Free

The Explicit Gospel (Paperback Edition)

Ebooks Online

You know you know it…But then again, maybe you don’t. Even if you go to church, it doesn’t mean that you are being exposed to the gospel explicitly. Sure, most people talk about Jesus, and about being good and avoiding bad, but the gospel message simply isn’t there—at least not in its specificity and its fullness. Inspired by the needs of both the over-churched and the unchurched, and bolstered by the common neglect of the explicit gospel within Christianity, popular pastor Matt Chandler writes to remind us what is of first and utmost importance—the gospel.

Paperback: 240 pages

Publisher: Crossway; Reprint edition (June 30, 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1433542110

ISBN-13: 978-1433542114

Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches

Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (311 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #19,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #20 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Theology > Salvation Theory #332 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Theology #1403 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Living

So, we have another book on the gospel. The Explicit Gospel is authored by Matt Chan­dler, pas­tor of the Vil­lage Church in Dal­las, TX. The book is sched­uled to be released on April 30, 2012. Is this just "another book on the gospel" -- basic the­ol­ogy retweaked by a megachurch pas­tor -- or is this some­thing worth read­ing and pon­der­ing? Let's take a look.The Big Idea of The Explicit GospelThe book claims that too often, the gospel is assumed, not explicit. The explicit gospel oblit­er­ates man-centered reli­gion -- the moral­ism, idol­a­try, and reli­gios­ity that cor­rupts true Chris­tian­ity. Chan­dler describes this explicit gospel, gen­er­ously sprin­kling in plenty of pas­toral appli­ca­tion along the way. Merely assum­ing the gospel leads to dan­gers -- big dan­gers. Chandler's cogent appli­ca­tion of the explicit gospel strikes deep at the insipid idio­syn­crasies of evan­gel­i­cal­ism, deliv­er­ing a mes­sage that is both solidly the­o­log­i­cal and lov­ingly confrontational.Overview of The Explicit GospelChan­dler orga­nizes the book in three sec­tions: 1) The Gospel on the Ground, 2) The Gospel in the Air, and 3) Impli­ca­tions and Appli­ca­tions. Even if you've been to sem­i­nary, you've prob­a­bly never heard of a "ground gospel" or "air gospel," so lets explain what Chan­dler means. Ground and air, as he describes them, are van­tage points for view­ing the gospel. The gospel from the ground is the view of the gospel in our own lives. The chap­ters "God" (ch. 1), "Man" (ch. 2), "Christ" (ch.3), "Response" (ch.4), dis­cuss the gospel from this per­spec­tive. Chan­dler describes the gospel in the air as "the big pic­ture of God's plan of restora­tion from the begin­ning of time to the end of time and the redemp­tion of his cre­ation" (pg. 9).

Summary:Matt Chandler writes a hit-and-miss work on the Gospel, full of sharped barbs that are occasionally convicting but are mostly mean-spirited and glitzy.Strengths:I really, really, really wanted to like this book. And indeed, I found parts of it absolutely brilliant. But we get a version of Matt Chandler here that hardly sounds like himself.So the good: The best parts of the book are Chapter 6, Fall, and Chapter 7, Reconciliation. You get an epic scope of the human condition plus a God-scaled view of God's work through us on earth. Pastor Matt's unique voice, even when he's on rabbit trails, will you keep you engaged. The rundown on Solomon is a tour de force of wit, vivid imagery, and a piercing look into the wrongness of our souls. And our mission through the cross is clearly outlined while avoiding a legalistic prison.Certainly Chandler can write. He's not exactly quotable but his style is clever, captivating, at times brutal. He is theologically sound in every which way, and despite some critics bashing his Reformed angle, he backs it up with Scripture. Just as in his preaching, he is one of the most biblical pastors out there.I loved the last couple stories of Matt Chandler overcoming the guilt of his former life and the heartbreaking account of his friend Kim. He has preached these before, but to see it in written form with extra details was stirring. He really brought home how the Gospel works here.Weaknesses:However, there are three main problems with the book that injure it beyond recovery.1) The most glaring problem is its arrogant tone. Matt Chandler in preaching is bold, daring, and convicting. Matt Chandler in writing can be brash, jarring, and condescending.

This book is in your face which can do one of two things: put you on the defensive or blow your mind.Let me warn you, if you find yourself becoming defensive over his ideas in this book before you get upset and throw it across the room, ask yourself what it is that has brought out that emotion in you and analyze yourself a bit. Most likely, you will learn something about yourself that you didn't even realize was there. Had you thrown the book across the room, you will probably have missed something that could transform you in bigger ways than you could ever imagine. Read it, you will know what I mean.Now that I started with that, let me tell you what I liked about the book:-Occasionally when he tell stories, they are vivid stories that serve as poignant illustrations for what he is trying to teach. Not only does it entertain the reader, but you can definitely relate to where he is coming from.-He is so honest about his own sin. He doesn't preach at you, he is completely authentic in who he is and where he has come from and where he struggles currently. I think often times preachers who write books avoid talking about themselves because they fear it will look bad or hypocritical or that they have to maintain a "perfect" image to teach what they are trying to teach so people believe them. Not Matt. He is real and honest and that is effective.-Chandler has a way of understanding human behavior and pointing out, not just the massive ways we fall short, but the minute tiny things that we do on a daily basis that hurt us and we don't even realize it. We have so much to gain from that understanding in our sanctification.

The Explicit Gospel (Paperback Edition) The Explicit Gospel - Member Book Fifty Explicit Erotica Stories: 50 Stories of Threesomes, Lesbians, MILFs, Gangbangs, and Anal Sex Dripping Wet Lesbian Erotica: Fifty Explicit Lesbian Erotica Stories Reading Brandom: On Making It Explicit Seductive MILFs: Five Explicit MILF and Cougar Erotica Stories Gospel Bluegrass Homecoming (Gaither Gospel) Gospel Keyboard Styles: A Complete Guide to Harmony, Rhythm and Melody in Authentic Gospel Style (Harrison Music Education Systems) Top-Requested Contemporary Gospel Sheet Music: 12 Urban Gospel Hits from the 1970s to Today (Top-Requested Sheet Music) The Majesty of Gospel for Alto Saxophone: 16 Great Gospel Songs Renegade Gospel: The Rebel Jesus (Rengade Gospel series) Renegade Gospel Leader Guide: The Rebel Jesus (Renegade Gospel series) Health, Wealth & Happiness: Has the Prosperity Gospel Overshadowed the Gospel of Christ? Salvation Through Judgment and Mercy: The Gospel According to Jonah (The Gospel According to the Old Testament) Old-time Gospel Banjo Solos (31 All Time Gospel Favorites Arranged in Three Finger Style) Family Tradition Big Print Gospel Songbook: A 'People Music' Gospel Song Collection The Gospel of the Beloved Companion: The Complete Gospel of Mary Magdalene Recovering the Real Lost Gospel: Reclaiming the Gospel as Good News UNIX for Programmers and Users by Glass, Graham, Ables, King [Prentice Hall, 2003] (Paperback) 3rd Edition [Paperback] Hands-On Novell Open Enterprise Server for Netware and Linux by Simpson, Ted [Cengage Learning, 2006] (Paperback) 4th Edition [Paperback]