Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

Dr. David Platt, President of the International Mission Board, is deeply devoted to Christ and His Word. David’s first love in ministry is making disciples, sharing, showing, and teaching God’s Word in everyday life. He has traveled extensively to serve alongside church leaders throughout the United States and around the world. 

A life-long learner, David has earned two undergraduate and three advanced degrees.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (A.B.J.) from the University of Georgia, and a Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Theology (Th.M) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.  He previously served at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary as Dean of Chapel and Assistant Professor of Expository Preaching and Apologetics, Staff Evangelist at Edgewater Baptist Church in New Orleans, and eight years as the Senior Pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL.

David founded Radical (Radical.net), a ministry devoted to serving churches and disseminating disciple-making resources toward the end that the gospel might be made known in all nations.
David and his wife Heather have four children, Caleb, Joshua, Mara Ruth, and Isaiah.

In his very provocative book, Radical, David Platt challenges the status quo and the way the Church does business. Arguing that American church culture runs counter to the gospel, he compels readers to forsake the American Dream "in radical abandonment to the person and purpose of Jesus Christ." He contends that taking back our faith involves actively and seriously committing ourselves to spread the gospel to all nations, owning responsibility for helping others grow in Christ, and literally caring for the poor. He then shows how we can reclaim our faith by obeying the words of Jesus, trusting God and focusing on heaven.

Platt, pastor of a 4,000 member church in Alabama, attacks the "affluent model of Christianity and church" and describes what radical obedience to Jesus in today’s culture might look like. In a straightforward manner with a sense of humility, he points out blind spots in American Christianity. In a voice of urgency he urges Christians to reframe our thinking and orientation to life. Instead of asking, "What do we need?" we should be asking, "What can we give?"

Platt makes his case by pointing to historical figures and ordinary people who have done what is radical in obedience to biblical mandates, counter to the world's definition of success. He also uses biblical examples and abundant Scripture references to show that "the mark of Christ followers is that their hearts are in heaven and their treasures are spent there." He closes with a challenge for his readers to participate in The Radical Experiment. This one-year challenge has the following five components: pray for the entire world, read through the entire Word, sacrifice your money for a specific purpose, spend your time in another context, and commit your life to a multiplying community.

Radical asks tough questions and presses for a response. It will step on toes and call many readers up short, but earnest Christians cannot read it and remain unchanged. It has the potential to have the same kind of impact as other widely read, influential Christian books such as The Purpose Driven Life, In His Steps, and The Prayer of Jabez. Highly recommended. – Dr. Pamela Jordan-Long, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com

New York Times bestseller
CBA bestseller
ECPA bestseller

Responses to Radical

"In his compelling new book, Radical, David Platt delivers a powerful picture of the church in America today that, on key points, stands in sharp contrast to what the Bible shows us about the person and purpose of Jesus Christ. David challenges Christians to wake up, trade in false values rooted in the American dream, and embrace the notion that each of us is blessed by God for a global purpose—to make Christ’s glory known to all the nations! This is a must-read for every believer!"
—Wess Stafford, president and CEO, Compassion Intl.

"We have moved into a generation of young leaders who have a passion to surrender the American dream if necessary in order to embrace fully, compassionately, and wholeheartedly a bigger dream—the Great Commission. I have never been challenged by an author more than I have by David Platt. Read Radical, be blessed, and be changed."
—Johnny Hunt, president, Southern Baptist Convention, and pastor, First Baptist Church of Woodstock

"Radical will cause you to bounce on a spectrum between two words: ouch and amen. Tough truths do that. They challenge us to examine our lives and then choose the lasting over the temporary. Read Radical if you’re ready to live differently."
—Gregg Matte, senior pastor, First Baptist Church of Houston

"David Platt’s book will leave anyone who sincerely engages with his challenge dissatisfied—and faced with a decision: What will authentic faith look like in my life? This book has the potential to revitalize churches today to practice a radical, biblical lifestyle that can transform society and reach a lost world."
—Jerry Rankin, president, International Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention

"The church of the Lord Jesus has been seduced by a skilled seductress: the American dream. David Platt exposes this enemy of authentic Christianity and provides a way of escape through a radical faith that leads to a radical obedience. I am not the same after reading it. I trust that will also be true for you."
—Daniel L. Akin, president, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

"It is almost impossible to keep the idols of our own culture from influencing us, whether we want it to happen or not. This is certainly true when it comes to the so-called American dream. We need our eyes opened! We need to be called out! In this challenging and thoughtful book, David Platt shows us the way to live for Someone and something bigger."
—Darrin Patrick, founding pastor, The Journey, St. Louis

"Sometimes people will commend a book by saying, ’You won’t want to put it down.’ I can’t say that about this book. You’ll want to put it down, many times. If you’re like me, as you read David Platt’s Radical, you’ll find yourself uncomfortably targeted by the Holy Spirit. You’ll see just how acclimated you are to the American dream. But you’ll find here another Way, one you know to be true, because you’ve heard it before in the words of the Lord Jesus, perhaps most forcefully in the simple call ’Follow me.’"
—Russell D. Moore, dean, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"Through solid examination of the Scriptures and compelling testimonies from believers enduring persecution, my friend David Platt pulls back the curtain on subtle dangers weakening the church in our Western culture. Radical is the urgent call we need to care more about the spiritually lost and physically impoverished people of the world."
—Ed Stetzer, president, LifeWay Research