How should Christians relate to a world where they are increasingly marginalized? There has been a decline in Christian value and culture. Christians are no longer respected, no longer seen as a light to the world. Lutzer helps us understand the problem and what we can do.

Lutzer suggests we cannot hide. Christians are to infiltrate without contamination. Our love should abound, even as we refuse to compromise our convictions. (94) Christians must know where to draw the line in obeying God rather than the state.

Lutzer has been around long enough that he is not afraid of telling the truth, even though it might offend. He writes, technology "is weighted against a pure mind and Christ-honoring lifestyle." (124) He has good information on the transgender issue. His insights on the gift of celibacy are enlightening. I appreciated his distinction between the responsibilities of the church and of the state when it comes to immigration. He identifies false teachings that have come into the church, naming names and book titles.

Lutzer is not politically correct. Far from it. But he is gospel correct. People do not know they need the gospel until they understand they are sinners, as are we all. Lutzer sees the church as the "last barrier" to moral decline. (170) "I pray that the church in America will live up to its convictions and accept the consequences," he writes. (115)

I highly recommend this book to pastors, church leaders, and Christians who are concerned about their place in the current culture. This would be an excellent book for church boards to read and discuss.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publishers. My comments are an independent and honest review.

You don't have to look very hard to see that the state of the world is going downhill at an alarming rate. While some may declare "progress" others are able to see the foothold Satan has on the steady decline of morality. But how are we as Christians intended to respond to this and where do we go from here? This book is an incredibly useful tool in taking a look at how we can reach the lost without giving-in to their desires.

One quote I absolutely have to share is from page 102. It reads:

"Here is the irony. The censurers, who are all too ready to deny freedom to those who disagree with them, are perceived by our culture as "tolerant," whereas those who express differing views are "intolerant." In other words, the philosophy of the left is preach tolerance, but practice intolerance against anyone who has the courage to express an opposing point of view."

I couldn't have worded this any better myself, but it rings incredibly true of the way things are today. Sin is not only accepted by many, it's often glorified and people are praised for their willingness to open up about it. No one wants to be told that what they are doing is wrong or sinful, and the world is turning into a place where it's literally becoming illegal to do so. So how do we operate in a world that is so adamant to silence the truth?

As Christians we have a difficult balance to attempt. When Jesus walked this earth he spent his time with sinners. He loved them and told them to turn from their ways. He didn't accept the sin, but he loved the sinner and commanded them to turn from their sin. Jesus is the perfect example of how to reach the lost. But how does that look for us today? How do we reach unbelievers in love to turn them toward Christ? If we attack then we will immediately raise their defenses, but if we accept their sin then we aren't showing them their need for change or their need for Christ. How do we balance living in the world without being of the world, while still reaching the lost?

This book speaks about so many relevant issues that we as believers face when being in the world today. While we may feel like what we are experiencing is something entirely new, the Bible would tell us otherwise. Sure, the church has faced many obstacles throughout history, but at the core you will find the same opponent: Satan. Satan wants to silence the church and the gospel message. But knowing who our adversary is and how he operates can help us in the battle. We have God's Word to help us. This book aims to show us from a biblical perspective how to react and respond the the changing world we live in.

There are many different uses for this book that I could recommend. It could be used for personal study, but I also feel that it has a lot that would be good to discuss with others. It would be great for a small group or Sunday school. There's a lot to think and contemplate over in the book and I consider it a highly useful tool.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Moody Publishers. I was not required to give a positive review. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

The Church In Babylon is a wonderful book full of incredible information - it gives you such staggering statistics and also it tells you things that just breaks your heart to learn - like it tells you that most Millennials - 30% who where raised in the church turn out to be agnostic or atheistic because of being raised in the church and seeing for themselves how Christians are - gossips - living one way at church and going home and acting another - and so on - I cried with the tears of a broken heart - I could feel the hurt of CHRIST - what HE must think of us when HE sees us acting this way and seeing how our children see us acting this way and leave the church and beliefs because of it. The way the world is today what it needs more than ever is the LORD - and this book talks all about it - something we all need to read about - if you are open to hear what he - the author - has to say. I received a copy of this book from the Publisher and Netgalley; all of the opinions expressed in this review are all my own.

This was an excellant book. Lutzer always tells things in a way easy to understand. He talks about current issues and gives what the church's response should be. i would definitely recomend this book.

The Church In Babylon is a wonderful book full of incredible information - it gives you such staggering statistics and also it tells you things that just breaks your heart to learn - like it tells you that most Millennials - 30% who where raised in the church turn out to be agnostic or atheistic because of being raised in the church and seeing for themselves how Christians are - gossips - living one way at church and going home and acting another - and so on - I cried with the tears of a broken heart - I could feel the hurt of CHRIST - what HE must think of us when HE sees us acting this way and seeing how our children see us acting this way and leave the church and beliefs because of it. The way the world is today what it needs more than ever is the LORD - and this book talks all about it - something we all need to read about - if you are open to hear what he - the author - has to say. I received a copy of this book from the Publisher and Netgalley; all of the opinions expressed in this review are all my own.