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Over the next few days, I will be summarizing and critiquing a new book by James Choung entitled True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In (2008, Intervarsity Press). Choung has been working alongside Allen Wakabayashi and others to form a new presentation of the gospel, one that takes in the scope of salvation history and the grand narrative of Scripture.

True Story is mostly fictional. The bulk of the book tells the story of a young man who is coming to grips with the gospel and its implications for this world. Today I will summarize True Story. Tomorrow, I will write about the aspects of Choung’s presentation that I found helpful. On Wednesday and Thursday, I will critique the weaknesses of the book, and on Friday, I will sum up my critique with some further questions. Some of my criticisms will not be new to James, since the two of us have corresponded briefly via email before. James has shown he is open to dialogue and constructive criticism, which is what I hope this extended review will provide.

Some of my readers may wonder why I am devoting so much space to Choung’s book as there are certainly other books vying for my attention. I believe Choung’s book will reach a wide audience, and since the book is about redefining and recasting the very core of the gospel message, it deserves a thoughtful critique.

True Story opens with a personal message from Choung. In the Introduction, he suggests that evangelicals have missed the core message of the gospel. He worries that we have neutered the gospel’s implications for earth by focusing our evangelistic efforts almost entirely on a person’s eternal destination. Choung desires to show that following Jesus is much more than just lining up an eternal home. And he hopes to prove the validity of his presentation of the gospel by looking to Jesus himself.

“While I don’t want to water down the message just to say what others want to hear, I do want to share what Jesus came to teach. If we present a faith that’s only concerned about the eternal destination of a soul after death, then perhaps we’ve missed the mark” (10).

Choung makes himself very clear in the Introduction. He is not merely addressing the ways in which we communicate the gospel message. Neither is he merely updating our presentation for a new generation. Choung is addressing the very message itself, hoping to capture “more fully the good news as Jesus taught it” (11).

How does Choung address the gospel and its presentation? He tells a story about a young man named Caleb who is witnessing to his unsaved friend, Anna. For Caleb, the traditional presentations of the gospel that he has grown up with are not working. He has had enough of formulaic evangelism (22). So Caleb begins questioning the gospel itself, due to the fact that so many people who believe the gospel message seem to lack any lasting change in their lives.

Caleb is hounded by several questions:

  • Does our gospel even tell people how to live now?
  • Is the gospel only about life after death? (24)
  • If the gospel is only about accepting a truth, can a person go to heaven while hating Arabs? (32)
  • How do good works fit into the picture?
  • Shouldn’t the gospel address our lives?
  • If the gospel is only about our belief in a message, are our good works just “extra credit?” (32)

Caleb’s quest lands him in the office of Professor Shalandra Jones, who encourages him to keep asking the right questions. The narrative bounces back and forth between Caleb’s conversations with his friend, Anna and his conversations with Professor Jones. Throughout the story, Caleb’s vision of the gospel becomes larger. He realizes that the gospel has much to do with the kingdom of God. The gospel includes a mission-based outlook.

Throughout Choung’s narrative, the gospel as a story unfolds into four sections. We are designed for good (Creation), damaged by evil (Fall), restored for better (Redemption) and then sent on a mission as the church to heal the world (Mission).

Once the story comes to a close, Choung takes the reader “behind the scenes” and shows how his gospel presentation differs from more traditional presentations.

First, he has moved the emphasis from a one-time decision to a lifelong transformation.

Secondly, he has moved the emphasis from the individual to the community, concentrating on the importance of the church.

Third, his gospel presentation differs in that he focuses less on the afterlife and more on the “mission life” that should characterize believers today. (195-200)

It is difficult to summarize a narrative in just a few words. Much of the actual conversations of the book will come clear in the next two posts, as I offer some words of encouragement and then some words of warning regarding Choung’s proposal.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog

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