Gay marriage. Poverty. Pornography. Abortion. Racism. Turn on the news and you will be bombarded with these and many other issues. As believers, how are we to respond as salt and light within a culture that seems to embrace literally everything God desires for humanity not to do? Do we retreat within the walls of our local church or are we called to run to the battle, to be a people on the front lines addressing all of these types of societal issues with the message of the gospel. David Platt, in his latest book aptly titled Counter Culture, expresses the position that God’s people must be in the midst of the battle armed with a proper biblical understanding of how to address what is taking place all around us.
David Platt is a man full of passion for the things of God and that passion literally drips from every of this book. Those who have not read his other books or who might be unfamiliar with Platt should be warned that they will find themselves thoroughly challenged after reading this book. Platt is a man that speaks and writes directly to the point, driving directly to the heart of the matter at hand. He is one who has experienced through his ministry outreach the struggles people are facing not just in the United States, but all across the world.
Perhaps that is why I enjoyed reading this book so immensely as it was not just another academic minded book on the nature of poverty and the ten best ways to help people in need. It was not a book full of heart-wrenching stories about some person who was trapped in the world of pornography. While Platt certainly does share heart-wrenching stories and he does provide the reader with recommendations on how to take action, this is a book that digs much deeper and that moves the reader past surface issues to what really is taking place in the world with the how and why of what our response must be to those issues.
Platt drives home repeatedly that everything he discusses whether it is homosexuality, abortion, poverty, or racism, must be understood from the lens of the gospel. What we are seeing take place around us is a culture that is thumbing their nose at a holy God which is an offense to God because such actions are at their root sinful behavior. With that said, to live counter-culturally is to live with a proper understanding of the gospel. In order to share the saving message of the gospel, we have to first understand what the gospel is all about so we can shine the light of that gospel into the darkest places of our culture.
Building on that all-important foundation, Platt then explores the ways by which we can be counter cultural, the how’s and why’s if you will of helping the poor, addressing the horrific practice of abortion and sex trafficking, helping those trapped by the bondage of pornography, or dealing with the increasingly troubling problem of racism. Without a gospel-based foundation, our efforts will fall short as the solution to these problems is not another program or a series of legislation, but rather God’s people declaring the true solution to these problems, the saving message of the gospel. Platt does a marvelous job of outlining what that looks like in a practical everyday sense.
There can be no doubt that anyone who reads this book will be challenged. It is my prayer and I believe the prayer of David Platt that we do more than just read the wise words shared in this book. I pray we not only take the excellent message of this book to heart, but more importantly, I pray the reader answers the call to action presented by Platt for the purpose of sharing the message of the gospel to be the salt and light we have been commanded by God to be to a world that is falling apart at the seams and that so desperately needs the compassionate call to counter culture declared by Platt in this timely book. I highly recommend this book for all believers. Read it and get out there and be engaged in our culture!
This book is available for purchase from Tyndale by clicking here.
I received this book for free from Tyndale for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Michael lives in Belleville, IL, a suburb of St. Louis, MO with his wife Erica, adopted daughter Alissa, two cats Molly and Sweetie Pie and horse Beckham. After spending eight years in the United States Navy as a Yeoman, he has been employed for the past ten years by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) where he oversees advanced educational programs. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Religion (Biblical Studies) from Liberty University and is currently closing in on completing a Master of Arts in Religion (Biblical Studies) from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He is an avid reader and blogger.