Alien Nation

Out of this world

ALIEN NATION
By Melvin Tinker
Chrsitian Focus. 158 pages.
ISBN 1 85792 667 3

This small book explores the growing isolation of the church from today's culture - our 'alienation' as people of the kingdom from above in a new 'Babylon'.

Melvin Tinker first looks at the basis of our present secular society - its rampant materialism, its individualism with its emphasis on personal choice above all other virtues, its shameless hedonism and stark relativism - and then exposes the glaring flaws in each 'ism'. He leaves us in no doubt about the sad moral and spiritual mess our culture has descended into, despite what the intellectual and social elite pretends is happening. With courage and compassion he clearly explains how the Christian message can bring light once more into great darkness. Particularly challenging are chapters on marriage, sexuality and family life. He underlines the promise that, despite all, God is still with his people and thus his people can be different - showing selfless love in a selfish society.

Originally given as a series of sermons, they effectively carry the persuasiveness, the punch and the passion of the preacher. Just one small quibble; some of the quotes used don't clarify the issues as much as they could and I found a few a tad confusing.

Highly recommended.

Ray Evans, Bedford

© Evangelicals Now - May 2002
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Main Articles

• Word Alive: can't stop sharing
  Word Alive 2002
• Why do they come?
  A look at preaching in our prisons by the Director of Day One Prison Ministries
• Celebrating our common humanity
• Creation vs. evolution in school
• What can we learn from CU history?
• A death we all need
• Peoples on the Move
  Introducing the Nomads of the World
• Extreme music?
• Monthly column on the arts
  Thank you, Ma'am
• Monthly column for youth leaders
  Web page #3: Content advisor
• Monthly column on hymns and songs
  Same old song
• Why bother with a hymn book?
• Letter from America
  Strange but true
• The Third Degree
  A case of mistaken Adnabod?
• Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad?
  Dr Timothy George looks at Muslim views of Christ

Other articles

• Finding God in Unexpected Places
• The Parentalk Guide to being a Grandparent
• Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings - A Guide to Middle-Earth
• The Wisdom and the Folly - An exposition of 1 Kings
• Burn Out
• The Spirit Comes (as part of the package)
• The Armies of the Lamb - The spirituality of Andrew Fuller
• The NIV Theological Dictionary of New Testament Words
• A Response to Engel and Dyrness: Changing the mind of missions?
• Small Talks on Big Questions, Vol. 2
• World of the Spirits: A Christian Perspective on Traditional and Folk Religions
• The Market Day of the Soul: the Puritan doctrine of the Sabbath in England, 1532-1700
• Alien Nation
• The Story of the Old Testament
• The Story of the New Testament
• Messy Spirituality: Christianity for the rest of us