Jesus.

I was personally challenged by Driscoll’s call to be brazen. Risk offending or getting in trouble (he definitely does!). Apologize when you’ve crossed the line. Take advantage of every opportunity to point people to Jesus, by both words and deeds. In other words, love others recklessly by pointing them to Jesus.

Simply this: The world needs to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. And it needs to see more men and women who love Jesus with all their hearts and love others enough to call them to a life of repentance.

I recommend you check out the book Resurgence. It’s well worth your time.

Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for a complementary copy of the book to review.

[Louise Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Driscoll is a pastor of a church who wants to help Christians define their beliefs and establish boundaries. He said the problem is the gospel must be spoken with words because the gospel is not what we do, but what Jesus did for us. Our beliefs define and establish boundaries. Our faith grows as we read the Bible, recite our creed of faith, read books, and attend Christian education classes and conferences. He said we’re not to be afraid, for God commands us about 150 times not to fear. He cautions against spiritual one-ism because it naively assumes all spirits are good and ignores the existence of Satan. He explains the dangers of pornography and the severity of sexual sin. We all belong to a tribe (denomination) and how they differ, some like a prison, but good ones like a home where you are free to enjoy friendships with Christians from other tribes. He showed how life with the Holy Spirit is like flying kites. Sin is like floating slowly down a river on a tube when suddenly the current becomes too strong to be fun, but becomes dangerous. We live in a hostile culture which makes evangelism necessary and reading the Bible critical. The Holy Spirit empowers, excites, guides, enters and helps us. He discussed the Trinity, Revelation, Creation, (made in God’s image), as well as the Fall (causing God’s judgment), the covenant (God’s pursuit), Incarnation (God comes). The Cross (Jesus dies in our place), Resurrection (God saves), Worship (God transforms), Stewardship (God gives us purpose), and Kingdom (God reigns and the rapture occurs). He discussed tongues, the need to translate the Bible into every language, and the need for repentance. He is sure Christians will lose the battle for a biblical definition of marriage. We need to love the church, work for religious freedom, and evangelizing the lost. He suggests following good principles to reach college-educated, urban nonbelievers. In our increasingly non-Christian culture, we have to be hold fast to core doctrines and explain lovingly how relevant the gospel is to us today. We also need to send people out to nearby neighborhoods to talk to people about Jesus. This is an excellent “How To” book on building our churches in an increasingly hostile world.

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in angelroman.org

Let me start saying I was eager to read this book, last year actually almost one year ago, I reviewed Pastor Mark‘s WDYTYA? and I really liked it, so I had big expectations with this one.

Maybe my letdown is because of automatic comparisons between both books, but I couldn’t help it. WDYTYA? was a book that was turn into a sermon series (or maybe the other way around) it was really structured, I felt the ideas and concepts were really clear and easy to follow. But with A Call to Resurgence I felt I was reading a bunch of thoughts and theology concepts without order or priority.

Undoubtedly Driscoll has a point, and he takes a few chapters to explain in detail his thoughts about the death of Christendom, and the situation that most Americans (and I believe most Christians everywhere) are facing. Reading statistics and quotes about this awful reality was interesting and eye opener to those living like Christianity is its best season.

Everything was fine, until Driscoll introduces the concept of tribes and the way we (as believers) interact in those tribes. This sections explains the differences between tribes, it deals with concepts such reformation, arminianism, complementarianism, egalitarianism, etc. I’m one of those nerds Driscoll mentioned would enjoy this section, but at the end I felt he was stereotyping too much as he also talks briefly about different denominations.

The whole book seemed more to me like a systematic theological book more than a book trying to call to resurgence. I believe the whole chapters dedicated to describe the tribal behaviour were important to understand the whole thing, but the first intentions were lost in between.

I recommend this book if you’re interested about the real situation Christianity is facing in America and if you want to get a glimpse of theological stuff that is easy to understand. This book contains a great introduction to many theological terms and definitions.

I received this book for free from Tyndale for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Roger Leonhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing that you can say about Mark Driscoll is he is never controversial!

That is one sentence you will never hear, unless like me, someone is being sarcastic.

Driscoll's writings and sermons always have a boldness that melts one person’s heart while angering another. This book is no exception.

In, "A Call to Resurgence", Mark calls the church out and gives us a well deserved kick in the pants. For too many years we have allowed the world to march off a cliff, as we stand on the side lines and complain about it. Yes, Jesus said we will be persecuted, but that does not give us an excuse to let the world go to hell because we got our feelings hurt.

My favorite section was concerning tribes. He lists the many tribes we are associated with. Even if you do not like using labels, each one of us fits into one or more categories. Because of this, we are like clubs that do not allow others in or we never try to reach out.

Whether we wear a three-piece suit and use Greek words every other sentence or we have a soul patch and use the word “Dude” way to often, Mark has something to say to you.

Mark shows us that our belief systems are understandable, but we should not use them to stop us from sharing the Gospel with the world. We do have a set of doctrines that we must believe to be Christian, but the secondary doctrines should not deter us from working with others to bring people to the knowledge of the savior.

This book was a great read. Never boring, Mark shows us our cultural weakness, but follows it up with instructions on how to overcome them.

The narration was great. I have heard Mike Chamberlain read a couple of fiction books before but never a Christian book. As usual he never disappoints.

I recommend this audiobook to everyone, believer or not, and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I enjoyed this book courtesy of the Christian Audio review program at http://christianaudio.com and received the audio book, free of charge, from ChristianAudio.com and Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Call To Resurgence by Mark Driscoll is one of those "wake up, America" books about Christianity. The description states: "It’s tempting to believe that the Christian faith is alive and well in our country today. Our politicians talk about God. Our mega-churches are filled. Christian schools dot our landscape. Brace yourself. It’s an illusion. Believe it or not, only 8 percent of Americans profess and practice true evangelical Christian faith. There are more left-handed people than evangelical Christians in America.

In this book, Mark Driscoll delivers a wake-up call for every believer: We are living in a post-Christian culture—a culture fundamentally at odds with faith in Jesus. This is good and bad news. The good news is that God is still working, redeeming people from this spiritual wasteland and inspiring a resurgence of faithful believers. The bad news is that many believers just don’t get it. They continue to gather exclusively into insular tribes, lobbing e-bombs at each other in cyberspace.

Mark’s book is a clarion call for Christians. It’s time to get to work. We can only do this if we unite around Jesus and the essentials found in his Word, while at the same time, appreciating the distinctives within each Christian tribe. Mark shows us how to do just that. This isn’t the time to wait or debate. Join the resurgence."

I appreciate books like this because I, like the author, am concerned about the downfall of Christianity in America. I don't agree with the author on every point he makes (for example, he's a Calvinist where I am not), but he does make a lot of good points, and this is a good read for everyone interested in keeping Christianity alive in America today. His plea is to stop making minor doctrinal issues points of contention and to unite together over the "main thing" - Jesus - to keep Christianity going strong. I recommend this book to every Christian, regardless of whether you agree with everything or not. It's a good wakeup call for us all.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was listed as a clarion call for every believer. I found it to be more of a rant, then anything else. True I live in Washington State and so does Mark Driscoll, the author. The Pacific Northwest is supposed to be one of the most unchurched areas of the nation. We are reported to live in a post Christian age, and Mark is part of the Mars Hill movement in Seattle. which is working hard to bring the young back to spiritual values. He says wake up and get to work, join the resurgence. His is one of the megachurch movement, outside the mainline churches which has attracted some. I happen to belong to a large mainline Presbyterian church, which he reports as not doing their job. He starts by going on an on about the various tribes of beliefs, and how he wants them to talk to each other, but by dividing them according to his standards, off course they aren't listening. There are 12 pages of recommended reading to support his beliefs. Mars Hill is the third fastest growing church in the US in 2012. I found the tribal distinctions to be mildly interesting but did not identify with words like arminan, complementarian, egailian contitionist, cessationist, only recognizing missional and fundamentalist. Labeling really doesn't advance belief but further divides them. Almost the rest of the book was a short and slanted history of the movements. Nothing that would inspire me to follow his methods in finding new believers and returning the lost to the fold. His subtitle is "Will Christianity have a funeral or a future?" He did not answer the question with helpful information. a negative rant and not a call to love one another and pray for one another and labor together for the greater good of the Kingdom of God

[Chris Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA has written something akin to David Wells' The Courage to Be Protestant - but more for the average, uninformed, and possibly new Christian. But folks who have been Christians for a long time and who don't understand their place in history need also to read this book. It'll give them a swift and deserved boot in the pants! Driscoll assesses modern Evangelicalism - showing the different "tribes" i.e. Reformed vs. Arminian, Missional vs. Fundamental, Continuists vs. Cessationists, etc. etc. I was very encouraged to find that he takes a strong stance on the authority of God's Word. He discuss the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering the church to do ministry, he talks about true repentance and what it looks like, and offers encouragement and practical steps for the church to minister in the bounds of an anti-Christian culture. Driscoll has received some heat recently with regards to "plagiarism." There maybe some truth to that, but I enjoyed his conversational style of writing. He's obviously not trying to reinvent the wheel but borrowing from tradition. In one of the appendixes he gives a very fine overview of church history from the time of the Reformation up to the present. Honestly, I couldn't hardly put this book down. I read all 300 pages in 2 days - soaking up every word. "Plagiarism" or not, it's compelling stuff. I may have not have agreed with with everything Driscoll espouses but overall, it was excellent and ought to be widely distributed among the masses.

[Gary Fields · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read a handful of books by Driscoll before, and although his writing is (for whatever unknown reason) harder to stick with and get through than other authors, I've enjoyed all the books I've read by him. But for some reason "Call to Resurgence" just didn't resonate with me very well, and it's difficult to pin an exact reason why. But I'll try to give some for review sake.

A lot of the book seems to be a collection of sermon points, illustrations, and teachings Driscoll has put forth elsewhere. In fact, one chapter is just a summary of all thirteen chapters of his book on doctrine! There really isn't much new material in this book.

Perhaps the biggest issue for me is that I never really felt like Driscoll sold me on his main point. If I had to try and summarize the thesis of the book it would be this: "There is a coming fundamental shift in the essence of American culture and the Church needs to understand this and work together in order to bring about a large scale revival." I certainly don't disagree with this statement, but I feel like the argumentation was unfocused and all over the place, very uncharacteristic of Driscoll's previous works. (Perhaps Gerry Breshears is a crucial partner for Driscoll's books.)

Despite these criticisms there are some very good points made. Perhaps what made me think the most was Driscoll's discussion on gay marriage issues that pastors will have to deal with in the future.

Overall however, I am left with the same feeling I had after watching the trailer for this book: was this really... necessary?

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Call to Resurgence by Mark Driscoll is one of those books that I consider to be a must read for all Christians because its message is critical. In his book, the author states that our country is not really a Christian nation anymore for many reasons. The author goes on to explain why he believes that America is not a Christian nation anymore and lists things like fewer than 8% of Americans are Christians, serving Jesus is not popular with mainstream America, and many Christians are mocked, opposed, and persecuted for the times they speak out against non-Christian actions such as gay marriage. Even sadder, the author goes on to explain that the reason that this has happened to our country is because of Christians because we are too busy attacking each other over small matters and separating into our own little cliques rather than working together to spread Christ’s message of Salvation. The author also explains that despite our failures, God is still working in our world and our nation because more people are still coming to Christ as well as raising faithful believers to doing His work in our world. This book was a real eye-opener for me and it made me realize where I fall short in my own life and spiritual health. It is my hope that it is not too late for America and I think if Christians spent more time wholly serving God rather than fighting with each other over things that don’t really matter, then we may see a revival sweep across our land.