01 March 2011

Calling all published-author Pyro readers (shameless plea + sneak peek)

by Dan Phillips


FIRST: brothers and sisters, let's remember to pray for Phil Johnson's back surgery today, and for his blessed and rapid recovery.


World-Tilting Gospel: Embracing a Biblical Worldview & Hanging on Tight is to be my maiden voyage into legit publishing. We have reached the point of sending out galley manuscripts for endorsements. "Endorsements" have been explained to me as short, favorable quotes from well-known authors, ministry leaders, pastors, and businesspeople.

Some generous folks are already lined up, but more are needed. I have been told that there are many leaders and author-types who read, but simply (and understandably) don't comment. So I'm talking to you, now. Yes, yes: you. Don't look around.

Kregel is printing a limited number of galley manuscripts of my book, and they're asking me for names. If you fit the description above and you'd consider carving some time out of your busy schedule to help me out with my firstborn, I'd be indebted to you forever... if I'm not already. Email me and give me a mailing address, and let me know you're interested. My email is filops, @, yahoo.com — without the commas and spaces.

(Next phase will involve a somewhat broader mailing to "influencers." More on that when the time comes.)

Now, a first: a peek at the book (A) in case it helps in the decision-making process and (B) so that everyone else can hopefully get something out of this post as well.

The Founders Conference in 2007 in Tulsa was marked by two great things for me. It was my first opportunity to meet Phil and Frank in person, with their great wives, Frank's terrific kids, and Phil's wonderful parents. I'll never forget it.

Second, something brilliant that David Wells said in one of the sessions struck me, stuck with me, and came to inspire the larger vision of The World-Tilting Gospel.  Here is how my notes from that conference, written as fast as I could type, have it. Wells said:
Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is, no longer have the categories to understand it, no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories in their non-moral universe — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty.
Then Wells observed that this is why the Bible does not begin with John 3:16, but with Genesis 1.

It was this last statement that got all my synapses firing. Wells was exactly right: coming into moderns' spheres with the news that God loves them and Jesus died for them gets translated into something utterly at loggerheads with the truth, and utterly un-redemptive. Why? Because the good news is sprinkled into an uninformed, unchallenged, and unconverted hostile worldview. So it's mangled and puréed and conformed to the worldview the hearer already had — and thus conveys no converting or saving or sanctifying power.

Which is why we have churches full of (and, too often, pastored by) unconverted "Christians" who are tilted by the world, instead of tilting it themselves.

My book, World-Tilting Gospel: Embracing a Biblical Worldview & Hanging on Tight, is my prayerful pedal-to-the-metal, full-bore attempt to address that need. The "voice" is similar to my posts, so I hope broadly accessible. I start, indeed, with Genesis 1, and work my way forward. In the course of the book, one will find himself introduced Biblically to the framing worldview of the Gospel, the Gospel itself, and an array of immediate implications of the Gospel. As a special (but, to my mind, necessary) bonus, we also will Biblically address sarkicophobia, muzzy mysticism, crisis-upgraders, and the gutless grace error.

So if you're a published author willing to give it a read and help me out, drop me a line.

Everyone else, I'm deeply grateful for and humbled by your interest and prayers. The projected publication date is August.

Thanks, all.

Dan Phillips's signature

18 comments:

Robert said...

Now I'm really looking forward to this book coming out. I used to buy a lot of my relatives books that I thought would challenge them a bit and get them to thinking about where they stand and whether the churches they are members of are faithful to the Word of God. I will buy a copy and give it a read and then I'll probably be buying several more thereafter to pass along.

Fred Butler said...

I'd have to pass on the endorsement. People would think it was too groveling and sycophantic.

J.I. Packer may be available.

DJP said...

The haters have arrived.

(c:

The Squirrel said...

"I've not read Dan's book, but God told me to tell you that it is better than anything Rob Bell ever wrote."

Squirrel

(I'd almost pay cash money to see that on the back jacket of Dan's book... I'm ebil that way...)

:D

David Regier said...

I'm waiting for the big video promo.

DJP said...

David there is zero chance of this happening, but wouldn't it be hysterical to do one weaving in all the BibChr/Pyro memes? Auto-tune the pitch, stick in some out-of-context Obama clips, find places for bacon and Legos, a visit from a Tone Policeman....

100 Mile Pants said...

Very, very exciting.

I too would pay to see Suirrel's comment on the book... :)

Tom Chantry said...

See, it happened again! Already the Tone Police have been mentioned!

The Squirrel said...

Tom, that's Frank Turk's fault, of course. If he wasn't so mean all the time...

Pastor Pants, thanks :o)

Squirrel

Scot said...

Please tell me there will be contest on Pyro to win a free copy. I need a head start on writing a winning essay.

Can there be a picture of a Squirrel next to his endorsement? Or would that make the book look less serious and more emergent?

Robert said...

I think you should get Frank to endorse it so you can get lots of comments on the tone of his endorsement. Heck, if he wrote the foreword, that would mena tons of people would buy and read it just so they could comment on his tone some more.

And along the same lines, for the video game, Frank could pop up and prompt the tone police coming onto the scene. And you'd have to have no-profile snipers...even a Benny Hinn jedi who alternates between wielding a light saber and his self-proclaimed machine gun.

Tom Chantry said...

I think by now we've proved that we're capable of derailing a thread all by ourselves. That means we no longer need the services of the critics.

Do you think they'll notice?

DJP said...

Only in the sense of "accepting a challenge."

donsands said...

"So I'm talking to you, now. Yes, yes: you. Don't look around."

I did look around. I'm just playing.

I pray the Lord will pour out His blessing upon your book, which He surely already has, and God will be glorified and pleased. Amen.

May our Lord move upon Phil with His healing power and comfort. Amen.

bassicallymike said...

I was at Tulsa and was I in hog heaven. My brand new ESV Bible, great preaching, cool bloggers, scored a Pyro sticker from Phil which is still stuck proudly on my back window right next to the partially protruding hockey puck.

Still get tickled about Phil's statement concerning dealing with "being burned-out with blogging". Pyromaniac impossibillity I hope!

Great seed statement. May your book bless all who read it, Dan!

Chuck said...

If I write an endorsement, and it makes "the cut," then it'll be on the back cover right?

Because then I'd be a published author.

DJP said...

Hmmm....

< scratches head >

Douglas Kofi Adu-Boahen said...

Sent you an email a couple of weeks back, sir but got no response :-(