Being the Bad Guys (Stephen McAlpine)

Being the Bad Guys

How to Live for Jesus in a World That Says You Shouldn’t

How we came to live in a post-Christian culture and how to live for Jesus in it.

The church used to be recognized as a force for good, but this is changing rapidly. Christians are now often seen as the bad guys, losing both respect and influence.

In our post-Christian culture, how do we offer the gospel to those around us who view it as not only wrong but possibly dangerous? And how do we ensure that the secular worldview does not entice us away with its constant barrage, online and elsewhere, of messages about self-determinism?

Author Stephen McAlpine offers an analysis of how our culture ended up this way and explains key points of tension between biblical Christianity and secular culture.

He encourages Christians not to be ashamed of the gospel as it is more liberating, fulfilling and joyful than anything the world has to offer. He also offers strategies for coping in this world, with its opposing values, and for reaching out to others wisely with the truth.

Look inside.

Download the Application Guide.

“2021 Australian Christian Book of the Year”

No longer just quaint or irrelevant, Christians in Western society are once again regarded as “haters of humankind”. After exploring the ways a Christian worldview is unacceptable in contemporary culture and the complex situations in which this places orthodox believers, Stephen McAlpine gets down to business. There is neither reason nor time for indulging in despair or victimhood. Being the Bad Guys calls on Christians to admit our failures and embrace life as a creative minority. As a community on the margins, we can welcome the actual victims of contemporary culture as they look for grace and solace from its bruising brutality. McAlpine is fearless, feisty and fluent. This book is an overdue reset for Christians who have not yet realised that they are more like Daniel in Babylon than Solomon in the land of milk and honey.

About the Author

Stephen McAlpine is a blogger and former pastor who writes and speaks on issues of theology, culture and church. Having been a pastor for almost three decades, he has worked with church planting groups as well as outreach and ministry training initiatives. He now serves churches and Christian schools as a consultant, and blogs at stephenmcalpine.com.