It is a rare and solemn privilege to commend this volume by my dear friend and fellow-labourer to the attention of the Christian public. In an age characterised by an almost feverish superficiality, where the contemporary church so frequently seeks to commend the Gospel by diluting it, it is profoundly refreshing to encounter a work that strikes so deeply at the root of the matter.
As one who spent the early years of my life in the medical profession, I have often had cause to reflect upon the fatal error of misdiagnosing a disease. If a physician mistakes a malignancy for a minor irritation, his prescribed remedy is worse than useless; it is positively dangerous. The tragedy of modern professing Christianity is precisely this: a failure to properly diagnose the desperate plight of man. We are not merely struggling with a few psychological maladjustments or social disadvantages. No, the malady is far more profound. We are dealing with human nature in its fallen, corrupt, and utterly ruined state.
What this present age requires is not more religious entertainment, nor is it a plethora of shallow, pragmatic "how-to" methodologies designed to make men feel comfortable in their sins. Rather, the world stands in absolute need of the penetrating, authoritative declaration of the Truth of God. It has been my lifelong contention to prove not merely that Christianity is reasonable, but that, ultimately, nothing else is reasonable.
In the pages that follow, the author does not indulge in speculative philosophy or woolly literary allusions. Instead, he takes the Word of God and unfolds it with crystal clarity and spiritual power. He brings the reader face to face with the living God. He diagnoses our spiritual declension and points us directly to the sovereign remedy found only in the person and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Furthermore - and I say this with a profound sense of gravity - no amount of doctrinal orthodoxy, however excellent, can ever be sufficient on its own. We are completely dependent upon the gracious outpouring and unction of the Holy Spirit. Without a quickening divine visitation, we labour in vain. There is a desperate need today for a true revival. Without it, there is truly no hope for the Western world.
It is my earnest prayer that the perusal of this book will not merely inform the intellect, but will grip the conscience, stir the affections, and drive the reader to a place of utter dependence upon the sovereign grace of Almighty God. To that end, I heartily commend these pages.
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