Christopher Rush

Ugh.  I promise you I was hoping this was good.  The first chapter wasn’t too shabby … but it continued.  And continued.  And continued.  The longer it goes on, the worse it gets.  Somewhere in there Mr. Platt recites a letter he wrote to his now-wife from “back in the day,” and he complains about his diction, tone, and content.  Guess what, Mr. Platt: it’s just as bad today.  Once again Mr. Platt gives us his version of Christianity, an insular, eisegetical Christianity.  Apparently the only way to be a true, authentic Christian is a) adopt a child from overseas and b) go overseas as a missionary (maybe for a short time, maybe for a long time).  Anyone, especially an American, who tries to be a Christian without going overseas as a missionary is a failure (at best).

But before Mr. Platt gets there, he spends an inordinate amount of time deconstructing the lingo of contemporary American Christianity for no other reason than to pad out this pseudo-book.  According to Mr. Platt, a “church” is a group of Christians, not a building.  I was shattered when I read that.  Also, “accepting Jesus into your heart” is not actually what happens when you “get saved.”  Heavens.  The revelations keep coming.  I don’t know any Christians who don’t know that, but then again I don’t pastor a mega-church.  One suspects if Platt is aware of a lot of misunderstanding concerning these pressing issues, perhaps mega-church pastors should do a better job teaching truth.  Just a suggestion.  Though one wonders when Mr. Platt has any time to actually do any pastoring.

This book is replete with travelogue escapades.  One moment Platt is in Karachi, another he is in Jakarta.  Now he is in Beijing, now Tunisia.  Okay, those may not be the actual places he mentions, but he does have too many stories of his missions trips to several places in Asia, Africa, and probably other continents as well — though certainly no stories of missionary work in America.  That is not genuine Christianity.  When is he actually being a pastor?  Maybe these stories are rare experiences over several years.  Fine.  That does not eliminate the fact he gives us no real substance on how to “Follow Jesus.”  It can’t just be going on overseas missions trips.  Platt derides religion, as if Christianity is not a religion.  Newsflash: Christianity is a religion — unashamedly so!  It’s not “just a relationship.”  If it were, what would be wrong about making Jesus “your personal Lord and Savior” (another pet peeve of Platt’s he spends too much time vainly attempting to refute)?

Toward the end of the book, Platt realizes he needs to start telling his audience what Christianity is after spending a hundred-some pages about what he doesn’t want it to be.  Church life does not seem all that important to Platt, which probably wouldn’t resonate too well with his mega-congregation (though since they are his congregation, they’ll likely lap up whatever he says anyway).  Apparently the church is a docking station for refreshment, a time for palling around for a bit on the way back out to the mission field.  Realizing it might sound like the church isn’t important, Platt tosses out more meaningless ideas such as “do life together as you grow.”  As usual, Platt offers no meaningful explanations for anything he says.  He wants us simultaneously to abhor Christian jargon and passively accept it as if it is beyond explanation.  Platt gives us example after example of “true” Christians who go overseas (the only mark of authenticity) and transform their businesses and lives … but then he says “not every Christian is supposed to be like this.”  Except all his examples are like this!

This book is a mess.  Platt even goes so far as to say the Disciples were not the ones who spread the gospel to other lands: generic no-name Christians were!  The support he gives for this is … well, none.  Likely because there is none.  He doesn’t even stop to consider the implications of his declaration: if we are to “follow Jesus” like the Disciples did, we would be failures since the Disciples, according to Platt, didn’t do what they were supposed to do!  Plus, he totally gets the “witnesses” thing wrong.  Christians today are not “witnesses” the way the Disciples were — we didn’t see Jesus do what He did.  Platt doesn’t understand this.  He assumes there is no difference between what the Disciples did and what we should do (other than their apparent failure at spreading the gospel).

Platt is in love with extraneous endnotes — next time, just put the Bible verse in parentheses in-text, please.  Though, most of the time Platt feels like his paraphrases are more worth reading than the actual Bible verses.  Perhaps that’s why so few Christians know how to do Christianity “the right way.”  He even cites verses that refute what he is trying to prove, but he wheedles out of it with more blather.  Surprising no one (but the author), Platt also complains about how he has received questions from readers of Schmadical (a better title of his last output) asking him about how to “do” Christianity correctly!  Platt seems to have forgotten he prescribed a 5-part checklist on how to “do” Christianity correctly.  Now we are to add “go overseas as a missionary” to the list.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think Platt ever says anything about personal Bible study, committed prayer life, financial generosity, and other things.  I could be wrong, though.  Are we to plant churches, train leaders, disciple, translate languages?  (Platt never says one word about spending time learning foreign languages or cultures — apparently we are only to go overseas where we can be understood from moment one.)  Apparently not.  Just go.  Rub shoulders.  Tell people about Jesus being Lord and Savior (certainly not their “personal” Lord and Savior) and make sure they don’t pray a prayer — that would be wholly unscriptural if they pray a prayer.  Just entrust them to God and go back home.  Then go out to another missions trip.  Tell people about what you witnessed … of Jesus saving you, apparently.

I’m sorry, America.  David Platt will not accept anyone being a missionary to you.  You don’t count, apparently.  If only David Platt had written a book about what it means to follow Jesus.  That might be worth reading.