Chapter six from John Dickson's new book, The Best Kept Secret of Christian Mission, was on of my favorites. I liked it because it was a good blend of exegesis and Church history. The references to Emperor Julian (AD 331 - 363) were wonderfully appropriate. As John says in the book Julian "wanted to beat the Christians at their own game." (93) But, "Julian's program failed" because "[w]ithout a doctrine of grace in Greco-Roman religion it was difficult to convince people to love the unlovely." (94) I also appreciated John's caution that good deeds "must never be thought of as a missionary tactic, a means of getting people onside before hitting them with the gospel." (95) This has been a chief complaint among the emergent crowd. "They [good deeds] are", he says, "the essential fruit of the gospel." (95) I apologize for the video being clipped off on the right margin. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Nevertheless, you'll still get the message. Enjoy!
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