Stand Up, Stand Strong by Sara Barratt is a book that challenged how I view the world. It led me to ask why I hold certain views and helped me to view cultural issues through the lens of the gospel.
The book tackles topics like transgenderism, homosexuality, and abortion. It gives guidelines for how Christians should address these topics. After reading the book, I understand how I should interact with people struggling with these kinds of things. I now know why things such as homosexuality and abortion are wrong, and I can explain why in more detail than saying, “Well, that’s what the Bible says.”
Stand Up, Stand Strong is for teens and young people, which made it the perfect book to read. I’m a teen who needs clarification about why I believe what I do. Before I read this book, I had been unsure about how to discuss and defend a biblical perspective on homosexuality, social justice, and other issues I see regularly.
I read Stand Up, Stand Strong to learn more about these topics, and the book didn’t disappoint. Here’s what I loved about it:
The book focuses on worldview.
Everybody has a worldview, or a way they view the world. The person sitting next to you at school or work, the teammates on your sports team, and your parents and siblings all have worldviews. Stand Up, Stand Strong made me ask, “What’s mine?”
The book challenged me to take the time to examine my worldview. Does the way I view the world align with a biblical perspective? Do I view everything through the lens of the gospel, or do I view cultural topics the same way as non-Christians do?
As I read Stand Up, Stand Strong, I realized that I want to start assessing my worldview often to make sure it always aligns with the Bible. I also want to make sure I’m feeding my soul with things that are God-honoring and have a biblical worldview.
All media has a worldview--every TV show, movie, and book shows the world through a certain lens. Therefore, every time I watch a TV show, movie, or read a book, I’m processing a worldview.
There’s no way we can think about cultural topics in a way that aligns with the Bible if we don’t have a biblical worldview. Stand Up, Stand Strong exemplified a biblical worldview on many topics. Do you have a biblical worldview?
The book covers relevant issues.
Have you ever wondered how Christians should think about homosexuality? What we should do about abortion? How we should address transgender people? I’d been wondering about many of these things before I read Stand Up, Stand Strong.
The book doesn’t only mention these issues, it devotes entire chapters to them! There are chapters on identity, gender, sexual orientation, prejudice and injustice, and more. I learned how to address things I had barely thought of before reading the book.
For example, I hadn’t thought that much about addiction before reading the book. Though addiction is important, I only really hear about it in health class and on Instagram ads. Stand Up, Stand Strong taught me more than I had ever known before about it.
Issues I feel are prevalent in high school are transgenderism, sexuality, and social justice. The book talked about these things, which I found helpful. I want to be able to defend my beliefs on these things, though I am surrounded by peers who believe the opposite.
The book doesn’t condemn readers.
If readers struggle with some of the issues mentioned in the book, it doesn’t condemn them. The author realizes that many of the things talked about in the book are serious struggles people face. She knows that those people need to be shown love and given resources to overcome their struggles.
If readers battle with any of the topics mentioned in the book, the book includes helpful tips to overcome those problems. There are also many recommended books and websites in the further resources section.
Stand Up, Stand Strong gives guidelines on how to lovingly help people who struggle with the topics tackled in the book. If you or someone you know struggles with identity, gender, or something else, this book has got you covered.
The book contains further resources and discussion questions.
If I wanted to read more about a subject at the end of a chapter, the book included further resources on that subject. The book also had discussion questions at the end of each chapter. Though I think the questions were meant for group studies, I answered them anyway. I didn’t look at all of them, but I plan to when I reread the book. Yes, Stand Up, Stand Strong was so good that it’s on my reread list.
I’m planning on digging into many of the recommended resources from Stand Up, Stand Strong. I’ve already started looking at a couple of them, which I’ve found super helpful. Of course, I can’t read all of the recommended books and articles in a reasonable amount of time. Because of this, I’m choosing to look into the issues that are most important to me.
I definitely recommend this book--it’s an amazing gospel-focused guide for navigating culture. The Bible calls Christians to stand apart from, not go along with culture in verses like Romans 12:2 and 1 John 2:15. Stand Up, Stand Strong dives into how to be different from the culture around us. It’s a tremendously helpful resource in today’s society.
Ooh! I have to check this out, now. I've seen this book advertised on the Rebelution, and this is just more confirmation :D It's going on the list!
ISABELLA. YOU CAN‘T JUST SAY THAT THE BOOK TALKS ABOUT RELEVANT ISSUES AND NOT TALK ABOUT THE STANDPOINT ON ANY OF THEM. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO, READ THE BOOK?
Anyway, this is a really good book review! This book sounds right up my alley. As you can tell, I’m really interested in how to see those relevant issues in a biblical worldview. I have been struggling between two points of views lately, and the book sounds really helpful to me. It’s great that you enjoyed the book so much!
I'm hoping to read Stand Up, Stand Strong soon! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Isabella!