When Culture Hates You: Persevering for the Common Good as Christians in a Hostile Public Square

“Our culture has become increasingly hostile to Christians. And our first instinct may be to avoid interacting with the world—especially when it comes to controversial issues. But Jesus said our faith is meant to be a public faith. So how can we engage positively with others on today’s most divisive topics? That’s what When Culture Hates You is all about. You’ll find this a rich source of wisdom for knowing how to respond to opposition and discover a helpful variety of actions you can take to have a positive influence on today’s culture.”
—Jack Hibbs, president, Real Life Network; founding and senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, CA

“What Natasha Crain has accomplished in When Culture Hates You is remarkable. Her warning of the escalating dangers facing followers of Christ is appropriately charged with urgency—and not a moment too soon. A dark evil is rapidly descending on our children, our families, and our churches, and multitudes of Christians are oblivious to the threat.
“Crain’s sobering analysis of current cultural deceptions is clearheaded, lucid, and completely faithful to a robust Christian worldview. Her book is also immensely practical with workable action guides and conversation helps provided for each issue she critiques.
“When Culture Hates You is precisely what Christians now need to be equipped to stand firm, to protect their families, and to resist the forces of darkness in this evil day.”
—Gregory Koukl, president of Stand to Reason (str.org); author of Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions and The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between

“This book is clearheaded, well researched, and so needed! In these pages you will find answers to the many accusations hurled against Christians in our increasingly hostile culture. As I read it, I kept thinking to myself how well it balances Christian compassion with biblical authority and wisdom in its discussions of the controversies that swirl around in our families, churches, schools, and the media. Read it twice, then pass it on to a friend and ask them to do the same.”
—Erwin W. Lutzer, pastor emeritus, Moody Church, Chicago

“Natasha Crain’s When Culture Hates You is a bold and needed resource for today. Written with practical solutions in mind for the everyday Christian in the pew, this is just the sort of resource that weary Christians need in this moment. The array of topics Crain hits and the way she approaches them provides tangible responses that Christians are desperately in need of.”
—Andrew T. Walker, associate professor of Christian Ethics and Public Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“As Christians, we can often feel like the world is against us. That’s because the world is against us, just as Jesus said it would be! But that doesn’t mean we should isolate ourselves while the culture implodes around us. Natasha Crain offers wise, practical counsel for Christians who feel like they’re swimming upstream in our anti-Christian culture.”
—Jim Daly, president, Focus on the Family

“American Christians are emerging from an unusual time of respite. For quite a while, many of our beliefs and values were in alignment with the wider culture, with notable exceptions. The gap, however, has been growing, and the reaction has been steadily intensifying, from disagreement to ridicule to hostility. Our job, even in the midst of this change, is to be faithful in loving God and loving people. That’s what this book is about: a sober-minded analysis of the moment with tons of clear and practical help for the Christian who wants to remain faithful.”
—John Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center; voice of BreakPoint

“When the values of the culture raising our children go against our deepest spiritual and moral convictions, then peace becomes sin and battle is our mission. Natasha Crain's timely new book will not only help you understand how the family of faith has slid into our current moral malaise, but how to boldly and compassionately assert the good, heal the culture, and reshape our children's future.”
—Kirk Cameron, actor, producer

“In a post-truth culture, Christians are now finding themselves the objects of insults such as ‘Christian nationalist,’ and ‘homophobic,’ and ‘oppressor.’ If you find yourself confused by this new reality, When Culture Hates You will explain our current cultural ethos and give you practical action steps to live out your Christian values with courage and advocate for the common good. Don’t let culture silence you. Let Natasha Crain help you live out your convictions in the public square with tenacity and grace.”
—Alisa Childers, author of Another Gospel? and host of The Alisa Childers Podcast
 

“How should Christians respond to a culture that’s declared war on reality, reason, and biblical truth? When Culture Hates You has the answers. This timely book is a biblical guide to engaging a hostile culture with courage and conviction. It will help you to see just how important this fight is—and how engaging in it is not an abdication of our Christian duty to love, but a fulfillment of it. Every Christian who loves his neighbor and cares about our culture’s decline needs to read this book.”
—Seth Dillon, CEO of The Babylon Bee
 

“Ready or not, we as Christians are facing a growing number of cultural, social, and spiritual challenges. In this important book, Natasha Crain helps us get ready. With clear logic, biblical wisdom, and relentless relevance, she shows how we can be salt and light in this increasingly dark world, as Jesus commanded. Highly recommended.”
—Mark Mittelberg, international speaker; author of Contagious Faith and The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask (With Answers)
 

“The evangelical church now faces unprecedented challenges. In our secular age, we live in a society that is anti-Christian and has little tolerance for the historic faith of Christianity. The seductive culture has destabilized the thinking and discipleship of many inside the church. How do we live as salt and light in a hostile world? How do we seek shalom in the midst of modern-day Babylon? In this new book, Natasha Crain combines keen cultural analysis with biblical truth, developing a model of cultural engagement that is faithful to the gospel and filled with objective hope. Crain offers a timely and truthful call to the church in the twenty-first century.”
—Robert J. Pacienza, senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, FL
 

“The Christian road is not an easy one. Knowing we’re not alone as we navigate it is encouraging. Natasha’s book offers clarity, guidance, and answers amidst the harsh political landscape that Christians must traverse. She tackles difficult subjects such as legislating morality, queer theory, social justice, Christian nationalism, and much more with courage and thoroughness, leaving no stone unturned. This book empowers Christians to remain steadfast when faced with harsh cultural opposition.”
—Melissa Dougherty, content creator; author of Happy Lies
 

“Jesus told us that the world would hate us as much as it hated Him. But He also promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. Natasha Crain does an excellent job of helping us understand the challenges we face in today’s post-Christian culture while at the same time giving us hope and confidence that, at the end of days, we win!”
—Everett Piper, president emeritus, Oklahoma Wesleyan University
 

“Natasha Crain has done a wonderful service to the body of Christ by providing a needed introduction into Christian political theory. She explains a distinctly Christian approach to participate in the public square in everyday language.”
—Krista Bontrager, coauthor, Walking in Unity; vice president of Educational Programs and Biblical Integrity at the Center for Biblical Unity
—Monique Duson, coauthor, Walking in Unity; president, cofounder of Center for Biblical Unity