RAISED WITH CHRIST
How the resurrection changes everything
By Adrian Warnock. Crossway. 272 pages. £12.99
ISBN 978-1-4335-0716-8
Has the church forgotten the importance of the Resurrection?
Adrian Warnock believes the answer is most definitely yes. As he explains in this recent book, too often this transforming truth is put on the back burner in Christian thinking. Yet it should control our mindset every day.
The book itself is quite comprehensive in its treatment of the subject. It starts with a defence of the historic resurrection of Jesus. It then moves on to examine why this event is central to Christian faith. The author believes that too often it is a subject neglected in evangelical preaching; playing cheap second fiddle to the proclamation of the cross. And yet, in the New Testament, it is both the cross and resurrection that form the foundation of Christian assurance. If the cross and tomb are not kept together, the Christian life will be one of uncertainty and defeat. As he explains in the latter section of the book, the truth that Christ is risen has great power to revive the church out of spiritual defeatism.
There are many things I like about Raised with Christ. But, for me, a particular strength is its pastoral value. By applying the teaching of the resurrection to the life of discipleship, the book is rescued from being merely an apologetic treatment, or doctrinal study (important as they are). Instead it is transformed into a work that relates the doctrine in question to areas such as assurance of salvation and personal evangelism.
Raised with Christ is written in a warm and accessible style. It manages to avoid being overly academic, while at the same time remaining substantial and thought-provoking. Because of this I suspect that it would be useful to church leaders, as well as any Christian wanting to develop their understanding of this crucial subject.
Stephen Ridgeway,
pastor of Union Chapel, Bethersden, Kent
