The Apostle Paul declared to the Ephesian elders in his farewell address to them that he was “innocent of the blood” of all of them, because he had not failed to deliver to them “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:26–27). In other words, he had transferred to them all that was necessary for a life pleasing to God.
At its core, conservative Christianity aims at following Paul’s example in successfully transferring the whole counsel of God to the next generation. While Christ himself promised to build his church, and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18), Paul calls the church “a pillar and buttress of the truth.” The church guards, protects, and defends God’s truth of God’s Word.
But what does it take to accomplish the goal of preserving God’s truth? How can we truly conserve biblical truth and pass it on to our children?
This is the question David de Bruyn seeks to answer in a profoundly biblical and practical manner in The Conservative Church: Preserving and Transmitting Biblical Christianity, published by G3 Press.
David 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.
In The Conservative Church, David address how we can protect and pass on the whole counsel of God, including what it means to know God, love God, and live for God. David is concerned not only with biblical doctrine, though doctrine is essentially important, but also with biblical affection for God and living for God. He describes these as orthodoxy, orthopathy, and orthopraxy.
Pastor Ryan Martin says this about The Conservative Church:
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.
Professor and author T. David Gordon says,
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.
Missionary and Professor Ryan Bush states,
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.
Order David de Bruyn’s excellent and practical book, The Conservative Church: Preserving and Transmitting Biblical Christianity today!
The Conservative Church: Preserving and Transmitting Biblical Christianity | David de Bruyn
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.
“A practical, winsome, engaging treatment of what it really means to preserve biblical Christianity.”
—Scott Aniol, Executive Vice President and Editor-in-chief, G3 Ministries
