Counter Culture

This book had been on my "to read" pile for a while because I like David Platt. Like his other books this one is calling Christians to not just believe certain things, but to live in a radical or counter-cultural way. Platt is aware that the topics he touches on are polarising and political, but he put that to one side and see them primary is as a Christian issue. Regardless of what the culture thinks, Christians should be putting forward Christian ideas and living how God would have them, regardless of the implications. I guess that want it means to be a servant/slave to Christ.

There was a general progression of topics, moving from poverty, abortion, adoption, sex slavery, marriage, pornography, race, religious freedom and reaching the lost. While this was very American this book isn't hard to translate to Australian. The root issues are still the same. Our culture has generally separated, marriage, sex and children from each other and has also redefined a few of those words too.

Platt does practice what he says in this book. He has visited many poor countries, talked with sex traffickers, has a passion for the unreached and has adopted twice. He is a pastor and shares personal stories touching on these issues, shows the cultural tension and then puts forward what the Bible says. At the end of each chapter under the headings Pray, Participate and Proclaim there are a series of practical tips that you can do to move forward on that topic, also there is a plug for its website that has more resources and information about groups to support and volunteer for.

One thing I felt halfway thought this book was fatigue. The issues it touches on are horrendous and massive. I can't help in all these areas, I often feel time poor with all my current commitments. In fact, I even put the book down for a month or two as I thought I was getting a bit desensitized to the pressing issues and needs. When I started another chapter it felt a little bit like "here is another massive issue I can't solve" While Platt isn't saying you have to do something from each chapter, I think he would want you to pick one thing and do something. And maybe this is the problem. I am too busy with my own little world, that I am not looking out for the victims of some great problem, and when it does come on my radar, I think "what can I do about it anyway?"

I did appreciate the whole framing of these issues in the sphere of the gospel. Platt sees the biggest problem that all people face is that they are destined for hell without Jesus. The goal isn't just to rescue people from sex slavery or to adopt people from a third world country to live comfortable lives. There are many people living comfortable lives now who will go to hell. Christians, on the other hand, are to live uncomfortable lives in this culture, telling others about Christ and loving their neighbor. This book was a good prompt for me, and I think all going into this book should be prepared to do something to care for those in this world. If not you are just going to waste your time knowing more things and not acting them out.

Postscript: When I finish a book I leave it near my PC so I can blog about it before I put it back on the shelf. Also, for some reason, I can never mark up a book with highlighting or underlines - I feel that I am ruining the text somehow. While this book was next to my PC, my 2-year-old found joy in scribbling in the front cover of this book. This made me mad, but then it occurred to me, that this is such a first world problem. Who cares if one of the hundreds of books I own is marked? There are people out there dying of preventable things and people stuck in slavery and additions. We have it so well off. Having scribble in the cover of a book is the least of my problems - there are people around me and around the world who are on their way to an eternity without Jesus.

Two other books by David Platt
Radicals
Follow Me