by Roger Olson
I can’t resist announcing the publication of a new book: “Young. Restless. No Longer Reformed” by my friend Austin Fischer–teaching pastor at The Vista Community Church in Temple, Texas. It is extremely well written, accessible to people without a college or seminary degree, thoroughly biblical and fascinating. It’s Austin’s autobiographical-theological account of his journey into, through and out of the “Young, restless, Reformed” movement. It’s not the least polemical or harsh towards those in that movement; Austin simply explains why he left it for biblical reasons.
Here’s an example of Austin’s exceptional use of language:”Love is not a cog in the glory machine.” I wish I’d said that!
Austin is a good communicator, a committed evangelical Christian, a successful pastor to students, and winner of the preaching award at the seminary he attended.
The book is published by Wipf & Stock and its editor there was Rodney Clapp, former founding editor of Brazos Press and well-known evangelical author. The book’s Foreword is written by Scot McKnight and it is endorsed by Rachel Held Evans and other progressive evangelical personalities.
This is a small, extremely readable, even entertaining and certainly enlightening book. It will be available at Amazon in the near future. For now, order your copy directly from the publisher (go to its web site) or from any bookstore. If they don’t have it in their inventory tell them the publisher and have them order it for you.
I will be mentioning this book again in the near future. I believe Scot McKnight will be talking about it as his blog as will Rachel Held Evans and others.
In a way, this is the book many of us and many Christian young people have been wanting and waiting for–a book about the “new Calvinism” by a gifted young pastor who is extremely bright and articulate. It is sympathetic towards those involved in the “new Calvinism” while explaining in a very irenic manner why it’s not the best choice for evangelical Christians.
[This post was taken from http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolson/2014/01/young-restless-no-longer-reformed-a-really-good-new-book/, where comments can be made.]
