Many would agree that the state of much of evangelicalism is a cause of mourning and seeking the Lord. Paul Yeulett shares this view. His book is based on sermons preached at Grove Chapel in 2017, and it speaks in an easy-to-read way of the importance of the Reformation and the need for God to send another.
What might a new reformation look like? It would be a reformation of the church. ‘People will leave their idols and turn to God himself’ (p.5). The author is convinced that our problem is that ‘the big issues which the world expresses are given too much place in our minds’ (p.15). We need to recover a biblical mindset.
He speaks of the need to use biblical definitions when we talk of God, creation, Jesus, sin, etc. ‘The world needs a strong church – mighty in the truth’ (p.22).
However, the book which started so very well seems to lose its punch. To speak of worship needing to be centred on God not us (chapter 4) needs saying – but much more needs to be said about how this works out. The same goes for ‘preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit’ (chapter 5).
The blurb on the back of Reformation Reboot suggests it will tackle ‘the pressure of battles over worship, and the extent to which various genres of music can be used… rapidly changing social attitudes and movements like Extinction Rebellion’. A reader who is looking here for detailed leadership in these areas will be disappointed.
The book ends well with a call to recognise that godly living will lead to persecution. There are questions for further study, which are better than those often found in such books, and which could be profitably used by any study leader who shares the author’s convictions.
John Palmer
Leigh
