A Compassionate Call to Counter Culture in a World of Poverty, Same-Sex Marriage, Racism, Sex Slavery, Immigration, Abortion, Persecution, Orphans and Pornography by David Platt

A Compassionate Call to Counter Culture in a World of Poverty, Same-Sex Marriage, Racism, Sex Slavery, Immigration, Abortion, Persecution, Orphans and Pornography Reviews

• 
  Tiffany

  This is not a book for someone who wants to continue in a comfortable Christian lifestyle. However, if you're willing to challenge yourself to live out the gospel fully in the midst of today's culture, then this is the book for you. This book will help you assess how will grounded your current views and perspectives are as compared to scripture. For far too many Christians, their views and their lifestyles are more informed and influenced by the world than they are by the gospel. In a world with some many lost and dying, we can't afford to continue down the path we are on as Christians that have been entrusted with the message of hope and salvation. If we believe that today is the day of salvation, then our lives need to reflect that. This book provides a window into what they may mean. There is one caution though -- any action taken should be one that is guided and directed by the Holy Spirit and not purely a temporary emotional response that will pass. You will need to count the cost.
• 
  Natalie Vellacott

  I received this free as it was damaged. It was a really great read. (I was surprised by this as I saw that the author was a best-seller which usually means they haven't written anything that challenges Christians to examine themselves! )
  
  The author Platt honestly admits that he has made mistakes in the past by taking a neutral stance in relation to controversial Christian issues. He has more than compensated for this by writing a book to encourage people to counter the Western culture and to really live out their Christian faith practically.
  
  He covers a range of issues including abortion, same-sex marriage, poverty, sex slavery, immigration, orphans, racism, pornography, persecution. He examines the various cultural viewpoints and explains how Christians have gradually allowed themselves to conform to the culture. He challenges Christians not to hide from these issues or shy away from them but to use them as an opportunity for Gospel witness. He gives practical ways to get involved in responding biblically to all of these issues after encouraging Christians to pray for an area of service.
  
  The author places clear emphasis on the Gospel being the most important aspect that should be at the center of all of our "works" as Christians. He explains how help without hope doesn't really help anyone. I especially enjoyed the last chapter about evangelism and the unreached.
  
  Recommended to all Western Christians who want to challenged.
• 
  Jo Stoy

  Platt handles most of these topics with grace, Scripture, and finesse. I admire especially the chapter on Widows and Orphans—well done and gracefully handled. However, some of these topics were rooted more in Platt’s hermeneutical, white assumptions than biblical truth. I am not arguing that his interpretation was unbiblical, I am just saying he uses ethos and pathos more often to carry his points than the words of Jesus. For instance, Platt uses the Bill of Rights as an example of America trampling on Christian religious freedoms... without bringing up the point that most of our founding fathers were not “Christians” of today’s standards, but deists. Obviously this complicates the matter a bit, and doesn’t offer historical justice to what the authors originally intended.
  
  This and a couple other examples frustrate me as someone who strives for historical and cultural accuracy in my Scriptural interpretation. I want to do right by reading an ancient book written two thousand years ago and have proper biblical theology. Our tools of interpreting Scripture, like Redemptive-Movement hermeneutic or Grammatical-Historical hermeneutic, do form the basis of living counter-culturally, as much as we’d like to disassociate them.
  
  However, I recognize that most Christians reading this book aren’t as familiar with Scriptural interpretation, so his writings aren’t far off from what most evangelical believers interpret from the Bible. At the end of each chapter, Platt does bring things back to Christ and the fuller picture of His majesty... so that no matter how we interpret Scripture, we are held to live out a genuine faith under the grace of a mighty, just, and gracious God. And I, for one, did feel conviction for living out a more socially-correct gospel than a gospel centered around my loving, grace-filled Jesus Christ. Certainly a call for fixing our eyes on the Author and Perfecter of our faith... and recognizing the grace that comes with a generous God.
• 
  Michael Otto

  The author talks about 9 subjects/ areas Christians should fight against and raise their voices that are happening in our culture. At the end of each chapter he gives practical steps to affect & counter these subjects/areas. Hence that is where the Counter Culture part of the title comes in.
• 
  Bryan Taylor

  David Platt provides clear and Biblical answers to some difficult topics many Christians struggle with. He offers a great amount of Scripture on the topics and provides good interpretation of the passages. Platt also provides great ways to get involved practically at the end of each chapter, with three methods: pray, participate and proclaim. Great read and helpful in solidifying my beliefs on these subjects and offering ways we can lovingly engage the world around us with the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• 
  Alice

  A flawed book that was unsatisfying to read. Although the author certainly writes with heartfelt urgency, the book suffers from WAY too much wordiness and very thin arguments that too often appeal to emotion rather than logic and/or Scripture. Bonus star for the inspiring chapter on caring for widows and orphans, which powerfully employed biblical as well as personal examples rather than relying so heavily on emotional verbosity as each of the other chapters do.
• 
  Bek Barrett

  This book holds a very powerful message which calls us to choose the cross over comfort. If we follow Christ we need to continually keep choosing the cross. We are called to stand for Christ in the face of every tough issue, we can't just keep picking the easy route and avoiding the topics that make us uncomfortable. There are very tough topics this book will give direction to face and David Platt clearly explains the desperate necessity of standing counter-culturally in our society today.
• 
  Cory Deckard

  I struggled mightily on how to rate this book. I love Platt as a general rule so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this. I was disappointed though. Most of the topics covered here have been discussed extensively for years and I didn't feel Platt presented a new approach or a new viewpoint.
• 
  Megan

  Convicting. My husband asked how I was liking this book, and I said it was as if David Platt himself was holding the book and hitting me over the head with it.
  
  In this book, Platt walks through a specific world-problem in each chapter, giving a definition of each, sharing examples through story, telling why we as Christians should care about them, and how we can play a part. He speaks on abortion, sex-trafficking, theology of sex & marriage, orphans and widows, and many others. He says that as Christians we don’t have the option to “sit these issues out,” if you will, or to be too overwhelmed that we choose to do nothing at all. The gospel and social justice are intertwined in a way where the gospel should spur us on to love our neighbors in tangible ways (including, as the highest priority, sharing the gospel).
  
  I loved this book as it has spurred me on to look into serving in my local community, church body, and home.
• 
  Becca Loritz

  David Platt does an exceptional job of discussing the issues in our world that are hard to confront & easier to avoid. He challenges those of us who claim to follow Christ to consider what that really looks like in our culture today & to unabashedly share the gospel and love people. If you aren’t a follower of Christ and have been hurt by the church or wonder what the Bible says about social issues I would also recommend this book :)
• 
  Jason Harris

  A good book. Well worth the read. And challenging in some key areas in which Evangelicals need to be challenged.
  
  In a day when social justice is a dirty word for many Evangelicals, this book is refreshingly biblical in calling Christians to take injustice seriously and get involved in living out the gospel in our communities. There are so many moments of gospel clarity and generally a great theology of caring practically while proclaiming clearly.
  
  Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks.
  
  1) For a book that has a chapter on ethnicity, this book is very ethnocentric. So much so that I couldn't recommend its use outside the USA. Even though Platt has made a conscious effort not to be ethnocentric, he's failed. And this leads to the next concern.
  
  2) The book repeatedly falls into conservative ruts. For instance, there are no new thoughts about abortion. And almost nothing about domestic violence, even in the chapter on orphans and widows. The closing chapter sounds like a "missions conference" at a Fundamentalist church: "God is leading many more of us (maybe the majority of us) to go to [other] cultures" (p. 272). It's not about mature gospel communities that are thriving here and reaching out elsewhere, but about going or sending, and little else.
  
  3) Time after time Platt is imprecise with his words. You sort of know what he means. But he hasn't actually quite said it.
  
  4) It's never quite clear what culture Platt wants us to counter. Sometimes it's American culture. Sometimes "the world" in general. Sometimes, it's Christian culture itself. Conceptually, the book is a bit loose.
  
  All that said, if you're an American Conservative Christian who attends a large church, this book was written for you. And it will help you. Like it helped me. If you're looking for the ideal book on Christian engagement with the community and the culture, this is probably not the book you're looking for.
• 
  Matt Crawford

  This was a book I had said for a long time that I was going to read. Finally had to for a class on evangelical ethics. I am so glad that I did because every chapter confronted me with conviction. Not only with the issues that the book faces such as the sex trade, refugees, and abortion, but with my faith in Christ. As a culture or nominal Christian or as a rue Cristian, one is confronted with the question of "who do you say that I am?" (Matt 16:15) It makes one confront and answer thier own identity in Christ. Platt's language makes it easy to read but it is not shallow. Deep book. Necessary read.
• 
  Zoe A

  Confronting but encouraging. We are called not to be passive in our faith but to sacrifice the earthly and worldly comforts with confidence in Jesus. People’s earthly needs are great but their eternal need is greater!!!
• 
  Chelsia

  I got this book a year ago and finally made the time to sit down and read it. I had started reading it a few months ago and the first chapter was so weighty and informative I could tell I wasn't in the right mindset for it. So I actually set it aside for a few months and picked it back up a few weeks ago and made it my goal to read a chapter almost daily. I am SO SO glad I came back to this book and with the right mindset in place this time because it really gave me the chance and the book the opportunity to sink in deep.
  I'm a Christian believer...BUT, I feel like this is a book that should be read by all. For those who are believers, it will probably convict you deeper than you expect. For the conservative it will pierce your heart more. For the unbeliever it might make you wonder and question...or solidify what you believe already and for the liberal...it might give you the opportunity to see another side of things without judgement or condemnation that you might feel.
  I think it is so important as a person seeking information to read and hear all the angles before making choices and the chapters in this book definitely give a sobering perspective of some of the human rights issues, politics, and heart issues that make up our world.
  As a Christian, I expected to be moved and convicted of certain issues, like abortion and marriage. I was not expecting to feel more for the issue of sex slavery, refugees, and religious liberty. I knew what these things were, but never having read or study it...was eye opening, heart wrenching, and so so convicting.
  I appreciate so much the writing of this book because it truly reflects God's Word, the gospel, and the heart of Jesus. It's hard hitting and compassionate. It literally beckons you to pray about these issues and then offers ways in which you can help or gain more knowledge, but mostly...it opens up our entire world to the reader. Not just what journalism in America wants you to hear, but the raw truth of real lives all around the world who are facing moral conflicts of oppression.
  This should be read. And then read again and again.
• 
  Kacie

  This book is soooo good!! It’s a phenomenal read. Such an eye-opener and very relevant to today’s culture.
• 
  Kaite

  Convicting and powerful. I’ll probably re-read it to fully grasp all his concepts.
• 
  Chris

  I usually do not like reading books that claims that Christians can change the world/revolutionised the world. I usually find them too far fetched or too arrogant in their claims. This book however was very different from such books. Although one might think that this book teaches how christians can do great things to change the world, this book does otherwise.
  
  Having seen a recent rave on this book, and having read and heard about David Platt previously, I decided to try reading this book although this is a topic I usually skip. I have found that this book does not attempt to tell you what you can do to change the world, this book however will deeply challenge how serious you take the christian faith.
  
  Platt first starts by affirming that the most counterculture thing in the christian faith is the gospel. This I found was a point at has often been skipped over by other christian authors. Often, what is considered to be countercultural is actually the implications of the gospel (you should be…). Platt however sets the picture straight, the most countercultural thing is that God saves us by His grace through faith in Christ Jesus, and that remains always to be the most counterculture aspect of the christian faith.
  
  Next, Platt raises to the reader’s attention several issues that challenges the christian who are living in comfort. He tackles the issue of poverty, showing how it affects the rest of the world and what we can do to help solve this problem. Time and time again, Platt points out several simple things in life that we take for granted, but these are actually huge problems in various part of the world. He challenges the christians living in modern times to examine our lives and to see how we can fight for what is biblical. Added to his, Platt often gives example of what is happening near the home. His examples do not just consists of stories that happened in a far away land, no, he often gives examples of what is happening within United States.
  
  I have gone away being deeply challenged by this book. I have been challenged not to change the world by doing something big for God, but I have been challenged to change the many aspects of my lives so that I can be countercultural at where I am. I highly encourage all christians to give this book a read, you might be challenged to examine your lives and change your way of live because of it.
  
  Rating: 5 / 5
  
  Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
• 
  Harold Cameron

  Dr. David Platt has gone and done it again. He has written another book that is totally relevant to Christians and the church. In his latest book he writes to speak to the heart of the matter of many of the issues that confront our society and challenge our churches today. And he has done so in both a Biblical and loving way. In his book Dr. Platt addresses such issues as abortion, poverty, racism, same-sex marriage and others. As he states in the book some of the issues get more attention from church leaders than others BUT ALL the issues he writes about in the book are of great importance to the church. They matter to God and they should matter to us as well stirring us to some type of God-led action.
  In his book Dr. Platt describes each issue such as poverty or sex slavery than provides Biblical insights as to how we are to respond and can respond as Christians. At the end of each chapter his Pray, Participate and Proclaim section is most helpful for us as potential Biblical practical ways to get involved are offered. And as Christians we MUST get involved. Dr. Platt issues a very clear and unashamed clarion call to action on our parts as believers after we finish reading the book.
  This book is not an easy read and not for the faint at Christian heart as the issues are heartbreaking (real people are involved and their very lives are at stake) with some of the information shared being raw and stirring to the heart (so I suggest you have a box of tissues nearby when you read the book).
  Buy the book and read it then pray about what God would have YOU to do. Next participate in God's will for you in regards to how you should respond to the issue personally, proclaiming the good news of the Gospel as you do so that together we can Biblically, lovingly and effectively respond to our culture with answers for the questions and solutions for the issues that confront and divide so many of us today.
• 
  Rick Shrader

  This is a free book on Amazon for Kindle. I downloaded it and read it—about a 20 minute read. I would not even report on it except that what Platt does here is interesting. He gives a short report on current moral problems in the US and the world (poverty, abortion, orphans, sex slavery, ethnicity, immorality, etc). His information is good and informative, so worth the free download. However, at the end of each section he suggests ways to get involved in these social issues (“engaging the culture”). One of the ways is always to contact his ministry.
  The free book turns out to be a promotion for his website and ministry. He is a SBC graduate from New Orleans Seminary and this book is published through International Mission Board (IMB). Platt’s ministry is called “Radical” and you can find it on his website. He also has a gathering called “Secret Church” which is his home church, and also promotes a seminar on these social issues for which you must buy a ticket ($7) and the session is rated PG due to the type of material with which he deals. Again, the material is informative but he truly believes all churches must be involved in these social issues or we are not right with God. And, this is the first time I’ve been lured into someone’s ministry and blog by being offered a free book on Amazon. No doubt this will be more common in the future.
  
  
  See more reviews on my website
• 
  Aaron Downs

  David Platt’s A Compassionate Call to Counter Culture demonstrates a gospel driven response to the cultural difficulties of poverty, so called same sex marriage, racism, sex slavery, immigration, persecution, abortion, orphans, and pornography.
  
  This little book is a helpful guide to lay foundations for a biblical view on each of these topics. Platt recognizes that Christians are not first to be counter-cultural, but to be lovers of Jesus Christ living in submission to the gospel. But living in submission to the Gospel and in obedience to Jesus Christ often looks like breaking social norms and countering culture’s promotion of autonomy and idolatry.
  
  Platt presents what the culture’s ideas of each topic are, what a biblical view of each topic is, and what Christians should do about it. He closes each section with three helpful lists: he has a list of how to pray for each topic, a list of how to practically participate in applying the gospel to these issues, and a short list of relevant Scriptures.
  
  This book by no means exhaustively discusses these topics, but it does present some really important issues and lays a foundation for how to think about them biblically. This little book is definitely worth picking up.
  
• 
  Bryan

  One of the best books I've read in a long time. Through personal stories and biblical texts, David Platt concisely addresses how to bring the Gospel into our culture's most volatile social issues. Platt states that ultimately every social issue in our culture is a Gospel issue. This is a book I'll return to regularly to address poverty, same-sex marriage, racism, sex slavery, immigration, persecution, abortion, orphans and pornography. Indelibly convicting, Platt exhorts believers to apply the Gospel to these issues with courage and compassion in the world around us. I hate saying books are "must reads," but I'll acquiesce for this one since I couldn't put it down and encourage every Christian to read it thoroughly and pray through Platt's challenges to your life.
• 
  Matthew Bandy

  This was one of the most encouraging books I've read this year. Despite the rapid decline in our societies morally and spiritually I believe this book answers how the gospel speaks to each subject in healthy applied theology for our day. I would highly recommend it and pray I could be faithful to uphold the gospel and push forward especially helping the poor, widows and oppressed more than ever with a focus on gospel centric application
• 
  David Shane

  A fine book, with a nice mix of anecdotes and statistics. I would recommend it especially for younger Christians though - for some of us (like me!) who read about these topics all the time and have been for a long time, there might be a lot of "yeah, I knew that already" going on. Which doesn't mean it's a bad book.
• 
  Glenn

  This is a book that every follower of Jesus needs to read, but they won't like it... The book will challenge us to get off our couch and out of our comfortable lives and live for Jesus... It provides us with information we don't want to hear and convicts us to do something other than be selfish... A must read...
• 
  Brent Craig

  This is a book that every Christian should read. David Platt has a heart for all people groups. This book challenges each of us to ask,"What should I be doing for God, the poor and oppressed, and especially those who do not know Him?"