EMQ » July–September 2020 » Volume 56 Issue 3
By Curtis Sergeant
William Carey Publishing, 2019
198 pages
USD $14.99
Reviewed by Perlita Tan, former missionary among Muslims and missions mobilizer, and currently the Paul E. Pierson scholar at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.
The Only One is not “just another discipleship book.” This is a treasury of the principles and tools Curtis Sergeant has successfully used as a missionary among least reached peoples. Sergeant has coached many missionaries with these principles, and they experienced similar success. After the author moved back to the United States, he concluded American Christians also need these universal principles and tools, so he has organized them into a book.
Sergeant urges Christians to adopt “theopraxy” (“God-practice”), which he describes as “a lifestyle that seeks to know Christ, to imitate Him, to seek God’s kingdom, and to view everything in life from God’s perspective” (xviii). The book covers three parts—the individual aspects of theopraxy, the corporate aspects of theopraxy, and practical concepts and tools for growth in theopraxy. Chapters 1–6 lay the foundation by describing the different aspects of the theopraxic life—it is an all-encompassing way of life that is God- and Kingdom-focused, open to suffering and all forms of communication from God, and not hindered by fear and pride. In chapters 6–11, Sergeant proposes that Christians glorify God best as a community—when they love one another, practice listening to God together, and work in unity like the Trinity. Chapters 12–17 contain practical approaches and tools to theopraxic evangelism, discipleship, worldview, and prayer.
This book is not a rehash of existing discipleship books. New and extremely relevant contents include how people today automatically filter voluminous information, and how these filters affect God’s communication to humans; a critique against the prevailing “low-entry barrier” evangelism; the dramatically different time lengths to be used with Model-Assist-Watch-Leave stages, and the need for theopraxy (God-practice) as the correct motivation for orthodoxy (correct belief) and orthopraxy (correct living).
This timely book will likely last many years and might undergo a revision. If so, a few observations might be taken into consideration. The chapters in part one have considerable and overlapping points, so further organization and the use of subtitles might help readers to easily follow the flow of each chapter’s main points. Also, the author tends to see everything as either white or black (no grays), which might cause readers to find the high demands of the theopraxic life overwhelming. Lastly, although there are some attempts to highlight the role of the Holy Spirit in the theopraxic life, the book highly emphasizes Christ. Balanced roles among the Trinity might empower Christians more.
Although written for Americans, the principles in this book can be adapted for use in other cultures. Disciplers, new Christians, and Bible students can all benefit from this book. It can also be used alongside the Bible as part of one’s daily devotion.
For Further Reading
Smith, Steve. Spirit Walk: The Extraordinary Power of Acts for Ordinary People. 2414 Ventures, 2018.
Lucas, Doug. More Disciples: A Guide to Becoming and Multiplying Followers of Jesus. WIGTake Resources, 2019.
Robinson, Natasha Sistrunk. Mentor for Life: Finding Purpose Through Intentional Discipleship. Zondervan, 2016.
