Why ‘Challenges to Living God’s Way’ is essential reading...

The book arose out of a concern that Liz and I have for the rising generation. For many years we have worked together for the Christian charity Lovewise, seeking to promote marriage and sexual purity to young people through talks, books and online material. We thought it right to promote these things which are self-evidently good and honourable without necessarily discussing or critiquing the details of ungodly alternatives.

But things have moved on. The foundations of our society are highly unstable. Creation ‘givens’ such as our birth sex and faithfulness in relationships are no longer accepted. Over the last twenty years the spiritual battle has intensified and now a rights-based ‘woke’ agenda has arisen which justifies sexual immorality on pseudo-moral grounds. It has especially targeted young people through school sex and relationships education, social media and other cultural influences, thereby undermining the wise counsel of many parents. Churched young people are not exempt from this attack, and often suffer from a lack of Biblical teaching on these topics in their churches.

For these reasons we thought it good to write a book which explains clearly what the Bible teaches us about the contentious areas of cohabitation, pornography, homosexuality, gender ideology, how men and women relate, and abortion. We round the book off with three chapters on how God intends us to live both as single people and within marriage. We trust and pray that the Lord will use it for his glory and the blessing of many young people with the happiness and peace that comes from following God’s ways.

The book was published this January. Although aimed particularly at young people, many adults have also expressed how helpful they have found the book. Here are some appreciative comments which we have been encouraged to receive:

One parent who is currently reading it for the second time told us that her teenage daughter loved the testimony bits. Another slightly older teenage girl (read her full review here) commented “Dealing with current social issues such as modern feminism, gender identity, and abortion, this book provides an alternative perspective to that which young people currently encounter both in classrooms and on social media.” She ends her review: “I would strongly recommend Challenges to Living God’s Way to young people because we live in a world where the issues it deals with are becoming increasingly prevalent. Whether you are working through one or multiple of these struggles personally, or trying to help a friend navigate a difficult time, it is invaluable to learn from the wisdom of those who have spent years thinking through such topics from a Biblical perspective.”

A Church of England vicar said “As a Vicar I’m always keen to find helpful resources for church members. Reading Challenges to Living God’s Way I was delighted to have in my hands a book I could recommend full of very practical wisdom that tackles some of the most pressing issues today.”

Andrew Farquhar, an Elder from an Evangelical Chapel, who reviewed the book in Evangelical Times comments: “I'm currently reading it with my daughter and am appreciating the variety within each chapter, including relevant statistics, examples from real life, looking at how God has helped people affected by each of the issues, and references to Bible texts that are then unpacked to show how they apply to the topic in question.  Within the first few pages, you'll read about a cohabiting couple who were having a meal with a friend, who asked them how long they planned to stay together.  The girl said, 'For the rest of my life.'  The boy said, 'Until the end of term.'  We both found this very striking, and it led to a good chat about cohabitation, how different it is to marriage, and why commitment is so vital.”  Andrew also comments “The up-to-date statistics are something I'm appreciating; I don't feel I'm presenting yesterday's arguments.  Having a resource to read together makes chats about these topics more focused and less embarrassing, whether we use it with teens or pre-teens in our churches or families – they all need us to help ground them in the truth!”

Another pastor of an evangelical church has commented on the importance of tackling the contemporary issues raised in the book: “Our culture is increasingly hostile to Christian belief and morality. Controversial issues can be tough to discuss, and even more so for young people. We want teenagers to be equipped to live confidently as Christians, knowing that God’s design for relationships is indeed the best way to live. This excellent resource, Challenges to Living God’s Way, does just that.”

He goes on to say how helpful the book has been to him personally in preparing to teach on these issues and continues : “If you are a teenager wondering what the Bible says and how to live as a Christian in the area of relationships, this book is for you. If you are a parent or grandparent grappling with these issues and wanting to engage with what your children or grandchildren ask or say on these topics, this book is for you. If you work with young people and want to understand the challenges and ideas they are facing, this book is for you. Or if you just want a helpful summary of what the Bible says on issues such as homosexuality or gender, this book is for you too. Challenges to Living God’s Way is written sensitively and clearly with biblical wisdom that can benefit us all – pastors, parents and teens.

I wholeheartedly recommend getting this book into the hands of your congregation. We have given a copy to each of our church teenagers and plan to use it in our youth ministries to help equip our young people to live God’s way in their generation. It’s even been helpful for me as a pastor – explaining how biblical texts relate to current issues and presenting them clearly and succinctly for me to use in sermons!”

So if you haven’t yet read Challenges to Living God’s Way we hope that these comments will encourage you to do so and to recommend it to any teenagers, parents, grandparents, pastors or youth leaders that you know so that they can be equipped to follow Jesus in a hostile world.