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The Tattooed Jesus
Would Jesus tattoo Leviticus 19:26 on his left thigh?
Some Christians consider it borderline blasphemy to even ask the question. Others are delighted to answer the question in the affirmative. Both parties can’t be right.
In an age of Western apostasy, it should come as no surprise to find cultural apostasy leading the way. In this pungent little book, Kevin Swanson challenges the modern Christians that capitulate to the post-Christian worldviews and cultural expressions. He doggedly refuses to separate worldviews and culture, pressing hard for repentance, or a change of worldview in the mind the reader.
Christians are too easily ruined by philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men (Col. 2:8), because they are not discerning of bad ideas and bad cultural devices. Kevin Swanson addresses such varying topics as major motion pictures, popular music, country music, eastern medicine, tattoos, computer games, horror literature, fantasy, sports, super heroes, Contemporary Christian Music, Hip Hop, Thomas Kinkade, Harry Potter, Jack Bauer, Sesame Street, and the Hunger Games.
Some Christians consider it borderline blasphemy to even ask the question. Others are delighted to answer the question in the affirmative. Both parties can’t be right.
In an age of Western apostasy, it should come as no surprise to find cultural apostasy leading the way. In this pungent little book, Kevin Swanson challenges the modern Christians that capitulate to the post-Christian worldviews and cultural expressions. He doggedly refuses to separate worldviews and culture, pressing hard for repentance, or a change of worldview in the mind the reader.
Christians are too easily ruined by philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men (Col. 2:8), because they are not discerning of bad ideas and bad cultural devices. Kevin Swanson addresses such varying topics as major motion pictures, popular music, country music, eastern medicine, tattoos, computer games, horror literature, fantasy, sports, super heroes, Contemporary Christian Music, Hip Hop, Thomas Kinkade, Harry Potter, Jack Bauer, Sesame Street, and the Hunger Games.
152 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
21 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Swanson
92 books55 followersKevin Swanson is a husband, father, pastor, radio-host, and national speaker. Kevin is the pastor of Reformation Church in Elizabeth, Colorado (ReformationChurch.com).
He also serves as the Director of Generations; a ministry he founded to strengthen Christian families around the country. As a father who wants to leave a godly heritage for his five children, Kevin's passion is to strengthen and encourage families all over the world, and to cast a vision for generations to come.
For the last 13 years Kevin has hosted a daily radio program--Generations Radio-- that reaches families across the U.S. and in over 100 countries.
He also serves as the Director of Generations; a ministry he founded to strengthen Christian families around the country. As a father who wants to leave a godly heritage for his five children, Kevin's passion is to strengthen and encourage families all over the world, and to cast a vision for generations to come.
For the last 13 years Kevin has hosted a daily radio program--Generations Radio-- that reaches families across the U.S. and in over 100 countries.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 14, 2014
This is an important book for Christians to read. Western civilization is collapsing, and we are in a battle of the ideologies. Are Christians casting down every thought raised up against the knowledge of Christ, or are they like a frog in simmering water? Are we taking on our worldviews like we catch the measles- haphazardly? Mr. Swanson takes on the mammoth task of evaluating culture and providing helpful insights into understanding it from a Christian worldview. He gives helpful guidelines for parents in evaluating films, as well.
One note: there is definitely adult content as the decaying remains of Western Civilization are reviewed and exposed, though done carefully and in a way that shows the ugliness of sin. Parents may want to review the book for their children.
One note: there is definitely adult content as the decaying remains of Western Civilization are reviewed and exposed, though done carefully and in a way that shows the ugliness of sin. Parents may want to review the book for their children.
May 31, 2018
So many issues with this book. Some are editing issues (rambling without making a point, putting illustrations in chapters which would be better elsewhere, lack of continuity in writing, and no peer reviews), but those are minor to the problems the author puts forward.
The main issue is the fear-based outlook of culture. The author is afraid of culture and wants to make sure all Christians know of its evils. Instead of creating a book where the reader and author can work together to see how Christians can critique and work in culture, Swanson paints broad brush strokes of the "unredeemable" world we live in. There are too many over-the-top accusations he makes against media to even write here (for instance, the link between the lack of family of James Bond and James Bourne leads the author to believe Mr. Roger's and Sesame Street have truly contributed to this -- "Who is Mr. Rogers? Where is his wife? Where are his children? And who is Oscar's father? Are Ernie and Bert brothers or homosexuals?").
It's painfully clear the author hasn't really been a studier of culture. He makes movie and music synopses without understanding the movie or music. It becomes obvious he hasn't seen or truly listened to much of the media he references.
He often makes overarching statements about Christians' acceptance of culture. There's very little research to back any of those statements up.
There is plenty of discernment that is needed in culture today. Of that, there is no doubt, but the broad statements of black and white don't help with the many grey areas of culture and the Christian life. Instead of showing a fear of culture, the author would do well to read Roaring Lambs, Do Fish Know If They're Wet, and anything about Christians in art like Makoto Fujimura.
I can't get into all the concerns I have about this book and the fear mongering conclusions it makes. It worries me that Christians think this way.
The main issue is the fear-based outlook of culture. The author is afraid of culture and wants to make sure all Christians know of its evils. Instead of creating a book where the reader and author can work together to see how Christians can critique and work in culture, Swanson paints broad brush strokes of the "unredeemable" world we live in. There are too many over-the-top accusations he makes against media to even write here (for instance, the link between the lack of family of James Bond and James Bourne leads the author to believe Mr. Roger's and Sesame Street have truly contributed to this -- "Who is Mr. Rogers? Where is his wife? Where are his children? And who is Oscar's father? Are Ernie and Bert brothers or homosexuals?").
It's painfully clear the author hasn't really been a studier of culture. He makes movie and music synopses without understanding the movie or music. It becomes obvious he hasn't seen or truly listened to much of the media he references.
He often makes overarching statements about Christians' acceptance of culture. There's very little research to back any of those statements up.
There is plenty of discernment that is needed in culture today. Of that, there is no doubt, but the broad statements of black and white don't help with the many grey areas of culture and the Christian life. Instead of showing a fear of culture, the author would do well to read Roaring Lambs, Do Fish Know If They're Wet, and anything about Christians in art like Makoto Fujimura.
I can't get into all the concerns I have about this book and the fear mongering conclusions it makes. It worries me that Christians think this way.
February 10, 2023
Swanson makes some weird, and unreasonable connections. For example, he says that the movie How to Train Your Dragon which features a tame dragon, is a deliberate agenda by the secular world because dragons are traditionally considered dangerous in past times...??! Sorry but that's beyond ridiculous for me. Didn't really enjoy all his criticism and negativity on a lot of things.
December 18, 2021
DNF, I only got about 50 pages in before the issues were simply too much.
I actually really enjoy Kevin Swanson. He's a dynamic and awesome speaker who can really bring home a point and makes you think and be encouraged. I think I referenced his Apostates book in every one of my Master's classes. I think we would agree on almost every point, and he is another person I'm excited to spend time with for eternity in heaven.
This book doesn't bring any of that to life.
I think he's so afraid of being labeled as "legalistic" that he ends up not saying anything. He rambles and never fully realizes a point. He jumps to conclusions that he hasn't built, and ultimately ends up saying nothing. I wanted an honest discussion of where Swanson thought Jesus would stand with tattoos.
I may not agree with him . . . I may not like what he has to say . . . but at least he would be giving an honest opinion, Biblically based, that I now needed to either refute or change my way of thinking.
Instead he kind of rambles about baselines for cultures, and changing cultures over time, and using means that are part of the culture.
Really, he complains that we don't live in the 1950's anymore, and bemoans the fact that popular stars do not hold to Christian values. He rarely mentions the one true weapon against this: homeschooling. Which is odd because the man either is, or was, the president of the homeschool association in Colorado. Homeschool fixes, like, 80 percent of these problems and allows the parents to slowly introduce the horrible culture we have to live in . . . just like every horrible human culture because it is manmade and humanity is fallen.
None of these are new complaints. None of these are insightful complaints. It's the same bemoaning of bygone days with ruby glasses affixed firmly to the past.
He then flip-flops on any point he would make. The one discussion I read was about Christian Hip-Hop music, where he proceeds to level a double standard against a singer I'm unfamiliar with as opposed to the much more famous and popular singer, gives a brief history of hip-hop music, talks about how it could change the singer's point of view, but it probably won't change the culture's point of view. Except that the chapter in front of this was all about using a culture's means to change the trajectory and eventually change the culture . . .
He talks in circles and never comes to a conclusion.
Compound this with the fact that he is LAUGHABLY outdated. This book was published in 2019. His examples include the Prince Caspian movie (2008), Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball (2013), Two and a Half Men (off air in 2015), and the Soul Surfer movie (2011).
Only two of those would even have strenuous "Christian" ties to them, but beyond that there was a music video last year where a guy performed some sort of lap dance on Satan. There's been a YouTube video out for some time now with female nudity. Kid's shows have now decided to routinely put in characters who don't even know what gender they are. And my goodness, have you seen the landfill that is TikTok.
Bemoaning the kiss in Prince Caspian is . . . ah . . . really wading into the shallow end of the cesspool that is our culture.
Where else . . .
He gives some strange history of Halloween (The Day of the Dead) that somehow connects to Noah's flood.
He says that we only have one life to live.
He liberally uses Wikipedia in his bibliography (he's done this in his other books, and I'm never quite sure how to take it, Wikipedia is better than it was 10-20 years ago, but . . .)
He just never goes anywhere, and I was exceptionally frustrated and disappointed.
I might try to pick this up again in the future . . . but I'm going to need a pretty sizable recommendation from my wife.
I actually really enjoy Kevin Swanson. He's a dynamic and awesome speaker who can really bring home a point and makes you think and be encouraged. I think I referenced his Apostates book in every one of my Master's classes. I think we would agree on almost every point, and he is another person I'm excited to spend time with for eternity in heaven.
This book doesn't bring any of that to life.
I think he's so afraid of being labeled as "legalistic" that he ends up not saying anything. He rambles and never fully realizes a point. He jumps to conclusions that he hasn't built, and ultimately ends up saying nothing. I wanted an honest discussion of where Swanson thought Jesus would stand with tattoos.
I may not agree with him . . . I may not like what he has to say . . . but at least he would be giving an honest opinion, Biblically based, that I now needed to either refute or change my way of thinking.
Instead he kind of rambles about baselines for cultures, and changing cultures over time, and using means that are part of the culture.
Really, he complains that we don't live in the 1950's anymore, and bemoans the fact that popular stars do not hold to Christian values. He rarely mentions the one true weapon against this: homeschooling. Which is odd because the man either is, or was, the president of the homeschool association in Colorado. Homeschool fixes, like, 80 percent of these problems and allows the parents to slowly introduce the horrible culture we have to live in . . . just like every horrible human culture because it is manmade and humanity is fallen.
None of these are new complaints. None of these are insightful complaints. It's the same bemoaning of bygone days with ruby glasses affixed firmly to the past.
He then flip-flops on any point he would make. The one discussion I read was about Christian Hip-Hop music, where he proceeds to level a double standard against a singer I'm unfamiliar with as opposed to the much more famous and popular singer, gives a brief history of hip-hop music, talks about how it could change the singer's point of view, but it probably won't change the culture's point of view. Except that the chapter in front of this was all about using a culture's means to change the trajectory and eventually change the culture . . .
He talks in circles and never comes to a conclusion.
Compound this with the fact that he is LAUGHABLY outdated. This book was published in 2019. His examples include the Prince Caspian movie (2008), Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball (2013), Two and a Half Men (off air in 2015), and the Soul Surfer movie (2011).
Only two of those would even have strenuous "Christian" ties to them, but beyond that there was a music video last year where a guy performed some sort of lap dance on Satan. There's been a YouTube video out for some time now with female nudity. Kid's shows have now decided to routinely put in characters who don't even know what gender they are. And my goodness, have you seen the landfill that is TikTok.
Bemoaning the kiss in Prince Caspian is . . . ah . . . really wading into the shallow end of the cesspool that is our culture.
Where else . . .
He gives some strange history of Halloween (The Day of the Dead) that somehow connects to Noah's flood.
He says that we only have one life to live.
He liberally uses Wikipedia in his bibliography (he's done this in his other books, and I'm never quite sure how to take it, Wikipedia is better than it was 10-20 years ago, but . . .)
He just never goes anywhere, and I was exceptionally frustrated and disappointed.
I might try to pick this up again in the future . . . but I'm going to need a pretty sizable recommendation from my wife.
February 25, 2016
A number of Christian books have been written on pop culture, but the majority that I have read and seen approach the topic from an academic or apologetic perspective. This book is unique in that Kevin Swanson writes this book from a pastoral perspective. Understanding this difference will go a long way to appreciating this book. Even if one does not agree with everything in the book (and I think most people won't), there is an abundance of wisdom and biblical insight that one can gain from reading this book. Though this book might initially strike some as overly alarmist, I think it should become evident as one reads that Kevin Swanson is not reactionary but actually rather nuanced. Yet, he also realizes that we are in battle, and that an uncritical or superficially critical acceptance of pop culture is dangerous. This book is a good exercise in recovering the relevance of God's word.
"Those who enthusiastically embrace these cultural icons appear to be happy with the macro-cultural trends of the Christian apostate world. That being the case, what does this say about their faith, their worldview, and their own cultural trajectories? Could it be that they have embraced the tattooed Jesus – the false Christs of culture? Indeed, many have been wooed by a false prophet, a false priest, a false redeemer, and a false king. They have been rescued from the wrong sins and have taken on the wrong view of reality, truth, and ethics. They have embraced the wrong religion, and they have joined the apostasy.
"The true Christ saves us from our sin – both the guilt and the corruption of it. He demands a transformation of culture and life according to the will of God (Rom 12:1-2) and according to the commandments of God (Rev. 12:17. 14:12). So Christians will by definition produce transformed music, film, and culture." (p. 137-18)
"Those who enthusiastically embrace these cultural icons appear to be happy with the macro-cultural trends of the Christian apostate world. That being the case, what does this say about their faith, their worldview, and their own cultural trajectories? Could it be that they have embraced the tattooed Jesus – the false Christs of culture? Indeed, many have been wooed by a false prophet, a false priest, a false redeemer, and a false king. They have been rescued from the wrong sins and have taken on the wrong view of reality, truth, and ethics. They have embraced the wrong religion, and they have joined the apostasy.
"The true Christ saves us from our sin – both the guilt and the corruption of it. He demands a transformation of culture and life according to the will of God (Rom 12:1-2) and according to the commandments of God (Rev. 12:17. 14:12). So Christians will by definition produce transformed music, film, and culture." (p. 137-18)
February 1, 2015
In this book, Kevin Swanson desires to impart Biblical principles and wisdom to help Christians discern (and reject if necessary) the entourage of popular media.
Having read it swiftly, I would only give the book 2 stars. But maybe after a re-read, and being able to better distinguish the “good” from the “eh”, I would it give it 3 stars.
Swanson begins the book very strongly, with ample amounts of pop culture references (even Christian pop-culture) to make one aghast at the wickedness that is openly sported as authoritatively “cool”. Swanson even seems to begin to offer up a gridline by which a believer can process the culture around them, by thinking through what baseline is laid out and the trajectory that is followed to achieve them.
But disappointedly, I found after about mid-way through the second chapter, the book is a bit choppy. Having just finished reading the last chapter, I do not sense that I was offered a general gridline or a theory from which to work off of. And that is not because Swanson doesn’t offer any guidelines; he does on several occasions.
Rather, I find that the content in the book seems so loosely contained. To be honest, the book felt like a series of random blog-posts concerning critiques and discernment of culture. The book seemed to lack development of an idea. And I think, this is what made it harder to read, the greater the page number became.
--
Aside from development, the book does contain many golden nuggets of wisdom, advice, and observations. Here’s an example:
“While the world is “entertaining themselves to death,” we are working and resting. This is the essence of the fourth commandment. We work for God and we rest in God (Heb. 4: 10).”
And another one:
“In the mind of the kid in skinny jeans leading the worship band, there isn’t a large enough gap between holiness and sinfulness, truth and error, demons and angels, or heaven and hell.”
Even where I do not believe Swanson to have adequately offered an answer to a dilemma, it was enough for him to raise the question, to get me to think about it.
--
With regards to the content of the book, there are many qualms that I have. And for all I know, after some more time to process them, they may simplify to one or two categories.
But until then, here are some of the categories of which my contentions would fall under:
(1) Regulative Principle of Worship
(2) Romanticizing Church and Christian History
(3) Declension Within the Church
(4) Hints of Unfounded Cultural Superiority
(5) Lack of Elaboration/Explanation in Certain Places
(6) Poor Interpretation and Application of Biblical Passages in Various Places (i.e. Acts 15 and others)
If time permits, I will attempt to deal with some of these contentions in future posts.
Having read it swiftly, I would only give the book 2 stars. But maybe after a re-read, and being able to better distinguish the “good” from the “eh”, I would it give it 3 stars.
Swanson begins the book very strongly, with ample amounts of pop culture references (even Christian pop-culture) to make one aghast at the wickedness that is openly sported as authoritatively “cool”. Swanson even seems to begin to offer up a gridline by which a believer can process the culture around them, by thinking through what baseline is laid out and the trajectory that is followed to achieve them.
But disappointedly, I found after about mid-way through the second chapter, the book is a bit choppy. Having just finished reading the last chapter, I do not sense that I was offered a general gridline or a theory from which to work off of. And that is not because Swanson doesn’t offer any guidelines; he does on several occasions.
Rather, I find that the content in the book seems so loosely contained. To be honest, the book felt like a series of random blog-posts concerning critiques and discernment of culture. The book seemed to lack development of an idea. And I think, this is what made it harder to read, the greater the page number became.
--
Aside from development, the book does contain many golden nuggets of wisdom, advice, and observations. Here’s an example:
“While the world is “entertaining themselves to death,” we are working and resting. This is the essence of the fourth commandment. We work for God and we rest in God (Heb. 4: 10).”
And another one:
“In the mind of the kid in skinny jeans leading the worship band, there isn’t a large enough gap between holiness and sinfulness, truth and error, demons and angels, or heaven and hell.”
Even where I do not believe Swanson to have adequately offered an answer to a dilemma, it was enough for him to raise the question, to get me to think about it.
--
With regards to the content of the book, there are many qualms that I have. And for all I know, after some more time to process them, they may simplify to one or two categories.
But until then, here are some of the categories of which my contentions would fall under:
(1) Regulative Principle of Worship
(2) Romanticizing Church and Christian History
(3) Declension Within the Church
(4) Hints of Unfounded Cultural Superiority
(5) Lack of Elaboration/Explanation in Certain Places
(6) Poor Interpretation and Application of Biblical Passages in Various Places (i.e. Acts 15 and others)
If time permits, I will attempt to deal with some of these contentions in future posts.
January 8, 2018
The first book I've finished in the new year. I enjoyed it. I highlighted a lot but it's a nook book not a kindle so I can't share my highlights here. I will however, most likely add some quotes from the book to the site. It was interesting and worthwhile. I would recommend to anyone who is interested in culture from a Christian point of view
October 5, 2025
3.5 ⭐... just okay
March 1, 2024
I have never given such a long review in my life, and I want to preface this mostly negative one by saying that I have heard Kevin speak in person and throughly enjoyed and appreciated it. Though I haven’t used many of his other Generations materials myself, I know many who have and have really liked them. All that said, I did not like this book. At all.
I felt like my brain needed to be scrubbed with bleach after the first chapter. The graphic examples that continued heavily throughout the rest detailing the baseness of our culture was unnecessary. Besides being out of date, these examples were used ad nauseum. I lost count of how many times he mentioned Miley Cyrus and the wrecking ball song. At least 10.
Though obviously Kevin felt the need for these examples, many of them were so base that I wondered “why is this stuff even needing to be talked about among Christians?” If there is truly such a lack of discernment among Christian parents that they have to wrestle with whether or not to let their children watch graphic chainsaw torture scenes in movies or listen to rap songs detailing rape? Kids should most definitely not read this book and honestly, I didn’t need to either.
My real question is, rather than cite countless examples of the base culture we live in, why not point parents to the tools from the word of God to discern what is true, honest, good, right, etc. We don’t need to know the details of the bad for the Spirit of the Living God to rise us inside of us and say, “No, this is not for you.”
Cultures come and go and shift and change. Though only 10ish years old, this book’s example’s are outdated and in a few more years will be obsolete. Rather than focus on so many specifics, I wish Kevin had focussed more on what is needed to navigate our children wisely through the particular situations each family finds themselves in. That starts and ends with a close walk with God and listening to His Spirit’s direction. Many cultural issues are not black and white and cannot be fit into formulas for making decisions. The Holy Spirit gives discernment, and walking with Him is the answer. What is right for one family living in a cross-cultural situation overseas may be completely wrong for the next family living in surburban America.
I appreciated the parts where he provides clarity between the world and the kingdom, but I feel again missed the mark by so many current cultural example. Simply put, many of the the examples given could be so easily summed up in “those who walk by the spirit do not walk by the flesh” rather than a dissertation on why a Christian can’t effectually be a light working in the pornography industry. Giving black and white answers to particular situations we find ourselves in here in the West is not the answer - learning to be a discerning Christian that walks by the Spirit is.
Though some of his challenges to look at the roots of cultural practices made me think, others were fear mongering (citing any piercings being connected with examples of servitude and bondage in the OT) and just plain judgey (He describes the picture of a young man with a cocked baseball cap on the front of a church magazine whose theme was about prayer. Kevin asks the question if a “cool” image like that boy represents does not compete with the fear of God.)
In speaking of a particular teen “heart-throb” pop singers, he asks the questions if Alonzo Wilder’s sisters from Little House on the Prairie would have attended. I understand his sentiment in wanting to take the reader’s minds back to old-fashioned family values, but this way of doing it is not helpful. Would Jesus have attended would have been a better question.
Some quotes I did appreciate and added one star for.
“If preaching is not changing worldviews and renewing minds, then all the Christians who are working so hard to impact culture will find their work irrelevant. If there is to be any positive change in culture and media, it will only happen via a shift in worldviews, and a fundamental change of mind: repentance.”
“[True] worship begins with the fear of God.”
“The beginning of Christian culture is a fear of God. The Christian faith will only be as solid as the fear and reverence beneath it. Our religion has become too squishy because there is little fear of God at its roots.”
I feel like these quotes sum up what should have been the message of the whole book. To walk ourselves and our kids through this culture starts and ends with the fear of God. That gives wisdom and makes 90% of the book completely unnecessary.
I felt like my brain needed to be scrubbed with bleach after the first chapter. The graphic examples that continued heavily throughout the rest detailing the baseness of our culture was unnecessary. Besides being out of date, these examples were used ad nauseum. I lost count of how many times he mentioned Miley Cyrus and the wrecking ball song. At least 10.
Though obviously Kevin felt the need for these examples, many of them were so base that I wondered “why is this stuff even needing to be talked about among Christians?” If there is truly such a lack of discernment among Christian parents that they have to wrestle with whether or not to let their children watch graphic chainsaw torture scenes in movies or listen to rap songs detailing rape? Kids should most definitely not read this book and honestly, I didn’t need to either.
My real question is, rather than cite countless examples of the base culture we live in, why not point parents to the tools from the word of God to discern what is true, honest, good, right, etc. We don’t need to know the details of the bad for the Spirit of the Living God to rise us inside of us and say, “No, this is not for you.”
Cultures come and go and shift and change. Though only 10ish years old, this book’s example’s are outdated and in a few more years will be obsolete. Rather than focus on so many specifics, I wish Kevin had focussed more on what is needed to navigate our children wisely through the particular situations each family finds themselves in. That starts and ends with a close walk with God and listening to His Spirit’s direction. Many cultural issues are not black and white and cannot be fit into formulas for making decisions. The Holy Spirit gives discernment, and walking with Him is the answer. What is right for one family living in a cross-cultural situation overseas may be completely wrong for the next family living in surburban America.
I appreciated the parts where he provides clarity between the world and the kingdom, but I feel again missed the mark by so many current cultural example. Simply put, many of the the examples given could be so easily summed up in “those who walk by the spirit do not walk by the flesh” rather than a dissertation on why a Christian can’t effectually be a light working in the pornography industry. Giving black and white answers to particular situations we find ourselves in here in the West is not the answer - learning to be a discerning Christian that walks by the Spirit is.
Though some of his challenges to look at the roots of cultural practices made me think, others were fear mongering (citing any piercings being connected with examples of servitude and bondage in the OT) and just plain judgey (He describes the picture of a young man with a cocked baseball cap on the front of a church magazine whose theme was about prayer. Kevin asks the question if a “cool” image like that boy represents does not compete with the fear of God.)
In speaking of a particular teen “heart-throb” pop singers, he asks the questions if Alonzo Wilder’s sisters from Little House on the Prairie would have attended. I understand his sentiment in wanting to take the reader’s minds back to old-fashioned family values, but this way of doing it is not helpful. Would Jesus have attended would have been a better question.
Some quotes I did appreciate and added one star for.
“If preaching is not changing worldviews and renewing minds, then all the Christians who are working so hard to impact culture will find their work irrelevant. If there is to be any positive change in culture and media, it will only happen via a shift in worldviews, and a fundamental change of mind: repentance.”
“[True] worship begins with the fear of God.”
“The beginning of Christian culture is a fear of God. The Christian faith will only be as solid as the fear and reverence beneath it. Our religion has become too squishy because there is little fear of God at its roots.”
I feel like these quotes sum up what should have been the message of the whole book. To walk ourselves and our kids through this culture starts and ends with the fear of God. That gives wisdom and makes 90% of the book completely unnecessary.
October 7, 2023
A very thought provoking book, causing the reader to self evaluate in areas of worldview, entertainment choices, and life trajectory.
I wasn’t a huge fan of his writing style, several things were repeated and the flow seemed kind of random. It was definitely a book with a more negative undertone, but it was a needed warning of how aware we should be of the culture around us and it’s direction. While his writing style may not be impressive, his points were.
I wasn’t a huge fan of his writing style, several things were repeated and the flow seemed kind of random. It was definitely a book with a more negative undertone, but it was a needed warning of how aware we should be of the culture around us and it’s direction. While his writing style may not be impressive, his points were.
June 19, 2023
I was hoping for more of an indepth study of tattoos and the Bible, which there is a good chapter on the debate. But the rest is a ramble against culture and societal evils - repeatedly mentioning a limited splattering of movies and music. I'm disappointed because the author is usually more eloquent when i hear or see his clips in homeschooling documentaries.
July 7, 2017
I received this book free of charge as a Goodreads First-Reads winner. While the topic was interesting, I had a very difficult time reading this book. I understand the general theme and what the author was trying to say, but it took a long time for me to deconstruct the points being made.
January 31, 2024
Really good points. Fundamentalist and a little negative in some viewpoints.
July 11, 2025
Thoughtful
Swanson's question pop culture and leaves the reader with important questions he must answer in today's culture. Is it edifying?
Swanson's question pop culture and leaves the reader with important questions he must answer in today's culture. Is it edifying?
June 29, 2016
Kevin Swanson the fiery passion about culture and media; a ferocious drive for holiness, for righteousness, for the fear of God. Many will think him extreme in his assessment of modern culture, but even if that is the case I think his message is one that the modern American church needs to hear. If he is too passionate, too serious, too mindful of holiness, then we are too apathetic, to glib, too unconcerned about holiness altogether, and we would benefit from a healthy dose of the passion for fighting worldliness and manifesting Jesus demonstrated in this book.
Rather than giving a list of rules, Mr. Swanson lays out some foundational Biblical principles for the analysis and creation of culture, and warns against the insidiously anti-Christian trajectories of most popular art today.
He brings to the table a very good perspective for the modern Christian to consider.
Rather than giving a list of rules, Mr. Swanson lays out some foundational Biblical principles for the analysis and creation of culture, and warns against the insidiously anti-Christian trajectories of most popular art today.
He brings to the table a very good perspective for the modern Christian to consider.
September 6, 2016
This book tackles contemporary culture and how does it fit in the church. What should be acceptable or not. Can Christians get tattooed? What sort of music is acceptable?
Is church about us and what makes us feel like we belong and accepted or is about losing ourselves in worship and seeking truth.
Swanson probes all of these topics and also brings up the much needed discussion as to the connection between Biblical literacy and Spiritual discernment.
Is church about us and what makes us feel like we belong and accepted or is about losing ourselves in worship and seeking truth.
Swanson probes all of these topics and also brings up the much needed discussion as to the connection between Biblical literacy and Spiritual discernment.
May 14, 2024
I'm just going to say 2 things.
1.) This guy rambles on without actually making a point.
2.) This guy cites Wikipedia as a "source cited" and doesn't actually cite the Bible....
1.) This guy rambles on without actually making a point.
2.) This guy cites Wikipedia as a "source cited" and doesn't actually cite the Bible....
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