Sidney Pastor Publishes Fifth Book

Sidney Pastor Jordan Hall has published his fifth book, titled "The Benedict Arnold Option Why Christians Must Not Retreat From the Culture Wars".

The new paperback, published by Crown and Cross Books of Indianapolis, Indiana, is a response to The Benedict Option, by Rod Dreher. The Benedict Option is a best-selling book that encourages Christians to stop engaging in politics, and to rather retreat into communal relationships in a newly post-Christian culture. The Benedict Arnold Option is a rebuttal to Dreher's book, and encourages Christians to not retreat from political or cultural engagement. 

"I wrote the book because I've sensed that conservative Christians are rapidly retreating from the so-called culture wars, having been tired from being so grossly outnumbered on issues like abortion, human sexuality, marriage, and gender. The Benedict Option has become a popular book among evangelicals, advocating just such a retreat. Instead of retreating, we should be willing to stand firm even when in the minority, and continue fighting the good fight of faith on important social issues," Hall explained.

 The book takes a uniquely Protestant view of cultural engagement, in juxtaposition to the Eastern Orthodox view promoted in The Benedict Option. "It was important to me to differentiate between Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. The first part of the book deals with the teachings of these different religions and how their various worldviews affect how their adherents engage with culture. It was also important to me to refute the various claims of Dreher, who insisted that Protestantism is responsible for the decline in morality in Western Civilization."

Hall based the preface of the book on a sermon he gave in Billings, Montana, in which he drew from the life of Obadiah Holmes. "Holmes was a Reformed Baptist who was beaten in Boston for being a Baptist, and the story of his beating eventually led to his colony - Rhode Island - receiving a charter from the Crown that enshrined religious freedom for all. My point in this historical survey was to demonstrate that Protestants have always believed freedom comes from God, and not from government. Today, we should continue to protest like Holmes, even if it means being beaten in the public sphere." 

Hall is no stranger to public debate on such subjects. In August, Hall endured a three hour, moderated debate with Ante Pavkovic, an Assemblies of God minister from North Carolina, on the continuation and cessation of charismatic gifts. Hall's book was first available at the conference, and sold out.

Hall's motivation to craft his new book came from the desire to pose a rebuttal to Rod Dreher, who had critiqued Hall on numerous online writings and on doctrinal issues. "I became aware of Dreher, who operates the popular political website, The American Conservative, when he began to advocate for economic Marxism while still holding to conservative moral principles. However, I believe that economics is a moral issue, and believe that Marxism is incompatible with Christianity. When he wrote The Benedict Option, I felt it was time to give it a thorough rebuttal," Hall explained.  

Why should you pick up or download a copy? "Essentially, people should read the book if they're trying to determine what our role is, as Christians, when it comes to politics, government, and culture. I lay out from Scripture and history how and why Christians should be engaged in even losing fights, so long as they're the right fights," Hall says.

The book is available at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1641270004/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_t2_OIwWzbQMCWY8X and other retailers in e-book or paperback.