Brett McCracken - Gray Matters: Navigating the Space between Legalism and Liberty

2013 by Brett McCracken

Published by Baker Books

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakerbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2013

Ebook corrections 04.16.2019

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

ISBN 978-1-4412-4275-4

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007

Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc.

Brett McCracken is one of this generations leading thinkers on the intersection of faith and culture. In Gray Matters , he explores Christianitys natural extremes with his feet firmly planted in Scripture. He charges headfirst into controversial questions and leaves no stone unturned. The result is a truly spectacular book that carves a path between an oppressive, rules-based religion and a powerless, free-for-all faith. If you start reading it, bewareyou wont be able to put it down.

Jonathan Merritt, faith and culture writer; author, A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars

This book is not only clear and engaging but also careful and wise. Gray Matters is a helpful, critical, reflective exploration of how we should consume culture as Christians, one that is neither reactionary nor defensive, triumphalist nor despairing. Few younger Christians have navigated these turbulent waters with as much even-handed clarity as this book does, which makes it an important read.

Matthew Lee Anderson, MereOrthodoxy.com; author of Earthen Vessels: Why Our Bodies Matter for Our Faith

Idealism is all the rage among bright young evangelicals today, but Brett McCracken brings something all too rare to the table: he holds his earnest idealism in tension with lucid good sense and winsome moderation. May his tribe increase!

John Wilson, editor, Books & Culture

Martin Luther said the world was like a drunken man, first falling off one side of the horse and then the other. With a fresh and thoughtful look at challenges such as food, music, film, and alcohol, Brett McCracken has offered a new generation a way to stay on the horse.

Roberta Green Ahmanson, writer and speaker

In Gray Matters , Brett McCracken does something quite refreshinghe serves as a wise and discerning guide to the consuming of culture. Many books condemn secular culture, just as many books advocate (consciously or unconsciously) accommodating ourselves to culture. Brett has written something much different: a biblically informed and culturally savvy approach to consuming culture in a God-honoring, community-building, and mission-advancing way. Not everyone will agree with Bretts method or his conclusions, but that is part of his point. Central to modern discipleship to Jesus is wrestling through gray mattersthose areas where there is room to think, pray, study, and consumein the ways we eat, drink, listen, and watch. Brett seeks to redeem our consumption in surprising and helpful ways.

Mike Erre, pastor; author, The Jesus of Suburbia: Have We Tamed the Son of God to Fit Our Lifestyle?

Brett McCracken has long been my favorite reviewer of both music and movies, so its no surprise to me that he has written this needed book on consuming culture. A number of wonderful books have been written encouraging readers to create culture, but Brett takes the reader into the everyday world of consuming culture. Brett is an incredibly capable writer, thinker, and connoisseur, and all of this shines through in his workbringing back into focus that how we engage the world around us matters deeply.

Tyler Braun, worship pastor; writer; author, Why Holiness Matters: Weve Lost Our WayBut We Can Find It Again