The Bravehearted Gospel - A Review

A few weeks ago, I read a pre-publication version of The Bravehearted Gospel by Eric Ludy. I am pleased to say that this is a fine book, something that the church desperately needs. It challenges the church to restore the foundations of truth and righteousness, to really live according to faith and obedience.

The book uses the theme of restoring the "masculine" side of faith and practice, while balancing that with the "feminine" side. You'll have to read the book to see how these are defined. Eric does a fine job explaining the relevant issues.

The point is that, masculine versus feminine aside, we must obey God as He is revealed in the Bible rather than in the way He has been popularized in our culture. It's really a simple concept, but it has been lost in the modern church.

I have some quibbles with Eric's inclusive language. He often writes, "We do this ..." or "We do that ..." though Eric doesn't really do these things. I know, as a reader, that I don't do them, so these portions felt like accusations rather than explanations. I asked Eric about these issues, and he said these are attempts to reach the majority of the church, the members of the reading audience who are doing these things. I understand the attempt, but I prefer literal accuracy.

For example, from the book (unless the final version doesn't include this):

Christianity is the most explosive, most vibrant, most beautiful, most extraordinary news this Universe has ever encountered, and yet all of us Christians are trying to “make it more palatable.” We are downplaying God’s right to rule, overtake and possess the lives of each and every person on this terrestrial ball. (Boldface emphasis mine)

I, for one, am not trying to make the gospel more palatable, and I don't think Eric is doing this, either, so I can't understand why he has made such an all-encompassing accusation that everyone is doing this. Such language occurs multiple times in the book, and these parts seem to contradict the book's teaching that we can and should do otherwise. I hope this kind of language doesn't confuse people.

With that reservation in place, I recommend The Bravehearted Gospel. With most churches operating in an emasculated state, we need men and women who are willing to stand up, put on their spiritual armor, and fight for the truth of the gospel. In The Bravehearted Gospel, Eric Ludy eloquently and forcefully warns the church that it will never change the world with a feminized Christianity, which leads to fear, a de-emphasis of Scripture, and a lack of vigorous thinking. He tells us that God has given us the power to live holy lives, completely consecrated to Jesus, without giving any quarter to the flesh. This is the medicine the church of today needs. For many, it will carry a bitter taste, but it will provide healing to the soul and to the body of Christ.

In closing, here is an example of the great stuff that thrums throughout the book.

The Grace and Gospel of Jesus Christ has been drained of its potency. It’s been transformed into a message merely about the hugs and kisses of God while the muscle and power of God is left standing on the sidelines wholly forgotten.

But God is in the business of building saints. He is the Universe’s foremost expert on overhauling the human existence and making it actually work the way it was originally intended to work. And He does this overhaul with a tool known in the Bible as Grace. He saves us with it, He breaks us with it, He rebuilds us with it, and He fully equips us with it to turn this world upside down.

Grace is the Life of Jesus imparted and actually living, moving, working, and thundering within our very bodies to accomplish the errands of God on planet Earth.