The 21st Century Church: A Manifesto For Change

The concept of discipleship for the 21st century is viewed by many as heresy. That is because they contend that there is only one standard of discipleship--the standard to which Jesus called us in the 1st century. Yet, not even the 1st century concept of discipleship is being practiced in today's world. Instead of discipleship, we practice hegemony, and instead of worshiping the Lord God El Shaddai, we bow down to the god of wealth, prestige, and substance abuse. It is the substance abuse that dulls our thinking, and causes us to substitute the glory and honor of God for the profanity that the world offers. It also is the substance abuse that prevents us from remedying the problem as swiftly as it can be remedied. Instead, we revel in the profanity, not ever coming to a knowledge of God, nor ever beholding his glory.

For this reason, we need 21st century discipleship, because the profanity that exists today far surpasses any evil seen or experienced in the 1st century world. It is a profanity that has become so deeply embedded in our culture that the only cure is to excise the branches on which it lives. We need a sharpened discipleship--one that is willing to excise when excision is the only cure. Otherwise, we risk the spread of the profanity, and the total annihilation that follows in its wake.

This book is a reminder of the look and feel of 1st century discipleship. It also is a reminder that, as iron sharpens iron, we too must be willing to challenge and sharpen one another, or risk becoming one of the excised. It is in seeking the kingdom of God first and foremost, and protecting it from disrepute, that we ourselves become firmly ensconced in it for all time and for all eternity. This book must become a part of every church's discipleship regimen, every training in practical Christianity, and every preparation for life as a theologian, a man or a woman of faith.