Faithfully Different: Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture

THOUGHTS ABOUT NATASHA CRAIN’S BOOK FAITHFULLY DIFFERENT Harvest House 2022 I liked this book because it is well written and understandable. I did not like it because it did not make understandable that which is not understandable. (The morality of secularism is irrational.) I liked this book because it clarified my place as an Evangelical in our current secular culture. I did not like this book because it made my place in this current culture feel quite uncomfortable. I liked this book because it described secularism in clear terms. I did not like this book because it challenged me to witness to my faith despite a hostile environment which can be scary. I liked this book because it unmasked strategies that secularists are using to promote their agendas. I did not like this book because it revealed the uncomfortable fact that our churches have many in them who unknowingly do not have a biblical world view. Other things that I liked: Clear statements of the tenets of secularism. Critiques of those tenets. Biblical explanations and appeal to biblical authority. Contemporary examples. Explanation of the fact that secularism is not neutral in regard to religion. Explanation that the secularists’ ultimate authority is the self. Explanation that secular culture has no objective basis for making moral judgments even though it follows popular consensus in droves, sometimes fanatically. Natasha Crain has written this excellent volume to followers of Christ in our modern western societies. Others can read and react to it, of course, but it is basically for the family. That context will be important in grasping its messages. Crain’s book showed that college level questions deserve something other than kindergarten answers. It is easy to ask or accuse Christianity regarding historical misdeeds, regarding being anti-science, or regarding being unkind. There are clear answers to these charges, answers that turn them on their heads, but they may not be simple. They will take thought, effort, and reasoning. Crain repeatedly states the four things that characterize secularism’s messages: “Feelings are the ultimate guide, happiness is the ultimate goal, judging is the ultimate sin, and God is the ultimate guess.” (Page 52ff.) She also contrasts these with Christianity and along the way discusses the problem of moral imperatives (“should” statements) for secularists as well as the problem of progressive Christianity, which, it turns out, is hardly Christianity at all. (Chapter 5) She elucidates principles to guide Christians in their thinking about some secular and naturalistic beliefs, noting how important it is for believers in Christ to guard their beliefs. Crain introduces terms “deconstruction”, “deconversion”, “doubt”, and “fundamentalism” in discussing how people once thought to be Christian abandon the faith. In so doing she points out that some who turn away actually turn away from a false Christianity. Others refuse to put in the work needed to resolve their questions. Further, she notes that some doubt is actually normal for faith-oriented people. The Resurrection is the bedrock historical fact of Christianity. I enjoyed Crain’s description of false “Christs” that are referred to so often today. Her tongue in cheek monikers for them hit home, but I admit that it is easy to get caught up in these half true pictures of the Savior. I liked her description of the “Anti-organized Religion Jesus”. How shallow our thinking can be! Crain devotes over twenty pages to the topic of social justice. She admits that volumes more could be written, but since secularism prides itself in standing up for victims and enjoys bashing historical Christianity for its failures in this regard, her considerations are vital and pointed. Here she briefly explains critical theory and contrasts it with biblical Christianity. It is fascinating. I grew in my understanding of current culture and its conflict with my faith as I read