Confessions of a Liberal Puritan

Adam Hamilton, one of the best-selling and most sensible (I think) authors writing for Abingdon Press, is coming out with a new book today, When Christians Get It Wrong.

Here's a small piece of the 8-page excerpt of the book that's available online, explaining some of how Hamilton came to write on this particular topic:

. . . Generally we found that young people rejected Christianity because of the beliefs, attitudes, and actions of Christians they knew.

Their criticism of Christianity usually included one or more of five key themes: (1) the unchristian ways some Christians act, (2) the anti-intellectual, anti-science stance of some Christians, (3) Christianity’s views of other world religions, (4) questions related to the role of God in human suffering, and (5) the way Christians view homosexuality. Each of these themes will be considered in a chapter in this book.

My hope in writing this book is to speak for young adults who have been turned off, frustrated, or even hurt by Christians and to suggest what Christianity might look like when Christians get it right. Let’s begin with the unchristian ways some Christians act. . . .

There's also an online video of the book 'trailer' and a video of Adam speaking about this latest book on YouTube.

Hamilton is a pastor/preacher/writer who doesn't shy away from addressing the 'hot topics' (see for example his 2008 book attempting to de-polarize the abortion debate among both 'left'- and 'right'-leaning persons of conscience, Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White), so his newest might be worth a look, if you're interested in and/or frustrated by what passes for 'Christian' behavior and values in too much of our public discourse today.