ReCreatable: How God
Heals the Brokenness of Life by Kevin Scott
Do you ever find yourself verbally commenting on a book out
loud as you read? I don’t know about
you, but as I read through ReCreatable,
I was constantly saying, “Yes, that’s it, that’s good news that I need to hear,
keep it coming!” This new book by Kevin
Scott is a remarkable journey through the heart of the Christian faith in three
parts, each section relating the biblical story, its message of hope, and the
way that a life devoted to Christ should engage the church and world. The notebook form was also helpful to make
notes in the margins, coming back to key points that Kevin makes throughout each
chapter.
Highlights
There is so much good stuff here but I wanted to comment on
a few highlights that were very important. In the chapter on worship, Kevin
focuses in on an aspect of worship that is often undervalued. He writes, “God also uses worship to make us
more fully human. Since we were created
in his image and for the purpose of reflecting his glory, becoming more like
God means at the same time becoming more genuinely human….Genuine worship is
one of the means by which God, in some mysterious way beyond our understanding,
accomplishes his work of restoration.” (172-173) We reflect God’s glory as we
sing, praise, hear his Word, and unite with other believers from all over the
world. What it means to be human is
encapsulated in the word ‘worship.’ We
are worshipping beings, and its better to reflect rightly our Maker in worship
than to distort our image bearing by falling in love with things that dishonor
God. I would also add that in worship we
gather with other believers as a way of becoming more human in nourishing our
relationships. Adam and Eve were
fundamentally created to be in harmonious relationship with God and each other,
and as such, we are created with the same intention.
Kevin’s redemptive historical approach is fundamental to a
solid reading of Scripture. Even of non-narrative
texts, Kevin writes, “Even the parts that are not pure story, such as the
psalms, take place within the context of a story and are best understood when
we keep that in mind.” (157) Kevin
rightly states that our place in the story is integral to the redemption
narrative. I would add that even
concepts such as creation, covenant, temple, and Exodus are insufficiently
understood with mere reference to specific texts but are rather informed by the
story of Israel and what God is doing in the midst of his world. Kevin’s words about Scripture being a story
and not a book of doctrine are unhelpful though. We cannot divorce doctrine from Scripture
because in the narrative itself of God’s redemptive movements, there is
constantly a recital of what we are to believe concerning God, his world, his
Son, and the future. There needs to be a
more nuanced approach here to how the story of the Bible influences doctrine
and how doctrine reiterates the primacy of the narrative.
I really think this book would be best read as a small group
study, weaving one’s way slowly through the chapters. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to
see God’s redeeming grace throughout its pages.
Thanks to Kregel Publications for the review copy of this
book in exchange for an honest review.
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