One of the central issues in the Church and one that we here at Servants of Grace are passionate about is the nature, purpose, and mission of the Church. We spent a whole month looking at this issue and will continue to look at it in the future as the need arises. At the heart of their book Why We Love The Church: In Praise of Institutions And Organized Religion by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck is the idea that Christians are to love Jesus and the Church. At first that may not sound like an issue Christians should be concerned with. After all, Christians love Jesus and should love their wives. Yet, we live in a time where view institutions with suspicion, especially when it comes to the issue of telling people what they ought to believe and how they should live.
In their book the authors take on contemporary ideas about the Church such as “church at Starbucks” or church on the golf course. The book covers a lot of ground including the mission of he Church, getting back to Church, being hurt by the church, heresy, unity in the Church, definition what the Church is, loving the Church and the authors hope and prayer for the Church.
This is one of the most interesting and enjoyable theological books I’ve read in quite some time. Ted Kluck is a well-known sports writer/author, and Pastor Kevin DeYoung is a well-known Pastor and author. What I appreciated about this book is a clear emphasis on how loving Jesus leads to loving the Church. It is this message that needs to be preached again, and again—that Christians are not lonerangers but rather a people called and saved to a community, the Church, to gather together to hear the Word preached, fellowship with one another and so much more. It is this message that is over and over proclaimed in this book.
Rather than getting into everything about this book, and to keep this review short, I just want to say, go get this book. Not only will you enjoy it but it will help you. It will help lay people who may not have thought or even know about these issues. We need you to understand these issues and the authors have done an exception job laying out what they are and how you can live out the truths they teach. I also think this is a good book for pastors to read. Pastors are continually bombarded by people who may not love the church and yet they have given their lives to love and serve the Church. Ministry leaders and pastors need reminders about God’s calling on their lives and this book does that by helping them rekindle their love not only for Jesus but for His bride, the Church. I highly recommend this book and pray it will awaken a fresh love for Jesus and His redeemed bride, the Church.
