Confronting the Controversies: Biblical Perspectives on Tough Issues

by Adam Hamilton

Confronting the Controversies is a 7-session group study of “tough issues” based on Adam Hamilton’s sermons on these topics. The seven sessions are:

The Separation of Church and State
Creation and Evolution in the Public Schools
The Death Penalty
Euthanasia
Prayer in Public Schools
Abortion
Homosexuality


The study is designed as a “fishing expedition,” with tools and helps that will enable congregations to make the study a church and community-wide outreach event, including sermon starters and promotion aids.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Religion

158 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

Rev. Adam Hamilton is the founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. He grew up in the Kansas City area. He earned a B.A. degree in Pastoral Ministry from Oral Roberts University and a Master of Divinity Degree from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection has grown from four people in 1990 to more than 16,000 adult members with an average weekly worship attendance of more than 8,600 in 2011. The church was listed as the most influential mainline church in America in a 2005 survey of American pastors.

Adam has been married 30 years to LaVon. They have two grown daughters.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our class on this book ended Tuesday, Jan. 20th. It would be a good book to read by yourself, but it lends itself even better to a class setting. We had social conservatives, moderates, and liberals in our class and it was fun to hear everyone's viewpoints. We also had a pharmacist and a nurse in the class (which was quite small in number) and they were very informative on the issues like euthanasia and abortion. And of course, the pastor himself had good input.

The author, who is a United Methodist minister, does a great job of presenting BOTH sides of many controversial social issues. (prayer in the schools, separation of church and state, capital punishment) He tries to see them in today's context and then examines what the Bible/United Methodist Church has to say on each. He usually takes a very middle of the road approach which I really liked. Turns out, as far as the church is concerned, homosexuality is probably the hardest issue to tackle. There are so many layers to this one.

I'd recommend this book - although it's fairly easy to read, it really delves into some tough questions.

[NancyL Luckey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book recommended by the United Methodist Women's Reading Program. We used it in a Sunday School group and were surprised at how many times we agreed with the author. I wasn't expecting much of it, because I had just read "Enough" by the same author and learned nothing new. While I didn't completely agree with everything, the author was open-minded about each topic which encouraged the reader to be also.
Some of the controversies were agreed upon by the group as really being "non-issues", although they certainly push other people's buttons.
This is definitely a book to read and pass along.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good job of presenting both sides on some subjects like separation of church and state gives this book a 2 star rating for me instead of a 0. The lack of compassion and love was completely unbearable in most parts of this book for me and represents why so many people do not want to be apart of a church community. I was overjoyed when my small group showed the sermon Pastor Adam gave in 2012 which show a development of the compassion and love I was looking for. Keep up the good work of wrestling with these issues and sharing your own growth with others.

[Ruth E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked his very loving views. I also liked that he showed both sides of the issues and didn't make judgements. I especially liked his view on homosexuality. At first, I didn't side with him, because he was against homosexual marriages, which I am not. But he wrote a postscript four years after his first stance in which he softened his view to say that God's grace may be sufficient to include such marriages. He "sees through a mirror dimly". I appreciate his willingness to say that he is now unsure about his stance and to admit that he only understands love, which is really what it is all about anyway.

[BILL NICHOLS · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to tough issues facing all Christians. One of the best parts of this book is that it's brief considering the mammoth subject. Hamilton gives excellent summaries to these major issues and offers helpful insights that I don't always agree with but always respects. It's worth your time.

[Patty Barr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam Hamilton is so good at explaining both sides of each controversial issue in this book, and then putting it in perspective for the Christian reader. It was updated in 2005 from its original publication in 2000, but needs to be updated again. Still, many of the issues are still controversial.

[Cindy Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book itself is OK but it did lead to thoughtful discussions in my Sunday school.

[Joann]

Class project via Zoom during this COVID 19 pandemic time. The book prompted interesting discussions on some prevalent tough topics.

[Diane Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Understanding

I believe that this was well thought out. I would recommend it to anyone who believes their opinions are on the side of God.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well presented, but a little outdated.

[John David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read that cause me to think about the issues that our nation faces today.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought and discussion provoking. Needs updating.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book. I own it. I read it every so often such as during these crazy times to keep my sanity and keep an open mind rather than being brainwashed. You can't legislate morality.

[Alice Beyrent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent discussion of seven moral issues facing our society today. The author concisely examines separation of church and state, evolution, the death penalty, euthanasia, abortion, prayer in schools, and homosexuality, giving a brief overview of the historical and legal perspectives of each issue as well as a discussion of the opposing sides of the issue from a Christian perspective. The author does not tell the reader how to think about each issue, but poses a series of guiding questions at the end of each chapter, designed to help the reader frame his own beliefs about the issue. The author is openly honest about his own struggles with some issues and not attempting to force his way of thinking on the reader. This book is best used in the context of a study - there are study materials available - where there is a strong leader and unlimited time for discussion and examination.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confronting the Controversies is an outstanding book that has us ask ourselves questions like:What are my views on evolution?The separation of church and state
Prayer in public schools
The death penalty
Euthanasia
Abortion
Homosexuality
Adam Hamilton walks you through the controversies of these topics and challenges you to understand why you believe what you do. Adam provides both sides of these issues and shares with you his own struggles. At the and at the end of each chapter, it includes discussion questions that may help you clarify and understand both sides of each topic. The author says he hopes that after reading his book you will be thinking and praying with him about these issues and will have a better understanding of how the Christian faith relates to critical issues in our society today.

[Jerome · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think every Christian should read this book. All too often Christians handle controversial issues in ways that are not very Christ-like. Hamilton lays out the reasoning behind the arguments of both sides of controversial issues and then provides his perspective, with the disclaimer that it is just one Biblical response, not the definitive answer.

I appreciate how civil he is with these issues while still honoring the Bible. Even when I disagreed with him, which wasn't that frequent (or very minor), I appreciated how he approached his response.

I only gave it 4/5 stars because I felt that the book would have benefitted from covering a few more issues. It was pretty short (just over 150 pages) and covered only a few issues.

[Nancy J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The well balanced approach of each chapter included the Biblical perspectives as well as the more conservative and more liberal viewpoints of controversies we all are faced with today. I was not able to meet in the group discussions, and I don't think I changed my beliefs or perspectives very much, but I hope I will be more tolerant after reading about others perspectives. The book included the separation of church and state, evolution, the death penalty, euthanasia, prayer in public schools, abortion and homosexuality.

[Drew McCaffery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book was good in giving both sides of the coin on various controversies from a biblical perspective. My only negative was the subject of Abortion. It is hard to show your opinion on the subject. Also, his change in the Abortion section going from the struggle of women who have had an abortion to move to the story of the woman placing perfume on Jesus's feet was just odd.

This would be a good book for a religious ethics course.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle read given the whopper topics dealt with. Mingling compassion with Biblical teaching, sprinkling in relevant political issues, the book is a great starting point for Christians to figure out what they believe and why. While the book does guide the read to what Hamilton feels is the ultimate Christian response, it is respectful. Christians need to be thinking beings, not blindly following a leader, and this book is a great addition to any thinker's repertoire.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better books that deals with hot-button topics. The death penalty, evolution, abortion, homosexuality are just a few topics addressed. Each is handled both Biblically and compassionately. A good read for those searching through some tough situations.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a series my Sunday School class did. I thought that Mr. Hamilton did a good job of representing both sides of every issue and provided some thought provoking material on many difficult issues.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hamilton provides a range of viewpoints - both sides of issues that we all consider. I appreciate his thoughts and perspectives. He often articulates my thoughts, and helps me clarify opinions. Thank you, Adam, for your research and for sharing it. I appreciate the opportunity to learn!

[Phil Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

These issues have been forefront in the political "discourse" for a number of years. The strength of this book is not that it provides a final answer, but a reference point from which each person can seriously consider the issues.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing the book was taking a step out in faith, but the author failed to become my hero because he was too ambivalent. If you're gonna take a risk, make it really risky!

[Stephen Cotten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really thoughtful analysis of hot-button social issues from a Methodist perspective.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

He does a great job looking at both sides of the issues. Helps explain the reasons on where I stand on almost all of them.

[Ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Adam Hamilton a lot. I make a lot of notes in the margins, (or highlights on kindle ;-) but, for some reason I am left disastisfied when I am done?

[Darlene Elyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed his perception as a pastor with the usage of the Bible as well as realistic viewpoint.