Book Review: Eschatological Discipleship by Trevin Wax

Eschatology is the study of the end times and can be often misunderstood. Discipleship is what we call the building up of a believer to become a mature Christian. Funny thing is no one ever thought about putting those two together. Many Christians stay away from eschatology because it can be confusing. Granted, it can be and glorious at the same time. Discipleship has also been misunderstood. Many think it involves sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher or having a mature believer take a new believer under his wing.

Trevin Wax has taken these two elements in the Christian faith and combine them as a means for us to live out in the culture. He addresses this in his latest book, Eschatological Discipleship. What is eschatological discipleship? Wax explains it:

Because discipleship in a New Testament sense is holistic (encompassing all of life) and contextualized (the way believers put Jesus's teachings in practice will look different in various cultural contexts), discipleship is also "eschatological"; that is, it is a type of spiritual formation and obedience that takes into account the contemporary setting in which one finds oneself, particularly to rival conceptions of time and progress.

One thing Wax wants to make clear is that eschatology is not just about the end times, it is also about life beyond death such as heaven, hell, and judgment. What Wax attempts to do in this book is show that discipleship and eschatology can go together. He goes on to say:

Eschatological discipleship...is not a timeless moral code but rather a timely application of moral wisdom that is cultivated through growth in Christian character, immersion, in the grand narrative unfolding in the Scriptures, and reliance on the Spirit's guidance...eschatological discipleship is spiritual formation that seeks to instill wisdom regarding the contemporary setting in which Christians find themselves...and that calls for contextualized obedience as a demonstration of the Christian belief that the biblical account of the world's past, present, and future is true.

Wax is saying that eschatological discipleship is lived out in the world showing those around what we proclaim is true. We demonstrate it through the obedience of the word and depending on the Holy Spirit. In the rest of the book, Wax addresses the biblical foundations of the eschatological discipleship from both the Old and New Testament. He goes on to write about the contemporary ways of thinking that Christians must be prepared for as they live out their Christian faith.

I have loved Trevin Wax's books in the past so it when the chance to read this one came about, I took advantage of it. I have to admit, there were times I felt Wax was vague in explaining the concept of eschatological discipleship. I understand that we live in the light of God's word in a culture, but I felt a little lost with this one. Not saying it was a bad book, but I was expecting a little more.

Thanks B&H Publishing for letting me review this book.