Review of Real Church

In this book Larry Crabb sets out what he believes is wrong with American evangelical churches and how they can be put right. In other w0rds 'Real Church' is his manifesto for a model congregation.

The book is simply structured. In the first 60 odd pages Crabb tells us what he doesn't like in churches and in the final 100 we learn what he enjoys and wants from a church.

His vision for the church amounts to four cardinal marks. These are firstly his real church is one of spiritual theology, that is a church that hungers for the truth. Secondly, his real church is one of spiritual formation, that is it's members are becoming progressively Christ like. Thirdly, his real church is one of spiritual community, that is members properly engage and interact with one another, exhibiting true unity. Fourthly, his real church is one of spiritual mission, that is it's members reach out to the world in different ways.

Crabb's writing style is personal and reflective. A style which is sometimes irritating but mostly engaging and interesting. His vision of the model evangelical church is both good and bad. It is good as far as it goes - no conservative is going to argue against hunger for truth, sanctification, evangelism, and congregational unity, but and this is a big but Crabb misses the missing ingredient - it's called the gospel. The biblical gospel is not properly preached from most evangelical pulpits. The gospel proclaims a salvation which is all of God's grace and nothing of man's merit but that message is substituted by "God has done his part, now its up to you to do your part". That is a a deficient, unscriptural gospel which is preached far and wide. Crabb doesn't touch this fundamental issue.

With that criticism and a concern that approving references are made to non-evangelicals without any disclaimers, I give this book a qualified recommendation. It is well written and thought provoking and if it gets us thinking about what has gone wrong in evangelicalism then it will have done some good.