Introduction

Nick Franks – a forty-something year old writer and speaker from Edinburgh – is primarily a Christian visionary. For many years he has expressed alarm at the western Church’s inability to live up to the mark. Anyone who has read his previous work, Body Zero (2019), will know that he pulls no punches, making bold assertions that few others would dare to publicly make.

For what is essentially a self-published study, The Glorious Few is very well written, edited and presented (the latter not surprising, perhaps, given Nick’s formidable IT skills) – and the cover art is truly arresting.

The author’s longstanding burden is for the Church to shake itself out of its woeful state of lethargy, indifference and liberalism and to draw it to national repentance, that it might rise to be a Bride of Christ pleasing to the Bridegroom and prepared for His soon return.

Forceful quotes

It’s a stimulating and exacting read, packed with punchy comments, many of which certainly got this reviewer thinking – and praying. Here is a select offering……

‘… the unfaithful, covenant people of God must repent, bow to our knees, slaughter our filthy idols and seek Him with tears’ (p.14)

‘The urgent need within church-based teaching is not to equip people to run evangelistic courses or street outreaches, but to simply love the Trinity more than life itself’ (p.27).

‘There is no shortage of extremists – except within the Church’ (p.28).

‘When Christ bids a man, He bids him to come and die’ (p.35) - a Boenhoeffer quote.

‘The most spectacular evil in the world is not so much Islamic suicide bombers, but the silent majority of Christian disciples’ (p.38)

We need to become one of the ‘glorious few’ who are ‘desperate enough to “count the cost” associated with being faithful to the radicalising leading of the Holy Spirit because they are hungrier for God than they are for “church” (p.132).

'What do I desire the most – the absence of fear and trembling or the presence of His power?’ (p.193)

Most Christians congregate weekly at ‘a finance-sapping basilica hearing absolutely no call to action unto gospel proclamation’ (p.197)

‘I am talking about cancelling everything else and cleansing everything else that is already happening (and demonstrably resistant to the Holy Spirit), in order to facilitate what God will then want to do among us’ (p.227).

Abortion & Sexuality

There are three issues in particular which weigh strongly on Nick’s heart and where he feels the Church needs to be far more outspoken and active about; these are abortion, transgenderism and LGBT ideology and the corruption of biblical marriage. But while he comes back to these topics repeatedly, there is little sign of similar focus on other prominent biblical issues – such as love, mercy and forgiveness.

while he comes back to these topics repeatedly, there is no similar focus on other prominent biblical issues – such as love, mercy and forgiveness.

His hard-line stance is apparent for example, in the fact that, on a hired trip to take aerial photos of a ‘baby-killing factory’ in London, he ironically shuns a day of prayer and repentance being held in a Westminster venue for the millions of babies aborted in Britain since 1967. He felt the event was ‘not the genuine Church response to the historic heart-cutting of the Holy Spirit that is urgently required’. ‘Where are the bloodshot eyes’, Franks asks, ‘where are the tears?’ A single day of repentance for millions of human babies, was, he feels, ‘the worst possible contradiction in terms’ (p.12).

Church Renewal

Elsewhere, Nick questions a recent prophetic word given by an English pastor which spread quickly across the UK church, and which, though acknowledging that times were going to get tough, looked forward in the very near future to a massive national revival. ‘There wasn’t one solitary mention of the need for the British (or indeed, Western) Church to repent’, laments Franks (p.13), echoing also this reviewer’s own concerns.

The author soberly calls for a literal book-burning of all publications that clearly contradict the Word of God (he offers as examples, Bill Johnson, Rob Bell and prosperity gospel books, but also includes Ravi Zacharias, along with Justin Peters, who Nick credits for drawing attention to the afore-noted ‘heretics’, but who Nick goes on to also denounce – on discovering that Peters is in fact ‘a mocking cessationist heretic’ (p.87). Few, it seems, manage to avoid the scrutiny of Nick’s puritanical censure. (I may well be near the top of Nick’s ‘heretics’ list. I own books by all of the authors mentioned here!)

Few, it seems, manage to avoid the scrutiny of Nick’s puritanical censure.

Nick deplores ‘denominational idolatry’ (p.89) and expresses frustration with the niceness and safety of the vast majority of evangelical church services. Instead, he calls readers to imagine how impactful it would be if leaders were to kick their congregants out of their buildings (especially on Sunday mornings) so they might start proclaiming the gospel in needy neighbourhoods. ‘Can you imagine how much the people would grow?’, Nick asks. ‘Can you imagine how many people would be truly impacted by the love of God?’ (p.164). These are sobering, challenging thoughts; and you’ll find plenty more within these 250 pages.

Islamic Inversion

Indeed, with a book of this size, packed with controversial opinions, it’s hardly surprising that a reviewer is going to find some areas of contention. Franks repeatedly calls believers to ‘surrender to the radicalisation of the Holy Spirit’ – the book’s subtitle also reflecting this theme. While I find this idea refreshing, the author repeatedly draws on the inverted parallel of Islamic suicide bombers who cause massive destruction through their unflinching loyalty to Allah.

I can’t help feeling that too much emphasis is placed on seeking to learn from Islamic terrorists and their methods (notably Chapter 6). It’s questionable how much God’s people can learn from what is effectively a counterfeit. And I flinch at Nick’s repeated use of the phrase ‘spiritual violence’ - ‘we need more desperation for more spiritual violence’ (see pp.26, 43, 125, 131) despite his reassurance that he is of course not calling believers to carry physical arms.

the author repeatedly draws on the inverted parallel of Islamic suicide bombers who cause massive destruction through their unflinching loyalty to Allah.

Some might question Nick’s right to pour scorn on the Church when he appears to operate largely outside it – apparently not being part of a healthy living fellowship (pp.231, 232). It’s obviously all too easy to point out what’s wrong with the Church, and to stipulate what it needs to do to be on right track. Much more difficult when you’re the leader of a diverse group of individuals with different backgrounds, ages, needs and thoughts / ‘words’ from the Lord on how to ‘do church’.

Don’t dismiss lightly

While, like me, you may find some of what Nick says way too critical, it would be wrong to regard The Glorious Few as nothing more than the rant of a disaffected ‘prophet’. However staunch his criticisms, I found it difficult to put the book down – and I read it through (while on annual leave) within a couple of days.

One cannot help but recognise in this book a heartfelt plea for immediate significant reform within the Church – we’re talking primarily about the evangelical Church here – that we might become an acceptable offering to Christ our Lord, that body of victorious saints that God has truly called us to be.

It’s potent, thought-provoking, heart-stirring, impactful and at times shocking stuff.

It’s potent, thought-provoking, heart-stirring, impactful and at times shocking stuff. Though it certainly doesn’t hold all the answers – indeed, it simply offers one perspective – I wish evangelical church leaders in Britain would at least seriously reflect on its teachings (sadly, most won’t).

For strong and raw as they are – I don’t think Franks’ considered thoughts should be dismissed lightly.

The Glorious Few is published by Firebrand Notes from where it is available for £11.99 (plus p&p).