Renaissance: The Power of the Gospel However Dark the Times. Os Guinness; IVP 2014. ISBN 9780830836710

In Renaissance: The Power of the Gospel However Dark the Times, Os Guinness grapples with questions surrounding the decline of the church in the West and whether or not there is hope for a renewal of vital Christian faith. Drawing upon biblical truth, keen cultural insight, and an extensive knowledge of church history, Guinness' response to these questions is marked by both a profound and confident hope, and at the same time a thoughtful and cautioned realism.

In the first chapter, our attention is brought to the decline of the Christian faith in the West. Churches are emptying in droves. Cultural captivity and worldliness are rampant even in the churches that remain. Many claim that modernity has dealt Christianity a death-blow. And even though the church in the Global South is exploding, why should they fare any better when the tide of modernity reaches their shores?

In response to this bleak and discouraging picture, Guinness affirms that we do indeed have real reason to have hope in a Christian renaissance. By this he is not referring to the 15th century Renaissance, but simply the revival of vital Christian faith. Whether you call it revival, renewal, rebirth, renaissance (the French word for 'rebirth'), or whatever else, Guinness argues that the character of God, the nature of the Kingdom, and the experience of church history all suggest that the current decline of the Church in the West should not be interpreted as its death throes.

He quotes G. K. Chersterton, who noted, “at least five times... the Faith has to all appearances gone to the dogs. In each of these five cases, it was the dog that died.”

Guinness builds a convincing case that it is not only possible and realistic for Christians to hope in a Christian renaissance, it is also necessary for us to do so, and to work towards it.

So how does he suggest we work for revival?

He is quick to point out that the work of revival is ultimately God's work.

But he is also careful to show that throughout the Bible, God's sovereignty never justifies our passivity. God is in control, but we are still responsible. And so while we must recognise that only God can bring about spiritual revival, we must at the same time roll up our sleeves and get to work.

He argues that cultural influence is a by-product of Christians faithfully living out our callings, following Jesus, and being “in the world but not of the world.” This is a well-trodden saying, but Guinness argues for its value and relevance in a persuasive way.

While Renaissance is a book marked by confident hope, it is anything but naïve. Guinness demonstrates a well-grounded realism. As one example of this, he cautions against looking back to any time in history – whether it be the New Testament era, the time of the Patriarchs, or the Reformation – and thinking that that was the golden era to which we must return.

Guinness reminds us, with many historical examples, that no 'Christian culture' is perfect. So we should pray and work for Christian renaissance, but always recognise that our golden age is not behind us. It is ahead.

Only when Christ returns and consummates His perfect reign will we experience our golden age.

Until then, Guinness argues, it is our job to live faithful and godly lives, to engage lovingly and critically with our culture, and to pray for God to bring about renewal – because ultimately, it is His work.

Guinness brings us back to the essentials and gives us firm grounds to trust in God despite the languishing state of the Church in the West. My one criticism of Renaissance is the lack of positive historical examples of Christians engaging their culture in the way that Guinness describes.

There were a plethora of examples throughout history where the church has failed to engage with the broader culture and become secularised. These were helpful warnings, but the absence of any positive examples of Christians engaging culture was sorely lacking. This would have provided a helpful point of reflection, encouragement, and application for the Christian reader.

On the whole, however, I would commend Renaissance warmly, especially to those disillusioned by the
state of the church in the West. A great read.

Ben Smart, Shenton Park WA