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Review Summary: Culture shift |
Date: 2008-04-19 |
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Details: Albert Mohler does a great job with this book. The first time I listened to this book, I had a defective copy and was not able to listen to the first cd. The book was replaced and I then listened to the first cd. I liked the content of the first cd very much, I thought the first cd was better than the rest.
Mohler brings out some really excellent points. Our culture is changing and we must respond to these changes. Mohler made me think and that is good. |
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Review Summary: Excellent Book |
Date: 2008-03-28 |
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Details: The world keeps changing, and some of those changes are not for the better. It can seem as if we are standing on rapidly shifting sands. Moral issues that were unacceptable a few years ago are commonplace now. Television and the Internet is part of the problem, but an even greater influence is provided through the lax attitude people have toward the difference between right and wrong. Our children are exposed to teachings that undermind our Christian faith, and every day we are faced with questions and decisions previous generations never had o confront. In Culture Shift, Dr. Albert Mohler shines a bright light on the difference between what the world teaches and what God teaches, charting a clear path for the believer who seeks God's will. Recommended |
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Review Summary: A lot of topics, good perspective... |
Date: 2008-03-18 |
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Details: This is the first solo effort by Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. and it was pretty good. First, Dr. Mohler is way more intelligent than I ever will be, so to even attempt to "review" his work seems pretty futile. I was caught off guard by the structure of the book, as I guess I didn't believe Dr. Mohler in the preface that these were essays put into book form. Because of this, there wasn't much flow to the book overall and so it read more like a bunch of essays or blog posts, than a book.
Putting that a side.
The material presented was very well done. The book consists of 20 essays that shows the depth and breadth at which Dr. Mohler represents and defends Christianity. He does it in such a way that is pretty amazing as well. Most say that it is better to be an expert at one thing instead of novice at a lot of things. Dr. Mohler is rare, in that he is an expert at a bunch of today's topics and he shows this in his essays in this book. The essays cover topics such as public policy and the Christian worldview to what Christians should do about public education and their children. Each essay is given from a Christian perspective and one that is balanced and fair. Some of my favorites in the book are:
The Culture of Offendedness (speaking on people being offended in everything and how the Christian should challenge this assertion)
Are We Raising a Nation of Wimps? (parents coddling their child, or young adult, so much that they cannot make their own decisions or present their own thoughts)
Hard America, Soft America (taking away competition all the way into college (soft America), to the business world where it is cut throat (hard America))
Is Abortion a Moral Issue? (Shows the issues that face the arguments being brought forth on the Left wing alone)
Who's Afraid of the Fetus? (This is the best essay out of all as it shows the harsh realities of what happens when women that want abortions are shown their baby through ultrasounds and the reactions from the left wing...i.e. 90% of women change their mind)
Once I figured out that this was a bunch of essays instead of a book, it made the reading easier. What I will tell the reader is that this is more of a ivory tower look at the culture as it deals a lot with public policy and what is happening among congress and the overall picture of all of America. It is a lot different than a blue collar look at culture like you would expect from someone like Mark Driscoll and his book, Radical Reformission. But, if you know anything about the two authors this should be no surprise.
I would definitely recommend the book as it will give you an interesting perspective of what is happening nationwide with policy making and some of the major issues that we deal with overall. Recommended |
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Review Summary: Good read...Mohler needs to reframe some of his positions |
Date: 2008-02-27 |
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Details: While the book was a very good read - informative and engaging - there were a couple of issues that Mohler raised that I would hope he'd reconsider. The first is the concept that everyone should state their religious position when entering the public square - in Mohler's own words, we should "declare the convictional basis" for one's arguments. Later Mohler admits that there is a "commingling" of secular and religious arguments, which is a very good argument not to declare one's convictional basis and simply let the argument stand or fall based on its own merits. Two other reasons not to state that you're a Christian as you engage in the marketplace of ideas is that the term "Christian" is so varied and can mean so many different things - do you mean that you're "born-again" or that you attend church or that you're not an atheist? The other reason is the negative perception that many have to Christians to begin with - why give others reason to dismiss your reasoned argument before they even hear you?
The other area that I hope Mohler rethinks is his concept of an "exit strategy" from the public school system. He frames the issue in such a negative light, when the exact opposite can and should be the case. Working for a private Christian school, I understand the "need" to leave the public school system - but that's not the reason I'm here - I'm working as the Worldview Director at Prestonwood Christian Academy because of the incredible opportunity to train and equip the next generation of godly young men and women who want to make a difference for Christ in the culture. These students and families are not retreating or fleeing the culture like Lot running from Sodom, instead they are preparing to be salt and light in a dark and decaying world that desperately needs men like Daniel and women like Esther to stand boldly for the truth!
Mohler's book is a good read and he hits the nail on the head in his assessment of the culture and the various issues in which Christians must be engaged. Add Culture Shift to your list of books on examining the culture - there are other great books on the subject as well - Serious Times by James Emery White, WorldProofing Your Kids by Leal Arrington, Do Fish Know They're Wet by Tom Neven, and Christian Ethics in Plain Language by Kerby Anderson to name a few. |
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Review Summary: Level Headed Wisdom for "Understanding the Times" |
Date: 2008-02-12 |
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Details: R. Albert offers an incredibly informative examination on many of the most pressing issues that are going on in our country today. I really enjoyed the short-chaptered essay format of this book. They are very concise and get right into the important part of the issue (but I pray they are not incomplete). This book will, indeed, edify the church, in understanding our culture before going out and obeying the first and second greatest commandments.
For its cursory examinations, this book does not offer so much a fiery exhortations to Christians, for it does not seek to do so. For more information on that, refer to the subject matter of "revival." This book has done its job of convincing me that it is the only means to turn this country back to Jesus.
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out of 15 Reviews
