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 enlarge | Author: Collin Hansen
Publisher: Crossway Books
Category: Book
List Price: $14.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 13117
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 160
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5
ISBN: 1581349408
Dewey Decimal Number: 284.273090511
EAN: 9781581349405
ASIN: 1581349408
Publication Date: March 30, 2008
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| Customer Reviews:
 Fantastic read! May 2, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Hansen mixes insightful interviews with his own wit to create a unique learning experience. I've never read anything like it before and recommend it to all who enjoy learning.
Young Theologians May 2, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
This excellent book reminds the church that there is a younger generation of Christian men who have no desire to dumb down, get caught up into church fads, or lose sight of our God centered gospel. They hunger for more than 20 minute feel good messages and have an overwhelming desire to be biblical theologians.
Calvinism's Resurgence is Christianity Today April 30, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
It is somewhat amazing to consider what is happening within evangelicalism. On the one hand you have a section that seems to be obsessed with trying to ride each new wave that comes along in effort to gain relevance and popularity (church growth). On the other hand you have guys who want to go back to the old historic doctrines that have been trumpeted for centuries and equip the coming generation to likewise herald them (the new Calvinists). The church growth guys aim to be on the cutting edge of the 21st Century while the Calvinists are content to be on the cutting edge of the 16th Century. Each side seems to almost eschew the other for their respective strategies. The contemporary evangelical climate is as complex as it is interesting.
Enter Colin Hansen, an editor for Christianity Today. Colin wrote an article back in 2006 entitled Young, Restless, Reformed. His goal was to highlight the surging phenomon of the regeneration of Calvinistic theology. He has expanded this article and turned it into a book by the same title.
Hansen discloses in the introduction that the premise behind the book stems from his initial reluctance to see the emerging movement as the next wave in evangelicalism. Instead, says, Hansen, "in my limited sphere I saw a return to traditional Reformed theology. My friends read John Piper's book Desiring God and learned from Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology." So Hansen set out on a journey to see if his experiences were "unique or a sign of something bigger." And off he goes with a journey with the new Calvinists.
In each of the chapters Hansen is on sight interviewing key leaders and players within this Reformed resurgence. He is at the Passion Conference in Atlanta talking to attendees, at John Piper's church in Minnesota, Yale University, The Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville (Al Mohler), Covenant Life Church in Maryland (CJ Mahaney & Josh Harris), The New Attitude Conference in Louisville, and Mars Hill Church in Seattle (Mark Driscoll).
The interviews were enjoyable. At each turn Hansen helpfully interacts with what we are learning about this movement. He helps give personal background about each person he talks with and also discloses some personal nuggets that keep you on your toes (for example, John Piper eats a bowl of cereal after preaching every Saturday night).
As a non-Southern Baptist, one of the more interesting chapters to me was the discussion in chapter four on the effect of Calvinism in the Southern Baptist Convention. I knew it was a heated issue, but since I don't live in that world, I was surprised to see quotes by guys who seem to bundle Calvinism with the death of the church. Hansen interviews seminary student and blogger Timmy Brister who seems to have been branded with a Scarlet letter for his stand for Reformed theology in some of the churches where he served. In reading some of the statements by SBC leaders I was left with the impression that they were less open to change (or even discussing it-even if it is biblical) and are instead quite concerned with clinging to tradition (whether or not it is biblical). This view into SBC life was illuminating.
Overall the book was a quick and enjoyable read. Hansen gives Piper a lot of love, and I think he should. However, I would have liked to see a little more time given to Sproul, MacArthur, Carson or even guys who came before like John Murray. In addition, I am left wondering where Hansen thinks this is going. Perhaps this is out of the scope of the work, but I would have liked him to steer the ship in that direction a bit.
I really enjoyed the read. I felt like I was watching (reading) a documentary that included many of my close friends. This kinship no doubt is the effect of faithful preaching and teaching by these men who serve so many of us.
Good overview April 24, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Collin does a good job of taking a snapshot of the current resurgence in reformed theology in America. This is not an old, stuffy, or uptight Calvinism that history has portrayed, nor is it confined to traditionally reformed circles. Then again, it's also not reinventing itself or its doctrine to try to "keep pace" with a changing culture. It is a rediscovery of timeless principles, and this book focuses on how these truths are attracting and affecting the most unlikely candidates. As a journalist, the author takes the time to thoroughly investigate how people from many backgrounds are being united by a common faith.
An Introduction to the New Calvinists April 19, 2008
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
A couple of years ago, the emerging church was getting all the attention. That changed when Collin Hansen wrote an article for Christianity Today called "Young, Restless, Reformed." Hansen wrote:
"While the Emergent 'conversation' gets a lot of press for its appeal to the young, the new Reformed movement may be a larger and more pervasive phenomenon. It certainly has a much stronger institutional base. I traveled to some of the movement's leading churches and institutions and talked to theologians, pastors, and parishioners, trying to understand Calvinism's new appeal and how it is changing American churches."
The article, and this book, are the result of a two-year journey to learn about what appeared to be a resurgence of Calvinism in America. Hansen traveled to Passion Conference in Atlanta, John Piper's home and church in Minneapolis, The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and more.
Hansen discovered thriving Calvinistic ministries that focused on theology and doctrine, as well as young people who couldn't get enough of writers like John Piper, John Owen, and Jonathan Edwards. It's a diverse movement, somewhat disconnected, and often controversial. It's also not flashy. "I tell people we're a really boring ministry," one leader said. "If God is not your attraction, you'll be bored."
Young, Restless, Reformed serves as an introduction to the new Calvinists in America. If you belong to this group, there won't be a lot in this book that's new. If you aren't part of this group, or aren't part of the American scene (like me), then this book will introduce you to what's been happening.
I sometimes talk to people who think that effective ministry today means downplaying doctrine, or emphasizing entertainment. Young, Restless, Reformed shows that many are ready for more of a challenge. It also helps explain the attraction of the Reformed movement for those who just can't figure it out.
Readers may face a couple of dangers with this book. One is overestimating the size of the Reformed resurgence. Despite its growth, it is still quite small. The other danger would be jumping on the Reformed bandwagon just to be trendy. Although these are dangers, a wise reader can learn lots from this book.
"Hunger for God's Word. Passion for evangelism. Zeal for holiness. That's not a revival of Calvinism. That's a revival. And it's breaking out in places like Emery, South Dakota." Whether or not you're Reformed, I hope we'll see more of these traits all over America, and the world. Something seems to be happening.
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