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Summary: The Kingdom and the Liturgical/Sacramental model
Review: In modern times, the Church emulates the world. Saints of all denominations dress, talk, and pray like the world-especially in the house of the Lord. Today's worship is just another production in which we can feel good about ourselves so we can go home and finish making Sunday dinner. Personal testimonies substitute Biblical preaching. Rock concerts replace the Psalms of David. Yes, even cookies and orange juice supplants bread and wine in many congregations. Where is the Church's hope? Does it have any? Or will the Church continue to slide down the slippery slope becoming more and more like world? Peter Leithart's Kingdom and the Power says no, the Church will not become like the world. Rather, the world will become like the Church. In his book, Leithart declares that the power and blessing of God's kingdom are realized in the worship and through the sacraments of the Church. Many details make this book unique in its field. First, the emphasis on the liturgical (or sacramental) model sets this book apart from most books in Protestantism and Reformed camps. Another aspect making the book peerless is the refreshing optimistic outlook. Postmillenialism is refreshing. Moreover, Leithart supports his ideas with weighty documentation. He cites verses for nearly every new-sprung thought. He cites items obvious to some to make it easy on the reader who needs evidence for every point. Furthermore, Leithart writes very concise. He does not bundle the reader down with point after point phrased in several different ways. Interesting analogies and stories keep the reader entertained yet do not add to the labor of reading the book. I found this book to be very important to the increasing pile of books on the table. First, the book is consistently reformed. Leithart makes no apologies about what he believes. Second, the work is simple enough for a common reader yet not dumbed down. Third, the invigorating outlook excites the reader.
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Summary: A refreshing look at culture and the church
Review: Leithart, currently a professor at New St Andrews university, does the church a wonderful service in this book. All too often, Christians look at Washington D.C. as the battlefield from whence comes all the glory. Leithart points out that it may instead end up being the church's Waterloo. He redirects us to the centrality of the church, showing how by focusing our attention on its purity and power, we may yet "turn the world upside down."
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