This hard-hitting book is a must read for anyone who is interested in engaging today’s culture with the gospel. Craven pulls no punches from the very beginning. Less than 2 ½ pages in he says:
"In comparison with past achievements, it is safe to say that evangelical Christianity is in a pathetic state of decadence and decline in the West. It is, to a large degree, fragmented, watered down, and retreating from relevancy”
Craven then goes on to discuss some very important and even some controversial cultural and social issues including postmodernism, homosexuality, marriage and feminism. As part of his discussion of these topics, Craven does a great job in offering solutions to the problems. In his discussion on postmodernism he offers this advice:
“The evangelical opportunity created by postmodernism lies in the resultant desire for recovering a connectedness to other people and to spiritual meaning."
While this book can be looked at by many as controversial, I think it is a much needed call to action for Christians who are looking for a way to get out on the front lines and make a difference. In the Epilogue, titled “What Are We To Do?, Craven offers these words:
“…retreat is not an option the Lord has given to us. God, in His providence, has placed you and me in this very place, in this very time, and the call of Jesus Christ remains Follow me!”
If you’re looking for culturally relevant and scripturally based answers to many of today’s cultural and social issues, this book is for you.
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I have read this superb book and in fact endorsed it. I urge your readers to get a copy and read it. It is not the predictable easy answers most if us have come to expect. Your blog captures the "core" of the book's message well.
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