This is one of those rare books that every American pastor (if not every American Christian!) needs to read – and I say this with complete confidence. We simply must understand the culture in which we minister, and it just is not likely that many of us have the cultural understanding that this important book provides.
Al Mohler is widely recognized as a theologian whose finger is kept close on the pulse of society. Here he exposes the revolutionary character of today’s currents, and he addresses our responsibility in it. We cannot afford to be naïve at such an important cultural moment, and even if you find much of Mohler’s exposé upsetting you will be the better for the read.
In Mohler’s Words
In his Preface Mohler lays out his agenda – below is a sampling:
We are now witnesses to a revolution that is sweeping away a sexual morality and a definition of marriage that has existed for thousands of years…. This book is about this moral revolution, how it happened and what it means for us, for our churches, and for our children…. Every revolution has a story, and the story of this revolution is one that we can now trace. To put the truth plainly, this revolution did not start with same-sex marriage, and it will not end there.
The revolution that is centered on transforming sexual morality and redefining marriage has succeeded faster than its most eager advocates had even imagined, as they themselves now admit. But this revolution could not have achieved such a velocity if the ground had not been cleared by developments that came long before same-sex marriage. We will look at what came before same-sex marriage, and we will look into the future to what may come after.
Every Christian church—and every Christian—will face huge decisions in the wake of this moral storm. When marriage is redefined, an entire universe of laws, customs, rules, and expectations changes as well. Words such as husband and wife, mother and father, at one time the common vocabulary of every society, are now battlegrounds of moral conflict. Just consider how children’s picture books will have to change in the wake of this revolution. As those who demand this revolution make clear, there will be no model of a normative family structure left in its wake….
In chapter 1 we trace the revolution and its vast impact…. We cannot tell this story without looking at how secularized our society has become. It turns out that the secularizing of the culture is central to the moral shift.
In chapter 2 we look at the arrival of birth control and divorce, and at the fact that few Christians seemed to understand at the time that these developments were setting the stage for a total redefinition of marriage and the family….
In chapter 3 the development of the homosexual movement is put within the context of that moral revolution….
Chapter 4 is a close look at same-sex marriage itself. How is it possible that marriage could be redefined to include a man married to another man or a woman married to another woman?… What does this mean? What will it mean?
Chapter 5 considers the transgender revolution. In the long run, the redefinition of sex and gender will have even more far-reaching consequences than the redefinition of marriage….
Chapter 6 looks squarely at the end of marriage. What will marriage mean when virtually anyone has a “right” to marry? What can it mean?…
Chapter 7 asks a straightforward question: What does the Bible really say about sex?…
Chapter 8 looks at the very real and urgent challenges to religious liberty we now confront…. What will same-sex marriage mean for your church and its freedom?
Chapter 9 steps back to look at the sexual revolution—right down to the arrival of same-sex marriage—in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Chapter 10 is a consideration of pressing questions. Should a Christian attend a same-sex wedding? Is sexual orientation a choice? How do we balance truth and compassion? Would you allow your child to play at a home with two moms or two dads? Why do none of the ancient Christian creeds define marriage? Should government legislate morality? These are just a few of the questions now pressing upon us….
And finally, the book concludes with a “Word to the Reader” written in response to the Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage.
Endorsements
“Albert Mohler is one of our nation’s most brilliant and courageous Evangelical Christian thinkers. In We Cannot Be Silent, he explains to Bible-believing Christians of all traditions why it is our duty to speak out in defense of biblical and natural-law principles of sexual morality and marriage. To bear witness to Christ and the gospel in contemporary culture is to make oneself a ‘sign of contradiction’ to those powerful forces who equate ‘progress’ and ‘social justice’ with sexual license and what Pope Francis calls ‘gender ideology.’ And that is what we, as Christians, must do—no matter the cost to ourselves. With the future of the family—and, indeed, the very dignity of the human person—at stake, silence is not an option.”
~ Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University
“Dr. Albert Mohler reminds us that current debates over LGBQT issues are part of a broader sexual revolution that challenges biblical morality in fundamental ways. It is simply not possible to simultaneously remain silent and remain faithful to the Lord Jesus.”
~ D.A. Carson, research professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; president of The Gospel Coalition
“The rare clarity and perception of Dr. Mohler is brilliantly on display in this book. The master craftsman in piecing together the puzzle parts of culture, politics, history, theology, and Scripture into a mosaic of truth and reality, he does it again! His coherent, convincing and compelling arguments on the dominant and overriding issue of sexual identity and behavior and the Christian response are essential wisdom for the believer to possess. Mohler thoroughly equips the reader to courageously face the fight against sin while compassionately wielding the gospel of grace.”
~ Dr. John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church and president of the Master’s College and Seminary
“This is one of the most useful books I’ve read in a long time. . . . The changes we’ve seen are more sudden and even more sweeping in their implications than we supposed. Yet these changes have roots stretching back for decades and more. . . . Student, freshman, campus worker, youth group leader, pastor, professor—read this book and study it with others.”
~ Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC, and president of 9Marks
“In this sobering yet gripping volume, Albert Mohler tells the cautionary tale of the same-sex and transgender revolutions that have transformed sexual morality and redefined marriage in the Western world faster than anyone could have imagined. Engaging in his vintage masterful cultural analysis, Mohler explores the future implications of this massive moral shift for church and society. Yet this book does more than merely provide information; it is a call to action, urging Christians to bear bold witness to the truth embedded uniquely in God’s design for man and woman according to his Word.”
~ Andreas J. Köstenberger, coauthor (with Margaret Köstenberger) of the God’s Design for Man and Woman, Biblical Foundations and BibleMesh curriculum
Recommendation
A deeply informed, painfully relevant, biblically precise, and pastorally sensitive, penetrating analysis. Read and be aware of the real world you live in.
Check out our recent interview with Dr. Mohler here.
Fred Zaspel