Book Review: Counter Culture by David Platt

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

Author:  David Platt

Publisher:  Tyndale House (2015)

267 pages

"'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me' (Luke 9:23).  Talk about countercultural.  In a world where everything revolves around yourself - protect yourself, promote yourself, comfort yourself, and take care of yourself - Jesus says, 'Crucify yourself.  Put aside all self-preservation in order to live for God's glorification, no matter what that means for you in the culture around you.  And isn't this, after all, the main issue in any culture?  Maybe better stated, isn't he the main issue in any culture?  What if the main issue in our culture today is not poverty or sex trafficking, homosexuality or abortion?  What if the main issue is God?  And what might happen if we made him our focus instead?"

David Platt hopes to compel Christians to not "quietly sit and watch evolving cultural trends", but rather to "courageously share and show our convictions through what we say and how we live".  He readily admits that he has seen a tendency in his own life to engage in certain social issues, while neglecting others.  In this book, he invites us to explore some of these issues in light of the gospel.  

The book has 10 chapters covering different social issues:

1.  The Gospel and Culture

2.  The Gospel and Poverty

3.  The Gospel and Abortion

4.  The Gospel and Orphans and Widows

5.  The Gospel and Sex Slavery

6.  The Gospel and Marriage

7.  The Gospel and Sexual Morality

8.  The Gospel and Ethnicity

9.  The Gospel and Religious Liberty

10.  The Gospel and the Unreached

In each chapter he gives examples of the particular issue in our country and around the world, includes Scripture about the issue and expands on what the Scripture means, and shares how the issue has impacted his own life.  At the end of each chapter is a section called "First Steps to Counter Culture" where he includes bullet point lists of steps we can take.  He includes things to pray for, actions to take and truths from Scripture.

I found the book easy to read and very helpful.  It will make a great reference book to keep on my shelf when I need to be reminded of what Scripture says on these issues.