Faithmapping - A Book Review

Several months ago, I received a copy of Daniel Montgomery and Mike Cosper's new book Faithmapping: A Gospel Atlas for Your Spiritual Journey. These guys work at Sojourn Church in Louisville, KY.  I had been watching this book for a few months and planning on buying it, so I was very honored to get a free copy of it to review.

Faithmapping is one of the best books on understanding the gospel and its practical implications in the daily lives of believers I have read.  It has a solid theological foundation, but it is very practical and easy to read.  One of the strengths of this book is that I can give it to a relatively new Christian and know that they not only can read it and understand it, but that it will ground them in some much needed and often over-looked theological truths.

The authors of the book do a very good job of presenting what is called a "triperspectival" approach to the gospel.  The gospel is a brilliant, multifaceted gem.  Every angle that you look at it shows you another brilliant truth.  Sometimes, authors trying to write about the gospel will focus on one specific aspect to the neglect of others and in the process may give an unbalanced understanding that only this one thing is the key to understanding "the gospel".  Montgomery and Cosper do a good job of presenting three "perspectives" that are equally vital in our understanding of the gospel - the gospel as the kingdom of God, the gospel as seen in the cross, and the gospel as shown in the grace of God.  One of the most important parts of Faithmapping is that they define what the gospel looks like in each individual aspect and then they show why we most not elevate one aspect to the neglect of the others.  This balanced approach is refreshing and invigorating as you read this book.

The authors also do an excellent job of showing how; once we come to a balanced, biblical approach to the gospel, this same gospel has practical affects on the way we worship as individuals and as a faith community.  It affects our understanding of the church as a faith "family" of adopted sons and daughters of God.  It affects our mentality of serving and being served and motivates us to take up the towel and serve others.  It affects us as growing disciples of Jesus Christ who are also responsible to make other disciples.  Finally, it affects our witness to the world in both words and actions that are compatible with the gospel.

I have read a lot of books already this year, but I would put Faithmapping in the top three I have read so far.  I believe many people in the church can benefit greatly from picking up a copy of this work and applying it to their lives.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Crossway book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.