No podemos callar: Decir la verdad en una cultura que redefine el sexo, el matrimonio y lo que está bien o mal

by R. Albert Mohler Jr.

Hace veinte años, ninguna nación en la tierra tenía un matrimonio legal entre personas del mismo sexo. Ahora, el acceso al matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo se ve cada vez más como un derecho humano básico. En cuestión de menos de una generación, las culturas occidentales han experimentado una revolución moral. El doctor R. Albert Mohler examina cómo se produjo esta transformación, revelando los cambios culturales subyacentes detrás de esta revolució la aceptación de la cultura del divorcio, la liberación del sexo de la reproducción, la prevalencia de la cohabitación heterosexual, la normalización de la homosexualidad y el surgimiento del movimiento transgénero. Luego, ofrece una visión profunda de cómo la Biblia y la tradición moral cristiana proporcionan una comprensión integral sobre la cual los cristianos pueden construir sus vidas personales, sus matrimonios, el ministerio de la iglesia y el compromiso cultural. El doctor Mohler ayuda a los cristianos a comprender los problemas subyacentes de este importante cambio cultural y cómo afrontar el desafío de creer fielmente, vivir fielmente y comprometer la cultura fielmente a la luz de este cambio masivo.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Cultural, Christian Living, Nonfiction, Religion, Christianity

253 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 27, 2015

About the author

Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. serves as president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary - the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world.

Dr. Mohler has been recognized by such influential publications as Time and Christianity Today as a leader among American evangelicals. In fact, Time.com called him the “reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S.”

In addition to his presidential duties, Dr. Mohler hosts two programs: “The Briefing,” a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview; and “Thinking in Public,” a series of conversations with the day’s leading thinkers. He also writes a popular blog and a regular commentary on moral, cultural and theological issues. All of these can be accessed through Dr. Mohler’s website, www.AlbertMohler.com. Called “an articulate voice for conservative Christianity at large” by The Chicago Tribune, Dr. Mohler’s mission is to address contemporary issues from a consistent and explicit Christian worldview.

Reviews

[Thaddeus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr is an amazing thinker and intellect who is also a brilliant communicator. This book shines as a great example of his skills in communication and worldview analysis! It is a much-needed book speaking to a much-needed topic that is often either woefully mishandled, avoided or dealt with without adequate tact and gentleness. Too many titles and speakers have dealt too softly with this topic and skirted the issues or compromised on key points of Christian conviction. Dr. Mohler does not. His stance is firm and courageous - unwavering in Christian commitment to Biblical fidelity and Christ-like love, humility and grace.

Dr. Mohler presents an urgent plea to us to wake up and realize just how far-reaching and fast-sweeping the cultural and moral revolution (especially in regards to sexual ethics) has gone and the alarming pace at which it continues to push forward. He says,

“The moral revolution is now so complete that those who will not join it are understood to be deficient, intolerant, and harmful to society. What was previously understood to be immoral is now celebrated as a moral good.”

And this analysis is backed up by solid research and observations of culture (primarily Western cultures). Mohler's analysis of the historical timeline which led us to where we find ourselves today, and the series of compromises the evangelical church has made and their impact over the years, is invaluable in bringing clarity to what can often be a muddy subject. Everything from the birth-control movement, the tolerance of cohabitation by Christians, the sexual free-love revolution of the 1960s, the gay movements of the early 90s and 2000s, to the more recent transgender movement - all are comprehensively considered as contributing factors to where we find ourselves today.

Many of us find ourselves in a world we don't recognize, and Christianity in the West finds itself in an unfamiliar situation (having enjoyed so many years as the dominant cultural force), where the culture at large is not just non-Christian, but decidedly anti-Christian in many ways and especially as related to LBGTQ issues. Mohler's book is a bold and biblical voice in these troubled times and helps Christians think biblically about these issues and how to respond - and respond we must!

The book is a call to forsake the silence of years past and instead respond with an informed and gospel-saturated answer. To this end, the book concludes with brief answers to thirty challenging questions such as, does the bible understand sexual orientation? is homosexuality a worst sin than others? what about if people are born gay? does sexual orientation/attraction change? should Christians attend a gay marriage? what about gay marriage and a nation's laws?

I highly recommend this book for Christians who want to learn more about the sexual revolution we have seen unfold before our eyes, and more importantly, how to think, respond and act in a way that is faithful to biblical convictions. It is much needed to shake many out of the attitudes of either apathy or accomodation and rise up to be a 'prophetic voice' to our culture - calling people to repentance and faith.

[Billie · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I disliked the content of this book enough to want to give it a single star, I felt obliged to add another star because I can't deny that the book does have some uses.
The scholarship in this book is frankly mediocre. Dr. Mohler cites some legitimate sources and references some (unfortunately one-sided) scholarly work on the topics he is writing about, just enough for this book to qualify for a popular treatment. I am inclined to assume that Dr. Mohler did not intend for this to serve as an academic treatment so readers who are expecting that will be disappointed.
However Dr. Mohler's book is likely to shape the LGBTQ discussion in the church in a few ways. First, Dr. Mohler seems to want to shift Evangelicals towards a more Roman Catholic view of marriage and sex. While blaming Evangelical acceptance of birth control for contemporary American acceptance of LGBTQ relationships, Dr. Mohler stops just short of concluding that all sex acts ought to be open to procreation, suggesting instead (in a single paragraph and without theological or scriptural support) that all marriages ought to be open to procreation at the risk of being sinful. Second, Dr. Mohler works to tie the current LGBTQ rights movement to the sexual revolution of the 70's and 80's (a link which, so far as I know, nobody contests). In doing this he gives a sort of vague impression of having established a historical trend which he extrapolates with a significant degree of luddite (Dr. Mohler is not a fan of IVF or surrogacy) and alarmist hand wringing. This historical sensibility is significantly undercut by Dr. Mohler's apparent unawareness of historical non straight-monogamous marriage arrangements (he is particularly fond of the phrase "a man and a woman" which ducks the questions raised by the prevalence of polygamy in the Bible, while giving the impression that Dr. Mohler is talking about strictly monogamous heterosexual couples).
In addition to the ways it is likely to shape future discussion, this book is potentially useful for some people to read because it stands out in one particular way: In "We Cannot Be Silent" Dr. Mohler is chalking lines for the culture war. Where the book is a poor excuse for scholarship or theology (Dr. Mohler is far more fond of making assertions than of defending them), I don't believe it was intended for that purpose. What the book does establish quite clearly (ending particularly effectively with a series of "hard questions" in Chapter ten) are the terms and conditions under which Dr. Mohler is suggesting Evangelicals ought to fight the culture war. He is careful to delineate the enemy (gay and straight, trans and cis Christians who claim to respect the Bible but who disagree with his weakly defended, strongly asserted interpretation of the Bible) and he works hard to shift the terms of debate in a way that will make his position more defensible (the shift towards natural law theory is particularly important here as protestant rejection of it up until recently has turned out to be a major weakness in the assertion that God has a procreative design for sex) in the long run. While reading the book I found myself constantly being struck by the image of a general trying to choose the best terrain for an upcoming battle.
So this is probably a useful read for anyone interested in trying to make predictions about future Evanglical movements in the culture war. On the other hand, if you are looking for a rigorous, scholarly defense of a non-affirming theological position, this is book will either disappoint you or leave you with a false confidence which will betray you the instant you enter into conversation with someone holding an opposing view. It is a book about tactics not about truth.

[Danette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mohler provides a history of the homosexual movement and Biblical thoughts about how we as Christians should respond.
"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. Christians have found themselves in this position before, and we will again. God's truth has not changed. The holy Scriptures have not changed. The gospel of Jesus Christ has not changed. The church's mission has not changed. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.

2018 - A book about current events

[Peter Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really, really good book. Almost five stars, but not quite.

What I liked:
Mohler's analysis of how divorce and birth control paved the way for same-sex marriage. Heterosexuals wanted sexual freedom first. While he does not believe all uses of birth control are sinful, it was encouraging to find contraceptives being talked about so negatively by such a mainstream evangelical.

His chapter on how the homosexual strategy was put in place. Where we are today was not random. Men and women worked to get us here with a specific strategy that focused on changing culture, not laws.

His section on how sexual liberty has overtaken religious liberty. Mohler is well read and understands that there must be a moral compass to guide any society. For us that compass is absolute sexual freedom. A man's freedom to sleep with another man trumps a church's freedom in who they hire. An eye opening chapter.

His chapter on hard questions. While I did not agree with all his answers, the range of questions and how carefully he answered them was both inspiring and terrifying. They were good reminders of the wisdom necessary for pastors moving forward.

What I did not like:
Too much use of the term "human flourishing." It felt forced.

Too much apologizing. Mohler was more balanced in this area than many, but it still felt like a "Christians have really screwed a lot of this up" theme at times.

His statement that children would be better in a same-sex home than in foster care.

His statement that "the confessing church is always a moral minority."

Some of the answers to his hard questions I did not find entirely satisfactory. However, this was a very helpful portion of the book.

There is no clear call to pull kids out of public school. He hints at in places, but it would have been a good "hard question" to answer: "Should I pull my kids out of public school" or "Should I send my child to a secular college or liberal Christian college?"

Still despite some minor disagreements the book is excellent. Mohler is wise, pastoral, bold, knowledgeable, and balanced. I highly recommend the book.

[Caleb Gerber. (Right makes Might) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reverend Mohler comes to this topic with vision and clarity. Amazingly prophetic, this book was written over a decade ago and yet everything that Mohler predicted has come true or is begining to come true. Mohler lays out the foundations of the sexual revolution, starting in the 1960s, and then progressing through the emergence of IVF, abortion and reproductive healthcare. Then, he gives a stunningly accurate portrayal of the effort to normalize same-sex marriage and transgenderism, and renders a verdict on why it has gained such popularity over the past decade and a half. From the Obergefell decision to the censorship of evangelical Christians, Mohler gives a solution to the problem.
We still have a voice, he argues, we don't have to be like the ancient Essenes, hiding in the caves of Qumran, we cannot be silent, we need to speak the truth loudly and boldly before we are shut down completely.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an outstanding book for where we are today! With precise, clear analysis of the whirlwind of social developments, Mohler’s deft hand in this book penetrates to the real causes of apparently sudden plunge over the cliff. What he well explains is that the plunge was not so sudden after all.

Where same-sex marriage has grabbed our attention in the last year or so, terrible forces have been at work for decades. In many cases, we Christians have failed to face these dangers and have, in many cases, capitulated to many of them. He confesses that urbanization changed us, but the biggest factors were birth control, no-fault divorce, advanced reproductive technologies, and cohabitation. He is not saying all forms of limiting the number of children you have is bad, but we need not break the link that children have with marriage. Easy divorce dealt a horrible blow to the institution of marriage and Christians often went along with that warped reasoning. Advanced reproductive technologies then took the necessity of man and woman away from children. Cohabitation almost replaced marriage. Along the way, marriage was redefined and seriously wounded.

There are so many more good things here: an analysis of the LBGT community’s devastatingly effective strategy, natural law arguments, and the need of Christians to not surrender to a waning culture.

This book is the best I have seen so far since the major developments a few months ago. I highly recommend it to Christians everywhere!

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Lucas Bragança · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que livro! Que incentivo à pregação bíblica, expositiva e fiel.

"'Poderão viver estes ossos?' Essa não é uma pergunta acadêmica para nós que desejamos pregar a Palavra de Deus. Se os ossos não podem viver, se Deus não pode instilar vida naquilo que está morto, a nossa pregação é vã. Contudo, semana após semana, quando subimos ao púlpito e pregamos o evangelho, dizemos pela fé, juntamente com Ezequiel: 'Senhor Deus, tu sabes se esses ossos viverão'."

[Collin Scribner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically the briefing in book form. All in all, Mohler provides a really helpful analysis and summary of the moral revolution and all of its key parts over the last century, advocating that Christians mustn’t be silent in the face of massive moral compromise. Would recommend to any Christian seeking to have a greater understanding of the culture!

[Austin Fry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This needs to be read!

[Dann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly provocative and eye-opening, We Cannot Be Silent: Speaking Truth to a Culture Redefining Sex, Marriage, and the Very Meaning of Right and Wrong is essential reading for the modern Christian living in these uncertain times. Many evangelical Christians were shocked when the US Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, however author Albert Mohler reveals that marriage has been suffering a death by a thousand cuts for decades and that same-sex and polygamist marriage has become inevitable. Extraordinarily well-written and engaging, Mohler explains how the secularization of the culture has resulted in marriage no longer being viewed as a covenant, but as a social contract (one open to negotiation and dissolution). And that, through advances in birth control and reproductive technology as part of the sexual and contraceptive revolutions combined with the divorce revolution, marriage has been separated from sex and sex from having children. Thus, with co-habitation, sex, and having children all normalized outside of marriage, marriage has lost much of its traditional social function. He also chronicles the aggressive agenda of the homosexual movement to normalize homosexual behavior, and the transgender movement’s push to eliminate gender distinctions; along with the resulting debate that has arising within the Christian community on whether or not to adjust to these social changes, and if so how (particularly given that the millennial generation is hostile to traditional biblical Christianity). In fact, a backlash against religious liberty has ensued; resulting in the collapse of cultural Christianity as its stances on marriage, sex, gender and homosexuality has come to be seen as bigoted and intolerant. But Mohler reminds us that the Church has been in exile before and that the call of Christ has not changed, nor has the Christian’s duty to the Word. We Cannot Be Silent: Speaking Truth to a Culture Redefining Sex, Marriage, and the Very Meaning of Right and Wrong is a wake-up call, convicting the Church of its past failures and calling it to rededicate itself to faithful obedience to Christ.

[Ana Paula Nunes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livro obrigatório para pastores - e ovelhas.

[Ben Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the message of our time. The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it applies to the issues of our day. Highly recommend.

[Rodney Harvill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The past few years have seen some very dramatic shifts in our society. In 1993, a quarter century ago, Clinton implemented a Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy for homosexuals in the military. I was in the Navy at the time and remember how big a deal we considered it. Yet, in 2015, the Supreme Court ruling in the Obergefell v. Hodges case made same-sex marriage the law of the land. I live in North Carolina, which in 2012 had passed a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman (I had voted for it, too.), and just three years later, the Obergefell decision had reduced it to a dead letter. For the past few years, I have seen report after report of Christian businesses facing penalties for declining to participate in same-sex wedding ceremonies, decisions they have made, not out of bigotry, but from a desire not to endorse or participate in a sinful act. They face a choice: defy the law of God or the law of man. In Passenger 57, Wesley Snipes famously said, “Always bet on black.” We Christians, if we are smart and fear God, always bet on Him.

It is in this environment that Dr. Mohler has written this book. He spends a substantial portion of the book discussing how we got where we are. While he acknowledges the role played by homosexual activists, his harshest criticism is actually reserved for heterosexuals because we ultimately are the ones who undermined the cultural and legal foundations of marriage. Examples of undermining these foundations that Dr. Mohler cites includes:

• Contraception because it allows people to engage in sexual activity with a significantly reduced possibility of pregnancy. His logic is that in reducing the consequences of extra-marital sex, it reduced the incentive to marry.
• No-fault divorce because it simplifies the process of obtaining a divorce. A legal mechanism intended to be compassionate, by making it easier to end a marriage, provided an incentive for people to dissolve a marriage rather than working out their difficulties, resulting in a sharp increase in the number of broken homes, a rather uncompassionate effect, especially for the children caught in the middle.
• Advanced reproductive technologies, while they help married couples with fertility problems to have children, also enable people who are not married to have children themselves, taking marriage entirely out of the equation.
• With cohabitation, people live together as if they were married without actually being married.

I don’t doubt that many will be offended by Dr. Mohler’s assessment. In fact, I know people who have been involved in all four of these items. They might argue that none of these developments caused Obergefell, and they would be absolutely right and absolutely wrong. Absolutely right in that they didn’t force the justices to rule as they did. Absolutely wrong in that these developments took down barriers protecting the institution of marriage. Consider a handrail around an elevated platform. If someone takes it down, this will not cause someone to fall. However, if someone loses his balance and starts to fall, without the handrail in place to stop him, he is going over the edge. In like manner, the barriers protecting marriage that were removed by these developments were not there to protect the institution from homosexual activists. That is the fault of us heterosexuals. We didn’t adequately protect the institution. Dr. Mohler is absolutely right there.

So where does this leave us? It changes nothing, and it changes everything. On the one hand, the whole duty of man, to fear God and keep His commandments, remains in effect. We Christians have a responsibility to be faithfully obedient to our God both when it is easy and when it is hard. At the same time, our culture that is increasingly rejecting Christian values is raising the price tag, and many churches are compromising their doctrines to accommodate the cultural changes. We face increasing costs for our decisions to be faithful to God, and we still have the responsibility of being light and salt. Our non-Christian friends, neighbors and co-workers are still sinners in the hands of an angry God, and our responsibility for evangelism remains, not so we can be rescued from the growing cultural hostility but so that they can be rescued from their eternal fate.

I have to commend Dr. Mohler for writing this book. It does not present detailed arguments but rather presents the issues in a concise manner that the layman can understand. We need to understand our responsibilities to God and man in the midst of our cultural context, and this book helps in this matter.

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Postmodern culture is drowning in relativism and religious pluralism. The rising tide of liberalism and theological compromise has not only washed upon the secular shore; it has come crashing in upon the evangelical church with the force of a tsunami.

Dr. R. Albert Mohler explores this rising cultural storm in his new book, We Cannot Be Silent. The author describes the so-called sexual revolution in vivid terms; terms that sober readers and awaken them to this escalating challenge.

Mohler explains that this cultural revolution did not begin with same-sex marriage, however. Rather, four developments helped usher in the redefinition of marriage, namely, birth control and contraception, divorce, advanced reproductive technologies, and cohabitation.
The author guides readers through various stages of cultural decay which include the acceptance of same-sex marriage, the transgender revolution, and the collapse of marriage.

Dr. Mohler provides the proper paradigm for thinking and acting in a biblical way in these troubling times: "The fundamental axiom upon which evangelical Christians must base every response to homosexuality is this: God alone is sovereign, and he alone created the universe and everything within it by his own design and for his own good pleasure. Furthermore, he showed us his creative intention through Holy Scripture - and that intention is clearly to create and establish two distinct but complementary genders or sexes. The Genesis narrative demonstrates that this distinction of genders is neither accidental nor inconsequential to the divine design."

Navigating the cultural decay is no simple task, especially when more and more people appear to accept what the Bible prohibits - even in the church. Thankfully, we have the Word of God which reveals the heart of God in these matters. Indeed, the biblical testimony is clear and compelling: Mohler adds,
"Homosexuality is a sin against God and a direct rejection of God's intention and command in creation. All sin is a matter of eternal consequence. The redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ is the only hope for sinners. On the cross, Jesus paid the price for our sins and served as a substitute for the redeemed."

We Cannot Be Silent is essential reading for Christian leaders, Christian educators, and pastors. It contains a wealth of practical information, biblical responses, and draws readers into the center of the cultural tsunami. Mohler offers hope and Bible-soaked counsel for Christians who seek answers in the midst of the storm.

But the most important aspect of the author’s book is his heart which is clearly revealed. Mohler strikes a critical balance of love and grace from start to finish. He helps readers navigate the challenging waters of postmodern culture with biblical wisdom, skill, and winsomeness. Such an approach is imperative if the church intends on reaching people for the sake of the gospel.

I applaud We Cannot Be Silent for its depth, transparency, and the clear commitment for Scripture. It deserves a wide reading and is bound to make an important difference in the lives of many people.

Highly recommended!

I received this book free from the publisher.   I was not required to write a positive review.

[Pamela Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very important book explaining the "whys and therefores" of Christianity's views on the sexual revolution and especially homosexual relations.

[Drew Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

We Cannot Be Silent is a timely and much needed book for the evangelical community. The failure of evangelicals on the many fronts of the sexual revolution has cost us dearly. As Dr Mohler so clearly lays out, we can no longer be silent on these issues. I was saddened, burdened, discouraged, and ultimately encouraged while reading this book. It should be a book that churches go through together.

Mark Dever says it best:
"This is one of the most useful books I have read in a long time...
Student, freshman, campus worker, youth group leader, pastor professor-
read this book and study it with others."

P.S The questions at the end are most helpful!

[Peter LeDuc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and comprehensive. This is a bold defense of God's design for human flourishing and a call for Christians to speak God's truth with compassion to a lost and confused world enslaved by their "autonomy". A perfect blend of Bible, theology, sociology, and practical Christianity. If you are a Christian living in the 21st century, this is a must read.

[Matthew Manchester · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was eye-opening and convicting. Due to how and when I grew up, I never paid much attention to birth control, but after the history of it, I can see how it opened the days to today's current same-sex marriage and transgender issues.

It's worth the read though at times it's repetitive. Overall though, it's classic Mohler. Too bad he didn't narrate the audiobook.

[Kevin Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading this book and I have one word: Wow. This is vintage Mohler. Simply great. Clear. Concise. Precise. Unapologetic. This is a must read for evangelicals who want live faithfully in the 21st century in the wake of the moral revolution. Indeed, we cannot be silent.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciated the history Dr. Mohler presented in this book & the clear explanation of the challenges Christians face.

[Joel Gass · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book exposing the Sexual Revolution and the agenda behind it.

[Justin Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so important. I cannot in good conscience say that our culture is on the cusp of a turning point; it’s already cascaded off into the unknown. How Christians then should respond to the culture is of primary importance. I think Dr. Mohler does a fantastic job with looking at the whole of the issues presented in the book: how we got to where we are, where we are, and how we should respond.

As seen in the title, the book is about how the culture has “redefined” sex, marriage, and the ideas of right and wrong. He begins by showing how we got to where we are by a historical look at the events leading up to our current trajectory. This includes Roe vs. Wade and the pill. The reason these were so crucial in the sexual revolution is that it provided a way for people to have sex with zero consequences, i.e. children. Next, he looks at how the homosexual movement gained traction. This is one of the most interesting chapters in the book. Dr. Mohler speaks about how there was an agenda that was followed from a book in the early 1990’s. This book mentioned several things that must happen for homosexuality to become a reality. These include the popularizing of homosexual behavior on television that showed homosexuals as normal, loving, caring people; the AID’s epidemic helped codify the agenda of feeling sorry for a massive group of people; and the idea that in order for homosexuality to be accepted into society, there needs to be the legalization of homosexual marriage. All very interesting conjectures.

Dr. moves to transgender argument and the end of marriage before coming back to a more positive line of thinking in the chapter “What Does the Bible Really Have to Say About Sex ?” He ends with arguments on religious liberty and cites two very important examples (all from the last year): the Houston Mayor’s attempts to cease all pastors sermons on homosexuality and the firing of a Fire Chief working for the city of Atalanta who wrote a book (off duty) about homosexuality. He states that in the coming years, there may be a very grave threat to Churches and religious institutions a like. That’s the reason why this book is so important (in my mind).

He ends the book with a sort of Q&A which I thought was very interesting.

What I take away most from this book is that Christians need to engage with the culture without being transformed by it. We need to act in compassionate and loving ways to our neighbors, because they are sinners just like us. He says that you shouldn’t shy away from talking to homosexuals or ostracizing them. We cannot settle on anything less than the truth, and yet the truth does not always have to be boxed up in hate speech. Overall, this is a really interesting book and I’d recommend it.

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. It admittedly is quite easy for a book to be well received when the author is preaching to the choir. In this case, Mohler was not trying to convince Christians that they should believe something they didn't already believe. Mohler, instead took on the task of convincing us that we do not have the option to be silent about what we believe. There aren't as many temptations to believe something contrary to our religion, so much as there are temptations to not stand up for those beliefs.

Mohler traced the historical push to squeeze secular ideas about the world and sexuality into modern culture. This began in the 70's, at least the cooperative movement, and hit full stride in the 21st century. From 2008 to 2012 there was an exponential increase of Christians and Americans who were willing to support homosexuality in all that it purports - something a large majority was not willing to do 4 years prior.

Like most of Mohler's works, the data he gives are well documented and researched. This doesn't mean that they are correct however. I don't want to pick out the negative portions of the book here. There was only one major disagreement I had worth mentioning about adoption from same-sex couples, but it doesn't overshadow the work itself. That being said, be prepared for re-reading a few chunks and hearing a whiffing sound of Mohler missing some clear connections that he could have made.

In any case, the book was good and helpful. And just shows how far we have fallen - or maybe understanding that we weren't that elevated to begin with. Worthwhile read.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ringing call for Christians to stand uncompromisingly for truth, regardless of the cost. And the battle of our current time is the truth of God creating Mankind in His image: male and female.

Mohler details how the moral revolution came about intentionally and by strategy over the decades and how two key developments: The Pill and no-fault divorce were major factors in enabling the collapse to take place.

"In one sense, everything has changed. And yet, nothing has changed. The cultural and legal landscape has changed, as we believe this will lead to very real harm to our neighbors, but our Christian responsibility has not changed. We are charged to uphold the union of man and woman and to speak the truth in love. We are also commanded to uphold the truth about marriage, in our own lives, marriages, families and churches.

We are called to be people of the truth, even when the truth is not popular, and when it is denied by the culture around us. We have been here before. God's truth has not changed. Scripture has not changed. The Church's mission has not changed. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." -Al Mohler

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I heard the author interviewed on Family Life Today, and I knew I wanted to read this book. I bought it, and it sat on my book shelf for years. It was like exercise: I knew it would be good for me, but I didn’t want to do it. Mostly because I don’t enjoy reading nonfiction. It takes me forever.
And then a game changer! I found the free audio through the library app, Hoopla. (Here’s a fair warning that the audio reader does a fair to poor job. No feeling. Poor job at pausing between subtopics.)
Anyway... to the material of the actual book. It’s fantastic and convicting. And absolutely terrible to read about how quickly our American society is spiraling downward.
I really appreciate Mohler’s humility, compassion, and his repeated message to share the Gospel with all.
We are all sinners in need of a Savior.
Please take my advice and read this book.
And please read it from start to finish. You may want to start with the hard questions at the back, but you need to start at the beginning and work your way back there.

[Etienne OMNES · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je l'ai lu l'an dernier, et c'est un ouvrage qui mérite qu'on l'achète.

Albert Mohler décrit l'histoire de comment l'église est arrivée là où elle en est aujourd'hui, en opposition frontale avec une société dont l'éthique sexuelle est aux antipodes d'elle. L'aspect le plus intéressant du livre est lorsqu'il montre que c'est à cause de la lâcheté initiale de l'église à s'opposer à la contraception, puis le divorce par consentement mutuel que nous nous sommes retrouvés avec le mariage ouvert aux couples homosexuels: lorsque les évènements de 2015 sont arrivés, nous nous sommes mobilisés pour défendre un rempart qui était déjà effondré...

Albert Mohler donne ensuite de très bon encouragements, équilibrés entre pratique et théorie, et surtout une exhortation énergisante à ne pas se taire, à ne pas plier, à ne pas abandonner. C'est le moment d'approfondir nos racines, pas de s'effondrer au sol. Un livre de référence sur le sujet de la révolution sexuelle.

[Alston · Rating 2 out of 5]

Contraception means sex without procreation. Modern technology redefines how procreation can be possible. Cohabitation and annulments mean you can test drive a marriage partner. Same gender attraction and relationships are framed different in the 21st than under previous regimes. Mohler frames several trends of the current era and shapes them into the context of the US government changing the definition of marriage and why Christians should care.

I found the book’s structure helpful in understanding Mohler’s root causes of change to the institution of marriage. Many of these points are things I had not considered as impacting the public and thus the political representatives that pass laws, but this book was clearly written by an academic with its verbose prose and articulate word choices. Overall I found it informative, but I think far fewer pages with simpler words and another reader could have taken away similar notes.

[Todd Whitford · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important and historical testimony

I think this work is one of those important and historical testimonies of the Christian church in answer to our society's moral rebellion in the areas of marriage, sexuality, and now gender. Dr. Mohler's presentation is prophetic in the sense that he a) acknowledges the sins of our culture and churches, b) carefully and faithfully applies God's Word of judgment over us, c) patiently answers objections and questions about our response to God's Word on the matter, and d) does all this "with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). Christians should read this book for clarity, and supporters of the moral revolution should read it to understand the best arguments from the other side.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started off a bit slow and very surface level. But as I got further into I found it to be more and more insightful. The last chapter covered all of the common questions and arguments you hear when the topic of same sex relationships and the Bible is discussed. "Biblical authors didn't have the category of sexual orientation" , "what about loving, monogamous consensual relationships?" "what about those born gay?" And many other arguments and questions.

[John Majors · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some won't like this book - but there's tons of helpful insights in here on Homosexuality and same sex marriage. Mohler has a way of writing that is clear, concise, and sums up a host of background information and makes it easy to repeat to others. The list of 30 questions (ch 10) is worth the price of the book.