All Christians Should Be Faithfully Different: A Peek Into Natasha Crain’s Book

So many Christian books written by women focus on the self and feelings. Others contort readers’ minds through theological gymnastics in order to excuse sinful behaviors and a worldly lifestyle. Yet women continue to clamor for these books on any subject they face in their Christian lives. Pay attention the next time a woman asks for help with a spiritual issue in her life. No matter the topic, you’ll likely hear, “Do you know any good books about…?” I pray we all start giving the same answer every time. The Bible! Natasha Crain’s book, Faithfully Different: Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture does a fantastic job of being a book written by a female for Christians that grounds itself in God’s Word and sends us back to it for answers just as any Christian book should.

I don’t expect that Christians will never read books other than the Bible. In fact, I think that’s a bit ridiculous. With so many gifted writers and helpful information out there, why would we neglect to read others’ thoughts? Let’s, however, be discerning in what we read and reject false teaching when we come across it. Faithfully Different is a welcomed departure from the shallow, light, and biblically hollow books marketed by female Christian authors. It serves as a timely warning against a Christian faith that is indiscernible from the world, and we should heed that warning.

Being Faithfully Different Makes You A Minority

I think Crain’s first major point in her book is, perhaps, the most important takeaway for any Christian reader. Christians…the real ones…are a minority in this country. The knee-jerk reaction to that statement is that “most people identify as Christians.” Even well-meaning Christians will explain America is a Christian nation to anyone who will listen. Well, I’m sorry, but that’s not entirely true. And we shouldn’t really want it to be, either.

Our “Christian” Nation

The United States of America was founded on Judeo-Christian values. Certainly, men of faith had a significant hand in forming our nation. Even the men who went down in history as unbelievers still adhered to the moral foundation of the Bible. That said, we don’t know each man’s relationship with Christ. We can only look at the documents they left behind for us, and those are highly influenced by biblical wisdom and the belief in some god, if not the True God.

Here’s the rub. None of that makes America Christian. Really, how can a country be Christian anyway? In a very literal way, the idea of it is comical and cartoonish. An area of land with defined borders and a specific people group can’t exactly repent and believe on Jesus. So, I must assume people mean the country is run in such a way that the people are living as Christians. But that is both not happening and a dangerous way to run a country.

Read any history book and you will see countries all over the world led by various churches or faith group. Beliefs were (and still are in some regions) crammed down citizens’ throats and outward religious behavior was made requisite for individuals. Y’all, we don’t want that.

1. No one can make you be a Christian. Forced outward behavior is not faith. It is obedience to a tyrannical government. You might say it is Christian behavior under duress.

2. What happens when the leadership changes and your Christian nation is suddenly Islamic or under control of the Vatican?

3. It’s unconstitutional. I can’t explain it any better than Crain did in her book. I’ll just quote her below.

“The US Constitution states, ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’ This so-called Establishment Clause of the First Amendment ensures that the government will not establish a state-supported church and will not force individuals to practice a particular religion.”

Natasha Crain, Faithfully Different, p.36-37

This is what some use to suggest that Christians are free to worship as they please just as long as it is privately, but they have it backwards. This clause protects the citizens from the government. The government can’t tell me what to believe or prevent my worship, and they can’t force their religious beliefs on me. Freedom. It really is sweet, isn’t it?

Our Nation With Normalized Christianity?

I’ve heard there was once a time when most people knew a little about the Bible. Our nation, generally speaking, was biblically literate. David and Goliath, Moses and the Red Sea, Noah and the flood, and the crucifixion were among the stories in the Bible most people recognized. Going to church was normal, and many people thought it made you look like a better person for attending. Was this real faith? In many most cases, it was probably not because believers understand that church attendance and our outward appearance have nothing to do with salvation. Nonetheless, Christianity was in the public consciousness.

This is no longer true. Not only are Christians in the minority, but there is almost no cultural/societal benefit to being seen as a Christian. Frankly, if you’re doing this Christian thing biblically, then your faith is likely to be a liability not a help.

Are Christians Really A Minority?

When we first look at the data we see that 65% of adult Americans identify themselves as Christians. Well, I’m not great at math, but I know that 65% is not a minority. Initially, that me wonder where Crain came up with her claim, but then she does an excellent job at breaking down the statistics in the first chapter of Faithfully Different.

For example, research from 2017 conducted by the American Culture and Faith Institute (ACFI) found that only 10% of Americans hold a biblical worldview. However, Millennials came in at a disappointing 4%. Personally, I believe this is optimistic because the respondents only had to answer in agreement with a biblical worldview 80% of the time to be counted among those holding that worldview. I think these Christians probably look very little like Christians in practice.

Arizona Christian University’s American Worldview Inventory from 2020 paints an even bleaker picture. The inventory found that only 6% of American adults have a biblical worldview. Of 18-29 years olds, the percentage is a dismal 2%. But that’s all American adults, so self-identified Christians will have a biblical worldview, of course. Well, no. People who attend evangelical Protestant churches reported a biblical worldview higher than that of the general public, but it is still disheartening at only 21%.

Americans may check the box next to “Christianity” on a survey or even sit in a church on Sunday morning, but we are true believers by what we believe, not the “works” we do (Ephesians 2:8-9). So, look at these numbers and think again about Christian representation in our country. Indeed, we are a minority, and different is a given if we are to remain obedient to our Lord.

Why Don’t Christians Have A Christian Worldview?

I hope you are starting to wonder why a Christian worldview is not the norm for self-identified Christians. It should be startling to us to discover so many Christians reject biblical truth. In my opinion, there are two big reasons for this apparent incongruence in Christian lives.

1. Not all Christians are actually Christians.

False conversion is a serious issue in the Church. Ask around and you will find many people basing their salvation on baptism, relatives in ministry, volunteerism, church attendance, denomination, and pretty much anything but Christ alone. Scripture warns us about false believers

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Matthew 7:21-23

So, if a “Christian” doesn’t have a Christian worldview, we shouldn’t be surprised.

2. Natasha Crain suggests that the secular worldview is enticing to everyone, including Christians.

“A major reason secularism is so influential is that it appeals directly to the desires of our fallen nature – it reinforces the desired authority of the self.

Natasha Crain, Faithfully Different, p. 52

We are bombarded with messages about being our own authority, claiming our rights, insisting on our freedom to satisfy self, and living out our truth. Oh, how our flesh loves to bask in our those lies!

Crain discusses the secular messages Christians are drawn to, such as letting feelings guide us, happiness as a goal, the rejection of judgment, and even the uncertainty of God’s existence. Christian men and women hear these sorts of messages daily in all areas of life, therefore, it is no surprise to find out these ideas become palatable. It sounds nice, allows to us blend in with everyone around us, and plays to our sinful nature.

At first blush, one may think that it doesn’t matter whether or not we have a biblical worldview. A Christian can think however she wants. All I can say to that is: Wrong.

How Being Faithfully Different Affects Your Walk

As a woman who titled her blog The Set-Apart Walk, my focus on the importance of a strong spiritual walk should be rather predictable. A Christian who lives as if she is not one is living as if she belongs to the Enemy and works against, rather than for, God.

Think about a Christian you know who displays a Christ-centered life. I suspect she is able to tell others about Jesus and draws people in by simply being a light in her community. Now, think about a Christian you know who lives a life that looks like the world. She’s a hypocrite and not particularly spiritually minded.

Both of these people represent God. They both tell the world around them about the Lord, His grace, and how He can change our lives. The woman living out a biblical worldview demonstrates how a godly life is different than one defined by the sins of the world and a rejection of biblical authority. The second woman shows the world that God is an accessory she can wear (or not), and her faith doesn’t change her life in any significant way. She is telling others e don’t need God.

One of these women is faithfully different with her obedience to the Word and acceptance of God’s authority. The other woman rejects Him while claiming the rewards of His work for herself. Christian, your life should change as a result of salvation. Crain’s book reminds us that believers must live faithfully obedient to God’s Word even if that makes us stand out. We must be faithfully different from the secular culture in which we live. But how?

Faithfully Different Beliefs

Our beliefs will be different from those of the people around us. In her book, Crain references the 2021 American Worldview Inventory and its shocking findings. The study revealed that 88% of all Americans have an “impure, unrecognizable worldview that blends ideas from these multiple perspectives.”

My husband and I call this approach “buffet-style.” We take what we like from the Bible, the secular world, Mormonism, New Age, etc. and create a belief system that suits our preferences. The most amazing part of this approach to life is that the beliefs are often incompatible and inconsistent. It reminds me of people fighting for the rights of children to change their sex to “save their lives” while being the same people screaming from the rooftops about the importance of the right to murder babies in the womb. Save these kids…but not these…

Christians must believe some of the same core things. For example, who is Jesus? There isn’t a debate in Christianity about this. He is who He is. You can accept Him or reject Him. Crain provides three verses that are non-negotiables as a Christian that should form our understanding of Jesus.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16

Jesus died for us, so that if we believe in Him we can live. Jesus did the work, but we must believe. This salvation requires belief and does no good for the men and women who reject Jesus.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Romans 10:9

Jesus is the Lord, and His bodily resurrection really happened.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

John 14:6

Try as you may, you’ll never find another way to be reconciled to the Father except through the sacrificial work Jesus completed through His death and resurrection.

Allow me to quote Natasha Crain again. She sums up the importance of beliefs so well.

“A genuine faith in Jesus will result in a life lived for His glory, in obedience to His commands. Belief produces action – they go hand in hand.”

Natasha Crain, Faithfully Different, p. 97

Faithfully Different Living

If our beliefs are formed through a biblical worldview, then we ought to naturally live out those beliefs. Below are a few important and practical ways to live out your faith.

1. Share the gospel.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

Romans 1:16-17

The secular culture attempts to make Christians look like fools who rely on their “Sky Daddy” to get through life. People will belittle you, laugh, argue, and dismiss your faith. Despite all that, Christian, share the gospel. Tell others about the saving grace we can have through Jesus Christ.

Don’t be ashamed of your faith and give into the temptation to blend in. Stand up boldly for the gospel.

2. Speak truth.

Sharing truth has become exponentially harder the last several years thanks to the LGBTQ+ agenda being pushed on us through libraries, schools, media content, and hospitals. You get to be a bigot and a transphobe if you refuse to call a grown man with prosthetic breasts a woman. And you better like that he is your kid’s shop teacher.

We don’t have to mock or speak unkindly to anyone, but we certainly must tell the truth. Our God is Truth, and Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). Believers must never side with the Enemy , even if we think it will help us get along better with those around us.

3. Recognize God as our authority.

“Thus saith the Lord” used to be enough to make people sit up and take notice. However, now it’s a cue for many to tune you out. Who cares what God has to say when we are all the master of our own destinies?

You are not God. I am not God. There is only one God, and we are living in His world. So, live like it. God did not leave us wondering how we could possibly please Him or how to obey Him. Read that Bible you have collecting dust on the shelf and put his commands into action. If people tune you out, then so be it. God is our authority, not man.

4. Learn to discern.

Some people struggle with discernment while others seem to come by it naturally. Anyone can learn how to be more discerning than they already are, and it’s a requirement of our faith.

“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” (emphasis mine)

Ephesians 4:13-15

We must grow up, Christian. Living out our faith requires that we know Jesus, and we can know Him by studying the Word. When we know what the Bible says and who Jesus is, according to the Bible – not man, then we can more easily spot the deceptions in our secular culture that pull us away from God and faithful Christian living.

Final Thought

Being different is never an easy task, but I say STAY WEIRD. Own it. What business do we have as believers trying to look like the world, anyway? Natasha Crain provides a persuasive warning to us that our churches are falling prey to the secular culture around us. But it isn’t a lost cause!

Crain reminds us where truth lies and points us to God’s Word to be a guide as we make our way through this life and serve Him. As the world continues to pull farther away from God, the only way for us to be truly faithful is to, in fact, be faithfully different. As we grow closer to Him, we will look less like the culture that is swallowing up our country. Be thankful for it and live different.

Have you read Faithfully Different? Either way, what are your thoughts about being different in a secular world?

Image courtesy of Nick Fewings via Unsplash.