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Tear down cultural barriers to the reception of the gospel, and learn how to advance Christ's kingdom by recovering intelligent faith.
Description:
In today's culture of modernism, Christianity is an afterthought. Explore how the majesty and radical reality of God’s amazing grace has been rendered impotent in America. Then begin to tear down the cultural barriers to both the acceptance of the gospel and the mission of the church in America.
A study guide, available at NavPress.com, will help you dig deeper into this important message.
Other Links of Interest:
Watch Michael Craven discuss Uncompromised Faith
Check out the study guide for this book--a great tool to help you dig deeper into the content.
Uncompromised Faith
ISBN-13:
9781600063626
Trim Size: 5.5 x 8.25
Cover: Paperback
224
Pages
$12.99
Percentage Discounts for Bulk Purchases of Single Items
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Downloadable
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Part of a Series
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Available in Spanish
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View all reviewsCustomer Reviews
Rediscovering the Church's Missional Goals
After a brief overview of the Christian worldview and a short history of Christendom (including his case that the latter no longer exists), Craven calls for believers to engage the world intellectually in her new post-modern cultural context, with a strong emphasis on love and respect. His discussion of modernism and post-modernism was particularly enjoyable, as he (unexpectedly to me) argues that the latter is receding in the marketplace of ideas while modernism is--in some ways--still dominant and dangerous. Post-modernism is not all bad, says Craven; it often serves as a valid critique of the worst parts of modernism.
What follows is a discussion of the Christian worldview's approach to such topics as consumerism, marriage, homosexuality, radical feminism, and new age spirituality. Craven concludes by calling the Church away from attempting to be God's kingdom, and back to her missional goal of being Jesus' ambassador to the world by ministering to the world through loving, serving relationships.
The book is heavily cited. The final third seemed to rely too much on one or two sources, but the middle third was supported by a wide range of material. Anyone interested in a brief, readable overview of how American Christianity has been overtaken and over-influenced by the culture--and a broad description of how to reverse that--would enjoy this book.
Posted by
Seth
on
7/8/2009 2:21:38 PM
A must-read for Christian leaders and influencers
This book is incredibly timely, well-reseached and powerful. Simply put, if you are living in 21st century Western culture and want to know what and how to speak and relate intelligently during these new rounds of culture wars, read this book.
It is not for the faint of heart. In fact, I am 100% positive it will make most Christians mad. It will disturb you. It will appall you. It will convict you. The Christian church in Western society has capitulated to the philosophies and attacks of godless worldviews. More than likely, your position on many current cultural issues is more informed by junk science and false research propogated by the main stream media, politicians and Hollywood than it is by the clear teaching of God’s Word.
Posted by
Jeff Noble
on
5/14/2009 1:03:44 PM
An Engaging Primer on Christianity and American Culture
Michael Craven states the purpose of his book in his introduction: “…indentifying and tearing down…deeply entrenched and rarely examined cultural barriers to both the acceptance of the gospel and the mission of the church in America.”
I agree with Craven’s assessment that the American church in general is on the losing side of influence in the context of the greater American culture. I liked the idea of examining various worldviews prominent in America today and dissecting how they work to prevent the Kingdom of Christ from spreading or deepening in our country.
Overall, Craven accomplishes these purposes. “Uncompromised Faith” is a helpful overview of key cultural and social forces that currently shape America. I recommend this book as an engaging primer on the topic.
A few complaints:
• The research for the chapter on Feminism is culled almost exclusively from a single source. I found Craven’s lack of breadth and depth of research on the topic led him—ironically—to conclusions that were shaped by secular feminism far more than by church history or biblical scholarship.
• I wish he would have expanded the epilogue, “What Are We To Do?”, to include more practical steps for growth and change.
• A little too much hyperbole and a few too many exclamation points.
Posted by
S. Nannen
on
5/11/2009 10:23:37 AM
Thought provoking
In "Uncompromised Faith: Overcoming Our Culturalized Christianity" apologist S. Michael Craven posits that Christians have become so conformed to our culture that we have ceased to have significant meaningful impact on the world for Christ. Craven calls on Christians to understand the ways in which we are influenced by our times, and choose instead to be counter-cultural, not merely for the sake of being "different" or as an anachronistic throw-back, but as a witness to the transforming power of the Gospel. Condemning the widespread anti-intellectualism of Western Christianity, Craven points out that in 1 Peter 3:15 Christians are commanded to understand our culture in order to engage it, and suggests that the command in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to "take every thought captive" is not merely a recommendation for personal holiness, but also a charge to understand the philosophies and beliefs that keep others from knowledge of the truth.
The first part of Craven's book examines the ideas that permeate our culture and how those affect the way Christians see the world as well. I imagine that most Christians would find quite a few points of conviction in the chapters on the philosophies of modernism and post-modernism, as well as (or perhaps most particularly) the one on consumerism. Craven challenges readers to consider how (if at all) our ways of thinking and making decisions differ from those who do not believe in Christ. He points out that in many ways our thinking is shaped by cultural influences more than God's word. The second part of the book deals with social issues and movements that Christians don't explain very well or don't understand well enough to really be like Christ in that situation. The section was a good overview of several issues, although you might find similar ideas in other sources.
Overall, I'd recommend this book for the strength of the first section.
Posted by
Catherine
on
4/24/2009 6:47:21 PM
Thought provoking
In "Uncompromised Faith: Overcoming Our Culturalized Christianity" apologist S. Michael Craven posits that Christians have become so conformed to our culture that we have ceased to have significant meaningful impact on the world for Christ. Craven calls on Christians to understand the ways in which we are influenced by our times, and choose instead to be counter-cultural, not merely for the sake of being "different" or as an anachronistic throw-back, but as a witness to the transforming power of the Gospel. Condemning the widespread anti-intellectualism of Western Christianity, Craven points out that in 1 Peter 3:15 Christians are commanded to understand our culture in order to engage it, and suggests that the command in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to "take every thought captive" is not merely a recommendation for personal holiness, but also a charge to understand the philosophies and beliefs that keep others from knowledge of the truth.
The first part of Craven's book examines the ideas that permeate our culture and how those affect the way Christians see the world as well. I imagine that most Christians would find quite a few points of conviction in the chapters on the philosophies of modernism and post-modernism, as well as (or perhaps most particularly) the one on consumerism. Craven challenges readers to consider how (if at all) our ways of thinking and making decisions differ from those who do not believe in Christ. He points out that in many ways our thinking is shaped by cultural influences more than God's word.
The second part of the book deals with social issues and movements that Christians don't explain very well or don't understand well enough to really be like Christ in that situation. The section was a good overview of several issues, but didn't seem to fit as closely with the stated focus of the book (overcoming our culturalized Christianity) and I felt that in most cases those issues are dealt with well and at greater length and depth in other sources. I don't think Craven necessarily got anything wrong in his second section, but again I don't feel it was as strong as the first part, or even really necessary to his thesis.
Overall, I'd recommend this book for the strength of the first section.
Posted by
Catherine
on
4/24/2009 6:46:07 PM
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