An Interview With Trevin Wax Concerning His New Book "Holy Subversion"

1. Why did you write Holy Subversion?

I wrote Holy Subversion as a challenge to the Church to identify the prevailing idolatries in our society, and to deliberately subvert those idolatries by living for Christ. The book is focused on discipleship, but it’s for the sake of evangelism. I believe that once the church makes disciples who look distinct from the world, our evangelistic witness will be strengthened.


2. Talk about the writing process. How did this book come about?

I first started working on the proposal and sample chapters back in 2007. I had taught at a weekend getaway for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. Those talks led to an initial proposal that eventually got picked up by Crossway in 2008. I wrote the bulk of the book during the summer of 2008. Still, I feel like the book has been in the works for ten years or so. My experiences in Romania, my service to a church in the Bible Belt, my seminary education… all these things came together and led to the formation of the ideas in Holy Subversion.


3. What is your target audience for this book?

I believe pastors and church leaders will find this book helpful as they think through areas of discipleship and evangelism that can be improved. At the same time, I tried to make this book very accessible for college students and young adults. As we watch the world around us bow down to the idols of Money, Power, and Sex, we need practical suggestions as to how communities can best proclaim the gospel meant to shape all aspects of life.


4. How has the response been?

Since this is my first book, it’s hard for me to measure response because I’ve got nothing to compare it to. I’ve been blessed by the number of people who have endorsed the book, and also the number of people who have written reviews or encouraged others to buy it.


5. If you could boil it down to one thing, what do you want people to take away from this book?

The gospel changes our life: our behavior, our attitude and our outlook. The true gospel is transformative and reaches into the most practical, personal decisions we make.


6. Are you looking to continue to publish in this way? What future projects do you have in mind?

I’ve got a proposal in the works, but it’s in the early stages. Right now, I’m enjoying the opportunity to talk and write about the ideas in Holy Subversion.


7. What authors influenced you in the formation of your thinking for this book?

Francis Schaeffer, John Piper, N.T. Wright, Tim Keller, John Stott, and Russell Moore. I’ve also been heavily influenced by the heroes of church history, seeing how they took bold stands for Christ even at the cost of personal comfort.