It has been a while since I last wrote any book reviews. It is not that I have not been reading. It is just that there has been so many other things to write about. But I want to share with you about two books that I have recently completed.
The first is the newest political thriller from the pen of Joel Rosenberg. It is titled, "The First Hostage." It is a continuation of the story that was begun in the prequel that came out last year, titled "The Third Target." The story plot occurs in the Middle East as ISIS has captured the American President and is threatening to execute him unless all Americans either convert to Islam or pay the high tax. The story line is totally believable considering the world in which we live today. It is a fast-paced book. Once you begin reading it is difficult to put it down. The characters within the story are compelling figures. While you are reading, you will find that your mind begins to react with horror at the almost total distain for life on the part of ISIS and its leadership. Warning: there are some pretty graphic depictions of violent acts in this book. Joel Rosenberg is a tremendous story-teller and creates a narrative that seems to leap off the front pages of our newspapers. If you have not read "The Third Target," then that is your starting point, and then continue with "The First Hostage."
The second book I want to highly recommend is titled, "We Cannot Be Silent," and was written by R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The book's subtitle is, "Speaking truth into a culture redefining sex, marriage, & the very meaning of right & wrong." This book caught my eye as I was browsing through a Christian bookstore one afternoon just before Christmas. I am co-teaching two classes at my church on the topic of a biblical worldview and I was hopeful that this book would give me some additional material for our discussion on sexual morality in today's world. I was not disappointed. As were many of you, I was angered by the Supreme Court decision in the case of Obergefell vs. Hodges that was handed down on June 26, 2015, that drastically changed the definition of marriage. Like you, I wondered how something that would so profoundly change culture could have happened. For, after all, the definition of marriage had not been tampered with since the Garden of Eden. God's definition was (and still is, by the way) one man united to one woman. But now that was changed.
Dr. Mohler began his discussion of this decision, not with the decision itself, but with a history of the sexual revolution of the 1960's and 1970's and how what happened then had its natural consequence in the decision in June 2015. Dr. Mohler lists four things that happened during those years that began the assault upon marriage. He states, "Any consideration of the eclipse of marriage in the last century must take into account four massive developments: birth control and contraception, divorce, advanced reproductive technologies, and cohabitation. All four of these together are required to facilitate the sexual revolution as we know it today. The redefinition of marriage could not have happened without these four developments." (page 17). Dr. Mohler then continues with a brief description of how each of these four developments impacted marriage. Let me just give a quick summary:
a. Birth control and contraception: The separation of sex from procreation. From the very beginning, God's intent for marriage was that it be a tool for "being fruitful and multiplying." So, the very act of sexual intimacy in marriage created that opportunity for a child to be created. Now, not every act of sexual intimacy resulted in a child, but there was that thought lingering in the minds of a husband and wife during those times of intimacy: perhaps we will be blessed with a child. But, what if we desired the sexual intimacy without running the risks of pregnancy, of having a child. So contraceptive pills and devices were created. And, according to Dr. Mohler, the Church, with the exception of the Roman Catholics primarily, remained silent.
"Ultimately, the availability of birth control in a reliable form - particularly in the form of the Pill - unleashed the sexual revolution. So long as sex was predictably related to the potential of pregnancy, a huge biological check on sex outside of marriage functioned as a barrier to sexual immorality. Once that barrier was removed, sex and children became effectively separated and sex became redefined as an activity that did not have any necessary relation to the gift of children. It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of the separation of sex and babies from the moral equation" (page 20).
b. Divorce: I can still remember as a boy growing up that divorce was talked about in "hushed voices." Divorce proceedings were very hostile with anger being the result. One or other of the parties were declared to "be at fault" in the divorce. Result was bitterness and unresolved anger over the process. But, during the 1960's the laws began to change and as a society we went from "fault divorce" to "no-fault divorce." Now the marriage bonds could be easily broken without any one party feeling guilty. "No-fault divorce is a rejection of the scriptural understanding of covenant that stands at the very heart of the Christian gospel" (page 24). And, once again, the Church remained silent. In fact, many evangelicals applauded this new freedom.
c. Cohabitation: Mohler writes, "But just as society grew weary of sanctioning divorce and birth control, it also became lax in policing sex outside of marriage as well. Marriage itself became more and more marginalized to the moral equation of sex such that in vast sectors of our society today, the old references to 'premarital sex' make no sense at all, since marriage is not even on the horizon" (page 27). If it is okay to "test drive" a car before purchasing it, why not "test drive" a relationship before making a commitment to it? Mohler quotes an alarming statement from Karen Benjamin Guzzo who teaches at Bowling Green University. According to Dr. Guzzo, "cohabitation is no longer a step toward getting married but rather a replacement for marriage as an ultimate expectation" (page 29). And, again the Church remained silent.
d. Advanced reproductive technologies: Now it is possible to have a child without having sex with a partner. Mohler: "So the Pill allowed sex without babies, and the modern reproductive technologies allow babies without sex" (page 26).
With this background - which, by the way, I found fascinating and, I must confess, I had never made that equation - Dr. Mohler then proceeds into a careful and thoughtful discussion on same-sex marriage. He deals with the area of gender from a biblical perspective. He focuses upon those biblical texts that deal with homosexuality. And his conclusion is that it is time for the Church to speak up. Allow me to share with you some of Dr. Mohler's conclusions:
a. "We must contend for marriage as God's gift to humanity - a gift central and essential to human flourishing and a gift that is limited to the conjugal union of a man and a woman" (page 183).
b. "We cannot be silent, and we cannot join the moral revolution that stands in direct opposition to what we believe the Creator has designed, given, and intended for us. We cannot be silent, and we cannot fail to contend for marriage as the union of a man and a woman" (page 183).
c. "We are charged to uphold marriage as the union of a man and a woman and to speak the truth in love. We are also commanded to uphold the truth about marriage in our own lives, in our own marriages, in our own families, and in our own churches" (page 183).
d. "We are called to be the people of the truth, even when the truth is not popular and even when the truth is denied by the culture around us" (page 183).
Friends, I highly recommend a careful reading of this book. It would even be worthwhile to discuss within a small-group study. This is not a book to be read hastily, but almost prayerfully so that the truths from the Word of God can sink deeply into one's heart and mind.
Both books speak to the day in which we live. Both should frighten each of us into a deeper understanding of the Word of God and a stronger dependence upon The Truth found only in Jesus.
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