Don't Call it a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day

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Don't Call it a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day

by Kevin DeYoung (Editor), D.A. Carson (Foreword), Tim Challies (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Darren Patrick (Contributor), Justin Taylor (Contributor), Tullian Tchividjian (Contributor), Russell D. Moore (Contributor)

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 117 ratings · 20 reviews

Recent cultural interest in evangelicalism has led to considerable confusion about what the term actually means. Many young Christians are tempted to discard the label altogether. But evangelicalism is not merely a political movement in decline or a sociological phenomenon on the rise, as it has sometimes been portrayed. It is, in fact, a helpful theological profile that m...more

Paperback, 256 pages

Published January 6th 2011 by Crossway

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May 15, 2012 Justin Lonas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Even as we share a faith built around the ancient revelation of God through His Word and we encourage people to delve into the time--tested classics of literature and theology, Christians recognize that truth must be given fresh expression to be fully understood and valued. This is why we exegete and preach the Word in millions of local churches the world over each week—-eternal truth is given a present voice through faithful exposition by preachers.

In the same way, the Church has been blessed...more Even as we share a faith built around the ancient revelation of God through His Word and we encourage people to delve into the time--tested classics of literature and theology, Christians recognize that truth must be given fresh expression to be fully understood and valued. This is why we exegete and preach the Word in millions of local churches the world over each week—-eternal truth is given a present voice through faithful exposition by preachers.

In the same way, the Church has been blessed with those who put such teaching into writing, crystallizing the truths of Scripture for the community as a whole. Every few decades, it seems the Lord raises up a new set of voices to articulate the pillars of the faith to and for their generation in the language of the day without compromising the timeless Word. Don’t Call It a Comeback represents a sampling of some of those voices speaking for today’s believers.

In this collection of chapters, editor Kevin DeYoung and 17 other contributors (including Collin Hansen, Russell Moore, Tim Challies, Justin Taylor, Thabiti Anyabwile, and Tullian Tchividjian) simply but passionately describe the core tenets of historic orthodoxy and attempt to flesh out several key areas where Christian theology should most clearly shape Christian practice.

The goal of each of these writers is to urge believers to ground their understanding of life in Scripture; one by one, they unpack terms like “Gospel”, “justification”, “sanctification”, “kingdom”, and “exclusivism” from abstracts learned by rote to the vibrant foundations of belief they represent. They show us how vocation, worship, church life, and engaging culture flow from that fount.

Every chapter of Comeback is a loving rebuke of error combined with a biblical rebuilding of truth. In particular, Greg Gilbert’s chapter on the message of the Gospel is probably the most powerful expression of the central truth of Scripture I’ve yet read. His resolute portrayal of the stumbling block of the cross, a bloody instrument of torture and execution, as the only message that can bring men to salvation should be an encouragement to every pastor and teacher to boldly proclaim the full and unadulterated work of Christ.

This book is bold, uncompromising, and clear-eyed. The beauty is that nothing in its pages is new (in a grand sense), but neither can any of it be overlooked. That is the wonder of God’s Word and our faith—it is the only story which grows all the richer through each retelling. Comeback is both a much-needed refresher for those who have long followed Christ and an unparalleled primer for new believers. By those virtues, it is also a forceful and grace-filled apologetic to the unreached.(less)

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Mar 31, 2011 Jeanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: serious-about-god-theology

This book is a must read for all Christians whether you are new to the faith or have been a Christian for many years. I like the continunity of the book that was written by a handful of leading authors and teachers. Starting from Evangelical history, Evangelical Theology, to Evangelical Practice. Each part important to a christian to know the history, the why and the how. You may say to yourself all I know is I love Jesus and I want to serve him. Those are all good intentions, however, we must b...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Jonathan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Interesting as a whole.

I personally don't get the point of chapter 11. While being sort of true from what I understand, the whole idea of that chapter is still unclear to me. Also, being a christian in the province of Quebec, I can say that the last chapter on mission is obviously written by someone not living in an area where o,5% of the population knows Christ, as it is in Quebec. Indeed, efforts related to interior mission are to be equal to the efforts given to exterior missions in such pro...more

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Apr 02, 2013 John Gardner rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review first appeared at Honey and Locusts

I've read several multi-author books before, but this was something new: 22 authors in under 240 pages! It was a whirlwind of topics and voices, but was edited together with surprising cohesion and clarity.

There's an awful lot to like about Don't Call It a Comeback . I loved the concept of the project, which had the aim of introducing "young Christians, new Christians, and underdiscipled Christians to the most important articles of our faith and w...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Gavin Breeden rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books

This book has a noble goal: introduce core orthodox Christian beliefs to new and/or young Christians and it hits that goal very well. I used several chapters while teaching a Theology 101 class to Christian teenagers this winter/spring and found them to be very helpful. I thought the best chapters were: Scripture, Justification, Kingdom, Social Justice, and Worship. I'd recommend this book to new and/or young Christians because it does a great job of describing the history, theology, and practic...more This book has a noble goal: introduce core orthodox Christian beliefs to new and/or young Christians and it hits that goal very well. I used several chapters while teaching a Theology 101 class to Christian teenagers this winter/spring and found them to be very helpful. I thought the best chapters were: Scripture, Justification, Kingdom, Social Justice, and Worship. I'd recommend this book to new and/or young Christians because it does a great job of describing the history, theology, and practice of the historic, conservative, Reformed-leaning (as far as I know, almost all the authors are Reformed/Calvinistic-ish) variety of evangelicalism.

Some quibbles:

Evangelicalism has always been very loosely defined. So much so, that the word virtually has no meaning today outside of the marketing and political realms (this is something DeYoung acknowledges in the Intro). In this book the authors attempt to define evangelicalism much more narrowly than its current usage would seem to allow (e.g. the very good "Worship" chapter lays down a pretty cut and dry defense of the Regulative Principle which I don't think has ever been a tenet of evangelicalism, though I certainly wish it were). On the one hand, I admire (and agree with) most of what they write in this book, I guess I'm just a little bewildered by their attempt to rescue a word which seems, to me at least, to be beyond salvaging. At the end of the day, this rant is appropriately labeled as a "quibble."

The problem with books like this (i.e. those that are compiled of essays from various writers) is that the quality varies from chapter to chapter. So some chapters were better than others. But that comes with the territory.

I understand that "Homosexuality" and "Gender Confusion" are distinct (though very closely related) issues, but did each of these really deserve its own chapter? I know that this is a big issue for American Christianity right now, but I'm still not sure why more ink was devoted to homosexuality/gender issues than any other topic in the book. Would've rather seen a chapter on Glorification in place of one of those.(less)

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Sep 19, 2012 Tim Sheppard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: theology-bible

I liked reading this book in bits and chunks over the past few months. It works well as a resource to take off the shelves every now and then. Kevin DeYoung has a great heart for people and the gospel, and it shows here. His first essay on the secret to reaching the next generation was needed and timely for me. He writes about making sure to grab them with passion, win them with love, hold them with holiness, challenge them with truth, and amaze them with God. It is a good corrective for where m...more

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Mar 03, 2011 Dan Curnutt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

D.A. Carson and John Piper were talking and agreed that it's a great time to be sixty. Why do they think that? Because the generation below them actually wants to be mentored, wants to hear and read the expositions and theology of quite a number of sixty-year-olds.

Why is this a good way to start this book? Because it sheds light on the fact that the church is not headed down the path of destruction but the fact is there are many young Theologians /Pastors out there who want to learn from those...more D.A. Carson and John Piper were talking and agreed that it's a great time to be sixty. Why do they think that? Because the generation below them actually wants to be mentored, wants to hear and read the expositions and theology of quite a number of sixty-year-olds.

Why is this a good way to start this book? Because it sheds light on the fact that the church is not headed down the path of destruction but the fact is there are many young Theologians /Pastors out there who want to learn from those a bit older and wiser so that they keep Doctrine/Theology well grounded in truth.

Kevin DeYoung the editor of this book summarizes the desire of the writers in two points. One) they want to introduce young Christians, new Christians, and underdiscipled Christians to the most important articles of our faith and what it looks like to live out this faith in real life. Two) they want to reassert the theological nature of evangelicalism.

They acknowledge there are some inherent dangers in tackling this project, but they are approaching it from a humble/servant attitude and truly have a great hope for the future of the church.

In the first chapter Kevin DeYoung relates being asked by many Pastors, "How do you go about reaching the next generation, what's the secret?" His response, "The secret is, there is no secret. . . . you just have to be like Jesus. . . .if you walk with God and walk with people, you'll reach the next generation." That is profound, yet simple. So much so that many of us will discount it, but don't, that is the truth, so grab hold and work on your relationship with God and others.

Another point that DeYoung expresses is this, "Give up on relevance, and try love. If they see love in you, love for each other, love for the world, and love for them, they will listen. No matter who `they' are." I found this personally affirming as I teach a Sunday night class of young people in their twenties. Although I am approaching sixty they want to learn, they want to hear what I have to say and they affirm to me that it is often because I have just shown them that I love them. Today we can try all the right things to try and relate to the modern culture, but what they really want is to be loved. Christ commanded us to `love others as you love yourself'. We need to remember that.

Jay Harvey's chapter on Justification is absolutely wonderful. He brings four major points to light as well as describes two problems that people express regarding Justification. In his summary he states, "Justification matters because there is nothing more essential in life or in death than what God thinks of us. Ultimately there are two options; God looks upon us either as justified or as condemned. Likewise, we look upon God as either our loving Father or a fearful judge." That is a great summary for his chapter.

The next chapter is by Owen Strachan and deals with Sanctification. He states, "we see that sanctification is progressive, meaning that it unfolds over the course of one's life." He reminds us that Justification is a one-time event that God alone extends to us. But Sanctification is an ongoing process that requires a partnership between God and us. He believes that we all are in a battle today in our desire to obtain personal sanctification. He see's it as threefold. 1) We battle the love of self. 2) We battle the love of sports and trivial things. 3) We battle the love of sex.

I don't have the space here to comment on these three battles, but the way Owen unpacks them are profound. You will find yourself examining your own life to see how you have fallen in regards to each of these areas. This one chapter is well worth the price of the book.

Well, I could go on and on but you would probably get bored.

This book is amazing in that you have eighteen young Theologians/Pastors who are each taking a chapter and expounding on the wonders of our faith. They are each new and fresh, yet old and timeless. That is the wonder of this book.

I promise you that you will enjoy every chapter.(less)

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May 07, 2011 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-crossway, reviews-all, theology

When I saw the list of contributors to one of Crossway's most recent titles, Don't Call It a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day, I immediately knew I wanted to read it. With contributors like Tim Challies, Russell Moore, and Tullian Tchividjian, and a forward by D.A. Carson, there was bound to be some great stuff there. So, I was thrilled when I was offered the chance to review it!

A main aim of the book according to editor Kevin DeYoung is,

"to introduce young Christians, new Christians, and...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Matthew Robbins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, favorites, read-in-2011

Collin Hansen’s Young, Restless, and Reformed came out back in March of 2008, and captured within it the story of many young evangelicals my age. He told stories of the resurgence of faith and zeal among young believers discovering the doctrines of grace, and how they were looking to older generations (John Piper, John MacArthur, etc.) for guidance in their beliefs and practices.

Another movement among young Christians around that time was the Emergent Church, a more liberal, socially-conscienti...more Collin Hansen’s Young, Restless, and Reformed came out back in March of 2008, and captured within it the story of many young evangelicals my age. He told stories of the resurgence of faith and zeal among young believers discovering the doctrines of grace, and how they were looking to older generations (John Piper, John MacArthur, etc.) for guidance in their beliefs and practices.

Another movement among young Christians around that time was the Emergent Church, a more liberal, socially-conscientious group of people trying to find new ways to explore faith and “do church” for today’s younger generation. They were full of zeal, but very lacking in biblical truth in many areas. In response to that movement, Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck came out with Why We’re Not Emergent, which articulated traditional Christian doctrine within the context of young modern culture in contrast to the methods of young people in the Emergent Church.

Those 3 authors mentioned are all contributors to Don’t Call It A Comeback, a new collection of essays from some of the most influential, young evangelical pastors and leaders. The book, according to the foreword by D.A. Carson, aims to “unpack what Christians ought to believe and how they ought to act and…articulate the essentially theological nature of evangelicalism.” The result is a spectacular assortment of short essays dealing with everything from the history of evangelicalism (including a discussion of the ways the meaning of the term has changed), the basic doctrines universally believed by evangelicals throughout history, as well as how those beliefs should manifest themselves in areas like vocation, families, worship, social justice, gender, and abortion, among others.

The list of contributors is a virtual who’s who if you’re up to date on the movers and shakers in the young evangelical landscape. Kevin DeYoung, who’s quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, edited the book and contributed the introduction and the fantastic first chapter on reaching this generation with the gospel. Other standouts for me (although all chapters were strong) included Hansen’s historical review of evangelicalism, Jonathan Leeman’s chapter on the holiness of God, Greg Gilbert on the gospel itself, Russell Moore on the Kingdom, Justin Taylor on abortion, and Tullian Tchividjian on worship. Like I said, though, there really isn’t a weak contribution to found here.

The format of the book is great, with each chapter being about 10-12 pages, making it a sufficiently-deep yet quick read. The book does a great job of articulating what it looks like to be a twenty- or thirty-something evangelical, Bible-believing Christian today. I am so grateful for men like D.A. Carson, John Piper, John MacArthur, and others who have faithfully taught and demonstrated the gospel over the years, but I’m also extremely grateful for men like the ones who wrote this book who are stepping up to fill those shoes, ready to teach a new generation how to be faithful men and women of God. I highly recommend this book for anyone under the age of 40, but also for all believers who love reading gospel-saturated truth.(less)

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Jul 23, 2011 Richard A rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: theology

This was an enjoyable read, but like every book with multiple contributors, it had its strong chapters and its weak ones. Overall, I felt that the writers did a good job of addressing each theological topic within the short chapters they were allowed. This is an excellent introduction, or review, of the most vital theological positions of the Church. A definite recommendation to read. One caveat to that is that if you are well-read in theology already, there won't be anything innovative here, bu...more

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Aug 14, 2011 David Shane rated it 3 of 5 stars

A nice intro theology book. Hard to summarize. Probably my favorite paragraph was one that compared God's writing of the Bible via humans to someone ("Andy") who plays the same melody on several different musical instruments. All of the music is Andy-breathed, but it all goes through the "personality" of the instrument he chooses. So is all the Bible God-breathed, yet still influenced by the actual men who wrote it.

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Jun 26, 2012 Philip rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book really does exactly what it promises: applying old evangelistic values to new controversies and issues. Each chapter is written by a different person ranging from Tim Challies to Denny Burk to Thabiti Anyabwile. It really does a great job of practically arguing biblically through issues like Gender Confusion, Homosexuality, and Missions. The first chapter written by Deyoung is worth the book itself.

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Apr 16, 2012 Dustin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-living, theology-basic

This one was enjoyable to read, though - as expected - some essays were more enjoyable than others.

I want to recommend this book to someone new in the faith, though I don't know if they'd appreciate it or get as much out of it as someone who knows all the lingo. That said, this book nails it's target audience: those who've grown up or been attending church for a long while but (sadly) don't know or can't articulate what they believe. The book succeeds at achieving this mission statement.

My favou...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Eric Molicki rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: theology

I would really like this book to get in the hands of those who are new or young believers as it covers a range of key doctrinal topics in a very solid and accessible format.

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Feb 22, 2012 Marshall Walter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: foundational, theology, church, christian-living

A very good book overall. A few chapters are among the best I've ever read on their subject matter. Additionally, the authors do a nice job expounding the historical tenants of the faith in light of recent attacks and movements against them. Glad to have read it and will keep several chapters handy to share with friends.

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Nov 25, 2011 Craig Hurst rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-theology

This is a short introduction to major doctrines of the Christian faith and doctrines that any professing evangelical should believe. There are also a number of ethical and practical issues discussed.

There is nothing necessarily new in this book but the examples are fresh and the writing is inspiring.

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Apr 26, 2013 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

A good book if you are looking for a broad introduction to the Evangelical movement (particularly the YRR crowd), but for those who have been involved in it for a while, nothing really exciting. Still, a good book to have on the shelf to give to people who have questions about the movement.

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Jan 05, 2012 Jonathan Lilley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: christian-theology

This is so incredibly encouraging to read. The torch has been passed on to our generation and men like Kevin are stepping up to make sure we pass on the priceless truths with which we've been entrusted.

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May 02, 2013 Rusten rated it 3 of 5 stars

Very decent intro to evangelical theology. As each essay is written by a different author there are definitely different flavors of writers represented. I especially enjoyed Russell Moore's chapter.

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Jul 22, 2011 Cbarrett rated it 4 of 5 stars

Helpful introduction to various doctrinal subjects. Clearly written.

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About Kevin DeYoung

Kevin DeYoung is the Senior Pastor at University Reformed Church (RCA) in East Lansing, Michigan, right across the street from Michigan State University.

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What is the Mission of the Church?: Making sense of social justice, Shalom and the Great Commission

The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism

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