In Light of the Gospel

Last week I posted an interview with Trevin Wax about his book Holy Subversion. I want to follow that interview up with a short book review.

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When Christianity started under the shadow of the Roman Empire, one of the struggles for the early Christians was their allegiance to Christ against the Caesar worship that took place in that culture. In Acts 17, Luke describes the new church plant in Thessalonica and the trouble they faced with the city authorities because these Christians were accused of “acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”

In our modern and sophisticated culture, we often do not see how there are other “Caesars” in our time demanding allegiance, but Trevin Wax has done us a favor by naming these idols in his book Holy Subversion. At 160 pages, Trevin’s book is a good and helpful introduction to the temptations that face Christians in this particular culture. The principalities and powers at work in the first century are also behind the idols of our day, and Wax examines six “Caesars” we have to guard ourselves against: self, success, money, leisure, sex, and power.

In “Jesus and the Gospel of Caesar” (Chapter 1), Wax examines this connection between the actual Caesar of the first century and the modern “Caesars” we face as Christians. The central idea he uses to help us push back against these modern idols is the notion of subversion. In fact, he defines subversion as “pushing something back down into its proper place.” These “Caesars” we must fight against are not necessarily bad things, but we make them idolatrous because they rival Christ. We are to subvert these idols in common and creative ways to demonstrate our allegiance to Christ.

In chapters 2-7, Wax examines these particular idols, pointing out the problem with making the self, success, money, leisure, sex, and power central to our life. But he goes further. He not only names the idols, but he describe some creative ways to subvert each one. For example, in the chapter on “Subverting Leisure,” Wax explains:

There are three main ways that we as Christians can subvert leisure and entertainment. First, we must think seriously about the choices we make regarding our free time. Next, we must purposefully structure our free time in a way that glorifies God. Finally, we must turn our focus away from the things that entertain us to the people that God has entrusted to us.

Wax doesn’t simplify the matter by just saying, “Turn off the TV.” He provides a more comprehensive perspective on life. The same is true for each chapter: subvert the self by participating in community, subvert money by giving it away, etc.

Wax concludes his book with chapter 8: “Subversive Evangelism: Subverting Caesar by Sharing Christ.” In this chapter he concludes with an encouragement to not be ashamed of the gospel in a culture that pushes against our message of exclusive salvation through Christ, but for us to be bold, trusting in the power of the gospel to save.

This is a good book to give to a new Christian because of its size and its topic. It provides a good structure for a new Christian to evaluate the issues that we face in this culture. But it is also a good book to give to a seasoned Christian who has not considered the way some of our modern luxuries have turned into idols. If you are interested in further thoughts, you can read an interview I conducted with Trevin Wax here.