Thirty Years That Changed the World: The Book Acts for Today

by Michael Green

While there are many studies and commentaries on the book of Acts, few focus on the amazing achievement of the people found within its narrative. The first Christians chronicled in Acts turned the world upside down in the space of a generation. In this book Michael Green opens up the gripping story of Acts, highlighting the volcanic eruption of faith described there and comparing it to the often halfhearted Christianity of the modern Western world.

Combining trusted scholarship with a popular, enjoyable writing style,  Thirty Years That Changed the World  is an ideal book for church, group, or personal study. Green explores the life and faith of the Christians of Acts, answering such questions as  What kind of people were they? How did they live?  and  How did they organize and practice as members of the new church?  Besides unveiling the nature of life in the early church, Green discusses how we today can apply the first Christians' dynamic efforts at church planting, pastoral care, social concern, gospel proclamation, and prayer.

Genres: Christian, Biblical Studies, Nonfiction, Christian Living, School, Church, Faith

287 pages, Paperback

First published May 17, 2002

About the author

Edward Michael Bankes Green, known as Michael Green, was a British theologian, Anglican priest, Christian apologist and author of more than fifty Christian books. He served as the Canon Missioner of Holy Trinity Church in Raleigh, North Carolina through 2007.

*******

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

Reviews

[Johannes Duckeck · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is written for non-discerning Christians that want to be affirmed in their convictions of superiority. In the first chapter alone, the author makes so many denigrating statements about the non-christian cultures that existed around the time of the Acts that I could not bring myself to keep reading this book. The tamest of these was his opinion that Greek is a more nuanced and beautiful language than Latin, which is why the New Testament was written in that language. He offers nothing to back this claim up. Later he writes sentences like “[synagogue] worship consisted of prayer, psalm singing, Scripture reading, and exhortation, or teaching. That was much more interesting and edifying than attending a temple to watch a priest pore over a chicken’s entrails!” Only to bash Judaism immediately after by saying: “yet what self-respecting Roman would commit himself to this strange foreign cult, and submit to having his genitals attacked by a Jew with a knife?”

I’m sure the people reading this feel safe about their genitals, knowing that their own beliefs and views are better than the ones that Michael Green tells them about.

[Rus Toader Ionuț · Rating 5 out of 5]

Având în vedere obiectivele autorului de a conștientiza, motiva și echipa credincioșii pentru lucrarea de evanghelizare și mărturisirea publică a credinței, putem concluziona că acesta și-a atins scopul prin lucrarea sa despre viața primilor creștini și mandatul universal valabil al proclamării Evangheliei.

Lucrarea lui Green poate fi considerată o referință în domeniul teologic al evanghelizării datorită informațiilor utile și chestiunilor practice prezentate într-un mod coerent și ușor de urmărit.

Argumentele autorului se bazează pe un studiu bine realizat al contextului cultural și o interpretare corespunzătoare a cărții Faptele Apostolilor, susținută de documentarea amplă rezultată din pregătirea academică proprie. Acești factori consolidează tema cărții și subliniază importanța lucrării de evanghelizare ca o chemare a bisericii creștine și o poruncă a Domnului Isus prin care El este glorificat.

Structura coerentă și divizată prin puncte forte bine argumentate, precum și teologia aparte a autorului privind cartea Faptele Apostolilor, evidențiază mărturia și mandatul primilor creștini, meniți a fi pilde demne de urmat pentru biserica actuală, în vederea implicării sale în lume și extinderii Împărăției lui Dumnezeu.
De asemenea, lucrarea prezintă un caracter practic, îmbinând foarte util informația abstractă cu practica necesară astăzi. Autorul își manifestă deschiderea față de lucrarea Duhului Sfânt și apreciază prezența activă a Duhului în contemporaneitate.

În concluzie, lucrarea dr. Michael Green despre evanghelizare și studierea practică a cărții Faptele Apostolilor este un material foarte util și bogat, destinat liderilor bisericilor contemporane și întregii comunități creștine, care are ca scop propovăduirea și glorificarea Domnului Isus Hristos.

"Vestea Bună este prea bună ca să fie ținută între zidurile bisericilor." (p.157)

"Rugăciune nu înseamnă să miști mâna care mișcă lumea. Rugăciune înseamnă să te supui mâinii care conduce lumea. Înseamnă să conlucrezi cu Dumnezeu la realizarea planurilor Sale." (p.286)

"Avem nevoie astăzi de asemenea credincioși: creștini pursânge, nu stafii ecleziastice." (p.320)

[Wesley Storks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author brings a synthesis between the themes in Acts in the first century and now. It helps to capture what Christianity in Acts should look like today. Highly recommend though I do t always agree with every doctrinal point.

[Paul Herriott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Green is not the first author to look at the book of acts broadly, but he does so in a tactful way drawing out some of the trends and patterns and notables found in the story. He also balances everything well with a healthy knowledge of the first century Mediterranean world and church.

[Lisa Cherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Matured my understanding of the early church.

[Robert Conder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on the early church and the Holy Spirit. Easy read and enjoyed it.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me state at the outset that this is not a perfect book. When one is reading a book, particularly when the author believes that he is following the Bible and seeking to let it speak, as much as possible, rather than seeking to use the Bible as a source of proof for preconceived notions and personal agendas, it is easy to look for faults and to reject the book because it has them. This book has some flaws—the author clearly does not obey God’s laws with regards to the Sabbath or food laws, and even jokes a good deal about both, and he clearly has some flaws in his view of the Holy Spirit as being “personal” rather than “sub-personal.” Even so, a charitable reader looks at a book for what can be appreciated from it and what is worthwhile and praiseworthy about it, and this book, at nearly 300 pages of passionate and mostly sound discussion about the application and contemporary relevance of the Book of Acts for believers, has a lot that can be applied, appreciated, and praised. It is worth stating that at the outset, for the author has a lot to say that will come as a stinging critique both to those who seek to be a one-man spiritual band apart from any sort of larger fellowship of believers as well as those who lead spiritual institutions but are more concerned with titles and offices than with meeting the spiritual needs of brethren. This book is rather fierce in spirit, clearly claims the example of the early apostolic leadership like Paul as a model for his ferocity of spirit, and the natural tendency of those whose egos are bruised is to find fault rather than to accept rebuke. This tendency should be resisted as much as possible when reading a book like this.

The contents of this book are well-organized and very pointed in their application to contemporary Western Christendom. The author begins with a discussion of the thirty years that changed history in taking the message of the Kingdom of God to such a spread that it could not be stopped despite Christian imperfection and centuries of persecution. The author then thoughtfully discusses both the bridges and ditches of first century society, seeking to provide a look at the advantages that first century evangelists had as well as their deficits in dealing with contemporary worldviews and preconceptions. The author then looks at Luke and his friends, before spending the rest of the book asking and answering a set of important and worthwhile questions: What of their approach? What of their lifestyle? What of their message? What of their apologetics? What of their methods? What of their church planting? What of their pastoral care? What of their church life? What of their leadership? What of their hardships? What of the Holy Spirit? What of their priorities? The result is a book that provides a string of contrasts between the attitude and approach we find in the Book of Acts and that which is commonly practiced. This book is a critique written for well-educated seminary graduates and ministers that is meant to provoke repentance and change.

Is it successful in its efforts? On the one hand, the book does have a lot to offer when it comes to a thoughtful explanation of some of the Greek expressions in Acts and in providing backup for the author’s thoughts on many matters. The author does not mince words, but neither is he deliberately harsh or cruel. He shows a great deal of sympathy and understanding for believers, and points to the high ethical demands, including the demands of overcoming barriers of ethnicity and gender, that are placed on believers. He rebukes charismatic excesses while showing a far higher view of the contemporary debate on various “gifts of the spirit,” including speaking in tongues, than many believers possess. He places a great deal of importance on unity, especially in the divide between bookish teachers and scholars (people like this reviewer) and those who are of a more prophetic focus [1], and laments our tendencies to divide so easily. The target market of this book is made up of leaders within Christian churches and institutions, a message that balances praise as well as critique, like most of the letters in Revelation 2 and 3. Whether the readers of this book have ears to hear is another matter. This is the sort of book that appears likely to receive a lot more praise than it receives application, and for the most part, that is a great shame.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...


https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress...

[Jeff Noble · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just wasn't impressed. Seemed to be good at some points, but at others was just full of conjecture and wild leaps. It was most definitely not a "commentary." Green seems to want to read into the text about the life of the first century church more than he wants to expound on what the text actually says.

[Wilhelmina Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clearly written, thought provoking, inspiring view of the first 30 years of the early Christian church. I have a few areas of theological disagreement with the author, but they did not diminish my appreciation of this fine book.

[Milton Louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book full of information and ideas to help church people draw closer to God. B

[Jerry Bousard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Booked used for Seminary. Good read.