In my journey through my bookshelves to find something good to read, I tend to find an author and stick with them for a few weeks. Last week we took a look at Follow Me by David Platt and Francis Chan. This week we tackle another David Platt book titled Counter Culture. If I’m being honest, and why wouldn’t I because this is my website, this one was challenging. It was challenging because Platt is calling Christians, and me specifically, to the task of living the faith I claim to possess.

The main thrust of the book is simple. Christians are called to live different than the world. We’re called to a higher calling, a different way of living. We should stand out in a crowd not act as though we’re part of it. The world should know who we are and what we stand for without even having to open our mouths. But sadly this is just not the case. We’ve become happy with claiming an identity but living a different reality.

The truth of the matter is that we’ll never stand out in the world if we don’t get one fundamental thing right. Platt asserts that our identity as followers of Christ boils essentially down to our beliefs on where it all started. Yep, that’s right the biggest challenge we face in the world isn’t where we stand on social issues that have biblical backing but on the fundamental truth of where it all started. Do you believe that in the beginning God?

The world around us denies this very thing that is essentially the foundation of who God is and who we are in relation to Him. If we deny the sovereignty of God, then we have little to no need for God or Jesus or salvation or anything else because we’ve become the god of our own making. When morality and truth are simply relative, we’ve made ourselves the center of our own universe.

Throughout the book, Platt calls followers of Jesus to remember the words of Scripture. God never calls us to observance but obedience. We live our lives as followers of Christ as if saying we believe in Jesus was enough. Just read the book of James to see how far off that sentiment is! Faith without works is simply pointless.

When we finally see the immense nature of God’s grace and goodness shown to us and his love for us even when we didn’t love him back, then we’ll have a small grasp on just how Counter Cultural this message of the Bible truly is.

Check this book out if you’re ready to be challenged in your faith walk. If, however, you’d rather just skate along thinking you have life all figured out, then definitely don’t pick up this book.