Christianity could die in one generation. The nature of Christianity (and any other religion, for that matter) is that the generation that professes it is responsible to preserve it and propagate it to the next. A failure to do so will mean that, at least as far as living adherents are concerned, Christianity will cease to be. For this reason, all Christians ought to be conservatives. Christians ought to be concerned with conserving all it means to be Christian, so as to pass this on to others. This book encourages church members in general and pastors in particular to consider practical methods to recover a more full-orbed Christianity in the context of a local church.
DAVID DE BRUYN was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he now pastors New Covenant Baptist Church and resides with his wife and three children. He is a graduate of Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Minnesota and the University of South Africa (D.Th.). David hosts a weekly radio program that is heard throughout much of central South Africa, serves as a frequent conference speaker, and is a lecturer at Shepherds Seminary Africa.
We welcome this second edition of The Conservative Church: Preserving and Transmitting Biblical Christianity. It covers a remarkable breadth of important considerations in a well-organized division into three major areas of Orthodoxy (right doctrine), Orthopraxy (right practice), and Orthopathy (right feelings). People tend to love the church as they love their family; some do so by joyfully celebrating life with it; some others, however, while celebrating family life, also are interested in their family’s history and perhaps in the sociology of family, both enjoying their own experience and reflecting on it. This book is for the latter, for people who not only delight in their experience in the church, but would like to understand why and how it should delight both us and God.
T. David Gordon, Phd – Grove City, PA
Christianity is not characterized by innovation, but it is marked by careful conservation. After all, the Scriptures exhort the people of God to seek the good old way and walk in it. David de Bruyn has written a thoughtful and helpful tool to aid local churches as they seek to conserve all that it means to be Christian so that the true faith may be replicated. His aim is to help churches to conserve a “robust, full-orbed Christianity.” This, of course, begs the question, what exactly is it that we need to conserve? De Bruyn identifies 3 areas of Christianity that must be considered: doctrine, practice, and affections. Further, he warns against the danger of contending vigorously for the conservation of one to the neglect of others. Earnest believers will find De Bruyn’s work profitable both as they seek to conserve biblical Christianity within their church from one generation to the next and as they send out missionaries to plant churches among the nations.
Ryan Bush, PhD – President of ICP Didache Institutes and Professor of Missions at Grace Bible Theological Seminary
David de Bruyn’s The Conservative Church is an excellent, concise, compelling case for conserving Christian orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and orthopathy. The book is at once enlightening and encouraging, convicting and convincing, powerful and persuasive. The book is thoughtful, yet practical. While Pastor de Bruyn directs his application specifically to pastors, yet the book could be read with profit by any concerned believer. Praise God that Pastor de Bruyn has made the investment to write this book. Churches of Jesus Christ will be the better for it.
Ryan J. Martin, PhD – Pastor, Columbiaville Baptist Church of Columbiaville, Michigan.
