I’m excited to pick up Matt Chandler and Michael Snetzer’s Recovering Redemption: A Gospel-Saturated Perspective on How to Change, which was released earlier this month. From Jared Wellman:
I am reminded of a story I once heard about a conversation that took place between a husband and wife of 50 years. While driving down the road in their single cab pickup truck, the wife looks over at her husband and says, ‘You know, we used to sit a lot closer in this thing.’ The husband, looking back at his wife, says, ‘That’s true, but I’m not the one that moved!’
This is a story that illustrates Matt Chandler and Michael Snetzer’s latest book well. Redemption, like the wife in this story, hasn’t moved. We have.
It’s no secret that one of Matt Chandler’s passions is church revitalization. He describes his tenure at The Village Church as a “replanting effort” from which he saw his congregation explode in physical growth, but, more importantly, in spiritual growth. He also serves as the President of Acts 29, a church planting organization that has planted roughly 500 churches in the United States and in the world.
One of Chandler’s pet peeves seems to be dead religion. He can’t stand it. Even his testimony suggests it. His popular book, The Explicit Gospel, describes it in detail. Thus, it’s safe to argue that Recovering Redemption pulsates this. And therefore, the book is intended for those that have perhaps made a decision for Christ, but never really acted out on it. This is why the book is basic. This is why the book is personal. And this is why the book is practical. It screams at the “wife,” “You’re the one who moved! Redemption has always been there. So move back towards it, dang it!”
