Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Cultures

by Darrow L. Miller

The power of the gospel to transform individual lives has been clearly evident throughout New Testament history. But what of the darkness and poverty that enslave entire cultures, even nations? Have Christians underestimated the power of God's truth to transform entire societies? In Discipling Nations, Darrow Miller builds a powerful and convincing thesis that God's truth not only breaks the spiritual bonds of sin and death but can free whole societies from deception and poverty. Discipling Nations will challenge, reenergize, and reequip Christians everywhere who labor to see "His kingdom come, His will be done."

Genres: Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Faith, Poverty, Cultural

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2001

About the author

Darrow Miller is co-founder of the Disciple Nations Alliance and a featured author and teacher. For over 25 years, Darrow has been a popular conference speaker on topics that include Christianity and culture, apologetics, worldview, poverty, and the dignity of women.

From 1981 to 2007 Darrow served with Food for the Hungry International, and from 1994 as Vice President. Before joining FH, Darrow spent three years on staff at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland where he was discipled by Francis Schaeffer. He also served as a student pastor at Northern Arizona University and two years as a pastor of Sherman Street Fellowship in urban Denver, CO.

In addition to earning his Master’s degree in Adult Education from Arizona State University, Darrow pursued graduate studies in philosophy, theology, Christian apologetics, biblical studies and missions in the United States, Israel and Switzerland.

Reviews

[Felipe Sabino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente livro sobre cosmovisão, grande comissão, riqueza e pobreza.

[Matheus Ortega · Rating 3 out of 5]

O livro foi escrito em 1998 e embora tenha sido atualizado em novas edições, carrega dilemas e uma mentalidade de duas décadas atrás. A visão do autor é claramente norte-americana, neoliberal (na economia) e faz uma apologia ao teísmo cristão-judaico (como o autor mesmo chama) contra o “animismo” e o “secularismo”.

O livro tem insights muito legais, e a impressão que dá é que o autor é um homem comprometido com a fé cristã e com a luta contra a pobreza. O problema é que sua visão é muito determinista - tudo com a ética cristã é boa, tudo que é secular ou animista é ruim. Isso cria algumas categorizações perigosas, como que não há como ter progresso fora da ética cristã, e que Africa e India são fadados à pobreza por sua cosmovisão retrógrada.

A meu ver, o cristianismo é uma cosmovisão que dialoga com culturas e outras formas de pensamento e também aprende com elas. O cristão precisa aprender com o senso de preservação ambiental do animismo. O cristão precisa aprender com o senso de progresso e melhoria científica do secularismo. O cristão precisa aprender com a honra na cultura africana. Isso é muito pouco falado, pois a ótica é do “Destino Manifesto” típico do pensamento norte-americano.

De outro lado, o livro tem uma noção muito interessante de que estamos “escrevendo a história” ao sermos coparticipadores com Deus da construção de Seu Reino. O livro chama à ação. Mais do que transmitir uma visão, o livro é um chamado à uma vida relevante como mordomos da criação de Deus.

[Kent Kessler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ideas have the most powerful consequences. That is why the authors want you to know that “the most effective tool we can wield in our efforts on behalf of the needy is a biblical worldview.” The book focuses on the practical gospel--the incarnation where a savior leaves his home behind to come and suffer with us to help us put our lives back together again. I have to be as loving toward others as God has been toward me. Do we see others as precious enough to serve at personal cost? Christ loves us as much as he loves his own life. The practical gospel is meant to be lived out of a heart and life that has been transformed from the inside out--this book intends to equip you to practice biblical godliness--the foundation of your evangelism, and it begins with the question, “Am I going to care?” The way people think is the way people live--that’s their worldview. The authors communicate the old, old story of a King, His kingdom, His stewards, and a task. Only when we fuse our own story to God’s story will our lives will make sense. This is one of my favorite books in this list.

[Marcas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear, integrated, and convicting look at development from a Christian perspective. Darrow demonstrates the importance of worldview in how we live our lives, as individuals, families, local groups, nations, and universal church.

He makes some tremendous points about positive-sum versus zero-sum views of the world and their differing fruits. The Bible offers a positive sum-view, and this is good news.

I'd balance Darrow's emphasis on ideas and their consequences, with work by Nancy Pearcey or Mary Harrington, to focus on the impact of technological changes on our relationships.

The piece on Africa was too short and too vague, even though he refers to John Mbiti, who is a great scholar. I would lean more into how different African views of time are fulfilled in Christ. This was implicit in some ways but could have been rounded out more. I would also have wrote about the diversity within Africa itself. Paulos Gregorios ignorantly made claims about 'the European mind', as if that is one thing and I don't think folks should make the same mistake about Africa. I would have liked to hear more about how we can live out a nuanced Christian view of time, contrasting with animist and secularist views. Perhaps the work of Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy and Justin Whitmel Earley can help us with that.

Overall though, Darrow's work is terrific and encouraging.

[Paul, · Rating 2 out of 5]

The tragedy of our times is that while many Christians have confidence in the power of the Lord to return and change the world, many of us do not have confidence in the power of the gospel to transform society now. Carey struggled against specific social evils, just as his friends in England were continuing their struggle against evils. But Carey’s confidence was not in his social protest or social action, but in the gospel. This is the very opposite of those Christians who put their hope for change in their “social action.” It is also different from the faith of those who believe that the world can improve only after the Lord Jesus Christ will return. Carey became a reformer because he understood the breadth of the theological concept of “Kingdom of God.” He believed that if we disciple nations, we will increasingly see God’s will being done here on earth.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Society is the people who hold a culture in common. Culture is the patterns of behavior, ideas and products characteristic of a society. Worldview is deep level culture; the assumptions, values and commitments underlying a people's perspective on reality. People are Christian, or not. Culture is a structural thing therefore it cannot be Christian. In similar way it is a misnomer to refer to "the Christian worldview" as if there is one and people must adhere to it or else they're not Christian. No, Christians must adhere to the ideas and teaching of Christ. Cultural transformation happens with the advocacy, acceptance and practice of new ideas. Hopefully those ideas are true.

[Kesia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it was a heavy read. Although the glossary in the back was helpful (it’s hard to keep track of all the -isms) I still found it difficult to keep up with all the different views and ideologies that were referred.
Packed with information it explores how to look at different concepts through a christian worldview. (Honestly a bit misleading from the title I think) There were some golden nuggets in there.

I found it hard to stay focused, I read it as an e-book which probably didn’t help. I think I would up it a star if I actually read the physical book and was able to see all the graphs and pictures that I now missed out on.

[Andrew Boyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the basic concept but its a little simplified. He makes a strong case that cultural relativism is very bad. I also like the animism on the one hand vs. secularism on the other framework, it gives a good rubric for saying something is too far on one side or the other. Would like to hear more concrete stories of things getting better in some communities of these countries he has visited and worked in. Overall I agree though.

[Michael Schmid · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not quite what I expected. The focus is on how a trinitarian theistic worldview transformes cultures for the better, in areas such as wealth, education, morality and more. Miller makes some good points, but I found the presentation of the ideas not so clear, often too repetitious and too much jumping back and forth. Nevertheless worth a read.

[Niel Knoblauch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of our congregation's leadership course.

It's a very good book, built around the idea (haha) of "ideas have consequences" - and that our worldviews inform our culture, economy and development ethic.

[Salem Safira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excelente libro lleno de fundamentos contundentes y de explicación de las distintas cosmovisiones culturales que ayudan a comprender y a crecer en un discipulado desde el entendimiento más que la emoción.

[Miguel Ángel · Rating 5 out of 5]

En ocasiones nuestra cosmovisión está influenciada por fuentes incorrectas. Este libro te ayudará a ver el mundo desde otra perspectiva.

[Juan Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lectura obligatoria para entender los fundamentos de la cosmovision biblica cristiana.

[Natalie Palmquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book! In reading this I am reminded the world can thrive when people pursue the ways of the Lord and approach the tasks He has laid out for them with diligence.

[Gian Zanetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Único.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an good book that give a clear picture of major Worldviews prevalent in society today. If you are not familiar with word roots, this book will give you a familiarity with Greek and Hebrew word roots as they relate to the discussion. This will, however, slow your reading as you try to integrate unfamiliar language into the discussion as it is repeated and embedded throughout.
The glossary may be a good place to start to have the basic understanding of the vocabulary to be used.
While it is clear what the problem is in Discipling Nations, I was left wondering where to start. Perhaps this is the greatest difficulty in the world today because we have lost the ability to discuss the things of God in our everyday conversation. It left me wishing for a sequel that addresses how individuals might begin to share the message of hope with secular or animistic cultures. Each individual has their own unique worldview from teaching or life experiences but there must be some common points in beginning a conversation.
I read this book on my way and during a short trip to Ethiopia and Djibouti. I was convinced that what Miller says is true about Animism seeing no need to invest in the future and take responsibility and found myself asking the question of how to penetrate this mindset even more emphatically. I also became away of the "Eat, drink and be merry" philosophy that has invaded American culture as I was talking to a young american on this issue and he gave that precise response. I linked his view with that of the Djiboutian on the corner chewing on a qat leaf. Either view causes short-sightedness in the end and a lack of motivation to be a steward of what God has given.
I pray God will redeem this world through His servants and look forward to a sequel from Miller that applies this book to infiltrating cultures one individual at a time to Disciple Nations.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This slightly uneven but interesting book aims to apply worldview thinking (complete with requisite charts and graphs, à la Schaeffer) to the problem of world development and eliminating poverty. Like many books on worldview, it sums itself up with Weaver's famous "ideas have consequences," and this book really does argue persuasively that ideas have consequences in the economic and social health of nations.

[Ben Geib · Rating 3 out of 5]

One thing Miller does really well is taking worldviews to their furthest logical conclusions. "Discipling Nations" serves as a general introduction to worldviews and sums up their effects on cultures.

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book...looks beyond culture differences, anthropology, sociology, history of a people. Shows how God's power transforms, not only lives, but societies for the better....The core beliefs of people and people groups affect deeply who they are and how they live

[Alan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

One book I could not do without. It is a definitive work for any church leader interested in any mission.

[Jon]

An interesting Christian social science book for missions. Not recommended for anyone who does not believe in the Christian world view.

[René Callejas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most comprehensive compendium of Biblical Worldview. Must read for every Christian worker in the Missionary Field or Local Church.