Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

‘There is No Such Thing as Costless Christianity’: Dale Partridge Urges Believers to Resist ‘Cultural Counterfeit’ Faith

Image: Courtesy of Dale Partridge
Image: Courtesy of Dale Partridge
Share Tweet
By Will Maule
Author

November 20, 2019

Author and Bible teacher Dale Partridge is on a mission to see Christians become more like Christ. A pastor, church planter and digital influencer, Partridge is a champion of Biblical discipleship and longs to see the people of God grow into all they can be.

His new book, “Real Christianity: How to Be Bold for Christ In a Culture of Darkness,” addresses how followers of Jesus can more effectively root themselves in the truth of the gospel and learn to walk out their calling as ambassadors of Christ.

Dale Partridge’s Strong Warning for Parents: Halloween ‘Makes Children More Comfortable With Evil’

“I did not write this to accuse the lukewarm, but to rouse the faithful,” says Partridge, who studied biblical theology at Western Seminary. “Real Christianity is a book for Christians looking to be more like Christ. It is an in-looking book aimed to highlight what the Bible says about being a real Christian and a careful examination of your personal walk with Jesus.”

Partridge’s message is simple: God’s people need to return to the Bible. The scriptures, he says, offer believers a spiritual guide to a life lived in true communion with Jesus. It is sacrificial living, Patridge writes, where the secrets to Christian life can be discovered.

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer himself famously espoused, true Christian discipleship is always marked by a personal cost. And that’s a sentiment that Partridge feels must be impressed upon American Christianity as a whole, for such a time as this.

“Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat the cost, commitment, or consequences hidden behind the decision to come to the altar and follow Him. He’s upfront and raw,” Patridge explains, citing Luke 14:25-33. “Out of His abundant grace and love, He makes it profusely clear that there is no such thing as costless Christianity. He isn’t interested in winning people under false expectations. He wants you to know everything before you pick up your cross, die on that altar, are born again of the Spirit, and become His disciple.”

‘Yesterday We Learned Our Baby Doesn’t Have a Heartbeat…’

Taking a hard-hitting look at the thin “cultural Christianity” that has infected much of the American church, Partridge certainly doesn’t mince his words. The first chapter is titled: “Belief in Christ Doesn’t Make You Christian.”

“The question you must ask yourself is this: Is Jesus Lord in your life or do you just believe in His existence?” Dale writes. “Is Christ your everything or is He just something? Have you made Him an unrivaled priority? Or is He simply convenient comforter, good philosophy, your framework for conservative politics or someone who’s there only when you need Him?”

“For many Christians, Jesus has been reduced from Lord to savior, comforter, provider, or whatever is convenient bandage to the most painful element of their life at the time,” Partridge continues. “However, that’s simply a gross misunderstanding of who Jesus truly is.”

View this post on Instagram

It’s. Finally. Done! People… It’s evident that Christianity needs to be defined in today’s culture. It seems like fewer and fewer people can agree on what “Christian” really means. There’s the prosperity gospel, the mega churches, the celebrity pastors, the legalists, the conservatives and the liberals. Then there’s the lukewarm, the red letter readers, the Progressives, the Messianic’s, the Catholics, the Mormons, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. All of them claim the name “Christian.” But there’s only one source which can truly define “Christian” and it’s God’s Word—the Bible. That’s what this book is about. It’s 140 pages on how the Bible defines Christianity. It’s short, bold, and clear. It’s available in hardcover, audiobook and on Kindle. I hope it encourages you to evaluate your Christian faith against Scripture. I hope equips you to examine if your church is preaching the raw Gospel or watered down counterfeit. But most of all, I hope it helps you better understand the Lord Jesus Christ and how He has called you to live. LINK IN BIO. #RealChristianity

A post shared by Dale Partridge (@dalepartridge) on Nov 12, 2019 at 5:53pm PST

As you can gather from the name of his church planting movement, “Relearn Church,” Dale is also passionate about seeing the global Bride of Christ re-engage with the Bible and rediscover its first love.

“I believe much of the doctrinal naivety and biblical illiteracy among Christians in the West is merely a result of how we have chosen to do church,” he writes in the final chapter titled “Bringing the Church Back to the Bible.”

“Because we have converted the meeting of the saints almost solely into the outward work of evangelism, we have largely limited the more advanced and mature doctrines of Scripture from the pulpit,” Patridge writes.

The impact of such a doctrinal departure, Dale says, has rendered millions of Christians spiritually homeless. “They are Gospel believing nomads homesick for deep and committed missional community,” he writes at the conclusion of the book. “They are longing to be discipled and spiritually parented by mature men and women of the cross. They are craving the unabridged and rich truths of the Bible. But most of all, they want their church experience to match up with the explosive, vibrant, and powerful Christian account they see in the New Testament.”

In light of these pressing issues facing the church today, Dale and his wife, Veronica, have dedicated their lives to helping pioneer a new form of Christian community that is both dedicated to the mission of God and deeply rooted in sound theology.

“To this need, Veronica and I have been called. Called to bring the church back to the Bible,” Dale writes. “Called to restore the Scripture’s original design for the church meeting. Called to teach Christians how to establish fruitful thriving, Spirit-filled, Gospel-centered communities.”

You can pick up a copy of Dale’s latest book “Real Christianity: How to Be Bold for Christ In a Culture of Darkness,” here.

Be sure also to follow Dale’s ministry on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Latest

  • News

    Idaho High School Senior Reportedly Banned From Walking at Graduation After Saying ‘Guys Are Guys and Girls Are Girls’ During School Address

  • Faith

    ‘It’s the Devil Masquerading’: Ex-Psychic Warns of Bizarre, Spiritually Dangerous ‘Starseeds’ Phenomenon Reportedly Sweeping Social Media

  • Media

    ‘I’m a Pregnant Man’: Glamour Magazine Features Pregnant Trans Model Writing a Children’s Book Titled ‘The Miracle of Male Birth’

  • Culture

    Worship Leader Describes Incredible Scene as 4,166 People Baptized at Historic ‘Jesus Revolution’ Beach: ‘It…Blew Me Away’

  • Faith

    Christian Man Reportedly Sentenced to Death in Pakistan Over Alleged ‘Blasphemy’ Against Muhammad


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

Recent Posts

  • Idaho High School Senior Reportedly Banned From Walking at Graduation After Saying ‘Guys Are Guys and Girls Are Girls’ During School Address
  • ‘It’s the Devil Masquerading’: Ex-Psychic Warns of Bizarre, Spiritually Dangerous ‘Starseeds’ Phenomenon Reportedly Sweeping Social Media
  • ‘I’m a Pregnant Man’: Glamour Magazine Features Pregnant Trans Model Writing a Children’s Book Titled ‘The Miracle of Male Birth’
  • Worship Leader Describes Incredible Scene as 4,166 People Baptized at Historic ‘Jesus Revolution’ Beach: ‘It…Blew Me Away’
  • Christian Man Reportedly Sentenced to Death in Pakistan Over Alleged ‘Blasphemy’ Against Muhammad

Archives

  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • culture
  • Culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Roe
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?