The aim of The Gospel Call and True Conversion is to present a thorough treatment of repentance and genuine conversion. According to Washer, gospel reductionism has filled our churches with false converts.

Paul Washer. The Gospel Call and True Conversion. Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2013. 200 pp. $20.00.

Many millennials have fallen victim to easy believism. I served in summer camp ministries listening to easy believism gospel presentations for a decade. These presentations often skipped over a theology of sin and left out repentance altogether. Many would walk the aisle. After doing so, the first matter discussed was how to keep the spiritual high going. For many, however, this was impossible. The spiritual high could not continue because spiritual regeneration never took place.

The Gospel Call and True Conversion is the second of three volumes in Reformation Heritage’s series on Recovering the Gospel, adapted from Paul Washer’s preaching ministry. Washer is best known for the “Shocking Youth Message” that has been viewed more than 1 million times on YouTube. Former missionary to Peru for 10 years and founder of HeartCry Missionary Society, Washer has helped to shape the discussion on repentance versus easy believism, arguing that American evangelicalism has surreptitiously diluted the gospel of Jesus Christ. Much like the Galatian believers, people are turning to a different gospel because of the widespread effort to distort the true gospel (cf. Gal. 1:6-7).

The aim of The Gospel Call and True Conversion is to present a thorough treatment of repentance and genuine conversion. According to Washer, gospel reductionism has filled our churches with false converts. Each part and chapter is saturated with biblical exposition. Every poignant point is established on biblical precedence. Look in the chapter endnotes and you will find that most notations are Scripture references. Readers will be grateful for his meticulous study and faithful exposition of the biblical text.

Correct Abuses

Keenly gifted at sniffing out false doctrine and practice, Washer confronts evangelical abuses to the gospel. Chapter 1, for example, confronts the tendency to downplay the role of repentance for salvation. This chapter also corrects how we help people into church membership with no demonstration of genuine conversion. Chapter 5 recounts Sallman Warner’s mistaken interpretation of Revelation 3:20 in his painting “Christ at Heart’s Door.” Chapter 6 debunks the myth that God saves because of our need; rather, Washer asserts, God saves for his glory. Chapter 8 discusses society’s tendency to deprive God of authority, while chapter 14 confronts how churches are filled with unconverted souls pandering to unconverted values.

Washer skillfully applies biblical logic to dispel the myths behind these abuses to the gospel. He impressively tackles some of the biggest challenges to the faith and, with tact and clarity, presents a biblical construct for genuine conversion built on ongoing repentance and sanctification.

I love the vivid language Washer employs. In his instruction on demonstrating faith in Christ to the glory of God, he writes, “God has provided only one scarlet thread by which we may safely swing out into eternity: Christ and his bloody death on the cross of Calvary.” This is typical of Washer’s writing. Chapter by chapter is filled with images, analogies, and parables. Chapter 8 exhibits how effectively Washer employs extended analogy. Washer’s acuity for language shines through again in chapter 11 where he writes, “[The Lord] would write his law upon their hearts with indelible ink. His stylus would be the finger of God.”

Biblical Acumen

Washer’s biblical acumen also warrants high praise. In Part I, he skillfully walks through biblical repentance by laying the groundwork of the gospel call encompassing these components: faith, belief and confession, and receiving Christ. Lasting belief, confession, and the absolute and universal lordship of Jesus Christ are themes developed in this part. Speaking with conviction, Washer maintains his high view of the triune God and man’s need to submit to the authority of Christ.

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