USA TODAY, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, AND ECPA BESTSELLER • The author of Radical takes readers on a soul-searching journey through impoverished villages in the Himalayan mountains, daring them to make a difference in a world of urgent need, starting right where they live.
“Grippingly vulnerable and unforgettable. I could not put this book down.”—Ann Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts
While leading a team on a week-long trek of the Himalayas, bestselling author and pastor David Platt was stunned by the human needs he encountered, an experience so dramatic that it "changed the trajectory of my life." Meeting a man who'd lost his eye from a simple infection and seeing the faces of girls stolen from their families and trafficked in the cities, along with other unforgettable encounters, opened his eyes to the people behind the statistics and compelled him to wrestle with his assumptions about faith. In Something Needs to Change, Platt invites readers to come along on both the adventure of the trek, as well as the adventure of seeking answers to tough questions like, "Where is God in the middle of suffering?" "What makes my religion any better than someone else's religion?" and "What do I believe about eternal suffering?" Platt has crafted an irresistible message about what it means to give your life for the gospel--to finally stop talking about faith and truly start living it.
Praise for Something Needs to Change
“Rugged. Authentic. Gritty. Real. Worshipful. There are no other books like this one. I always pick up David’s books with a sense of excitement and, quite honestly, apprehension—because I know that areas of compromise and complacency in my life are going to be exposed. But this book exceeded even my high expectations, for which I am grateful. And so will you be. As David writes, it’s time to run, not walk. Let’s go.”—J. D. Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention
“Extraordinary and challenging. I’ve just never read a book like this before. I am so moved. Bring your full heart to this story and watch how God opens your eyes, changes your mind, and broadens the dreams you have for your life.”—Annie F. Downs, best-selling author of 100 Days to Brave and Remember God
“If you dare to read this book, you might just have an unexpected encounter with Jesus that leaves you weeping on the floor, as David’s experience did. Something changes within us when the seemingly overwhelming needs of the world present themselves simply in the life of a single person. Ultimately, I pray your compassion will be transformed to action.”—Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado, president and CEO of Compassion International
Good But Has A Few Problems. This is an intriguing book in that it takes a week long trip Platt took into the Himalaya Mountains - apparently just weeks before becoming the President of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention - and combines it from passages from the middle of the Gospel of Luke to present a case that "something" needs to be done about human suffering.
A cynic or pessimist is likely to rate this one closer to a max of 3*, because if nothing else it is repeatedly jarring to see Platt admit so openly to ignoring the human suffering in front of his face on this trip - he would rather speak to someone about Jesus than discontinue his trip and help them get to the closest hospital, despite their *eye rotting out from their face*, in just one memorable (and early) example.
An Evangelical Christian is more likely to rate this at 5* and wish for more, as Platt's prose speaks exactly their language and ideology - he is quite explicit and unapologetic in exactly what he is, and this reader doesn't fault him for his honesty here in the least.
Ultimately, I go with the 4* because even while Platt uses the full text of much of the passages he uses as primary sources, he still uses the concept called proof texting - wherein a particular verse is cited out of context in support of some point or another - as ancillary evidence. Further, I simply can't ignore the cynical/ pessimistic points above, yet at the same time I understand the worldview - to use one of their favored terms - Platt is coming from, and I get that he *thinks* he is doing good. Also, knowing the culture Platt is steeped in - I grew up in it - honestly, this book could have been *far* worse for readers outside of the Evangelical Christian movement Platt is a part of. Though there is one final craw in my jaw in the final chapter: After spending an entire book proclaiming the need for others to be bold and "do something", and indeed just before leaving readers with a challenge to do the same, Platt is so cowardly that he cannot bring himself to name the organization he represents and of which the International Mission Board is a key component: the Southern Baptist Church.
Overall, the book does indeed raise some topics that needed to be raised. Platt does a solid job of showing people what "life on the ground" is like in these rural, remote, and poor villages of the region. While it could have gone much further in a positive direction (showing the misery of the poor within yards of his own locations, for example), at least it didn't go quite as far in a more negative direction as it could have. So I feel the 4* is warranted here, and I do in fact recommend this book for everyone.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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23 August, 2019:
Finished reading
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23 August, 2019:
Reviewed