Bowie, TX (BNc) — A Texas author uses the biblical book of Daniel to call the church back to its true mission and away from “political clout.”
According to Michael Whitworth, Christians are becoming more passionate about political/social issues than they are about the gospel. In light of recent events in America’s expanding cultural war, his latest book, The Derision of Heaven, is an urgent message for the church, which he believes is headed into exile.
“No one likes persecution or oppression, but the present crisis may be God’s attempt to get Christians to rediscover proper priorities. Christians will never regain influence through political clout, social media rants, or scary forwarded emails. Instead, I extol the virtues of love, civility, and self-control. The biblical Daniel’s gentle and respectful spirit models how God uses ‘the foolish and weak’ to shame the wise and strong of this world,” says Whitworth, whose previous book, The Epic of God, achieved best-selling status.
“For a long time, Christianity enjoyed unprecedented power in this country, but the American church is now under attack and headed into a form of exile. Castigated and flung to the margins of cultural relevancy to gather cobwebs, what are God’s people to do? How should we respond to this loss of influence? Look to the Bible, of course—particularly the Old Testament book of Daniel,” Michael said.
In 2012, Whitworth launched his publishing company, Start2Finish Books. His goal is to author a commentary guide to all the books of the Bible, each one written in an engaging, easy-to-read style. The Derision of Heaven is a guide to the book of Daniel. Whitworth believes that there is not a more relevant Old Testament book for the church right now than Daniel.
Best-selling author F. LaGard Smith praises the book in the Foreword, calling it “a challenge to the church to see Daniel as a must-read for Christians who are now facing the imminent prospect of spiritual exile in our own homelands.”
Studying the book of Daniel and reading The Derision of Heaven will explain why conviction and civility, rather than compromise or contempt, is the path back to relevance for Christ’s church in America, Michael maintains.
The Derision of Heaven: A Guide to Daniel, published by Start2Finish books, is due for release in paperback and eBook formats Sept. 3. For more information, visit http://start2finishbooks.com.
Michael preaches with the Carter Lake Road congregation in Bowie, Texas.
2013-08-22 at 6:49 am
The church of Christ in America is in apostasy and dying: it is not exile. The solution is to evangelize. According to the book Where The Saints Meet we lost 38 members PER DAY in 2011. It is much higher than that if we subtract those congregations who have gone denominational. We must get our heads “out of.the sand” and evangelize.
2013-08-22 at 10:18 am
totally accurate. Can we call ourselves the church of Christ and ignore His purpose, His cross, His commands??
George Hall