We Will Not Be Silenced. By Erwin W. Lutzer. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2020. 280 pp. Paper, $14.43.

Erwin W. Lutzer served as senior pastor of Moody Bible Church for 36 years. He is a featured speaker on radio and has written several books. This is his most recent. There is a spiritual, cultural, and political war happening in America. So, the book is a call to arms! It is a call to understand the war that is being waged against the church in America. The enemy is trying to silence and then destroy the church and Biblical Christianity.

There are ten chapters in this book of 280 pages. It is engaging and easy to read. It is also well documented. Each chapter discusses an important issue about modern society. He begins with a summary describing the fundamental tools being used by the enemy. He identifies the enemy as those seeking to tear down and remake both America and the church. The strategies and tactics used by the enemy all come from communism.

Each chapter takes on a different issue confronting the church. The chapter on re-writing history shows how the enemy wants to delegitimize and erase our nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage to make way for a godless secular society. This warning is reminiscent of Moses’ warning to Israel in Deut 8:11-20.

The chapter on diversity shows how this strategy is being used to divide people and destroy civility. It is an attack on the unity of the church. Lutzer traces and documents the communist origins of this strategy.

The next chapter is about the attack on freedom of speech. While freedom of speech is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution, the enemy wants to abolish it. There are those who want to silence Christians and the church. They want to stifle, silence, and shame anyone who believes what the Bible teaches.

Lutzer then shows how propaganda is used to wage the war of words. Satan is the father of lies so this should not come as a surprise. Propaganda is being used to deceive people and numb their thinking so they will not change their minds even when confronted by compelling evidence. It is the seed of delusion.

There is a chapter about sexualizing children. Lutzer documents the corrupting influence and role the public schools play in this. If the enemy can get children to think and engage in sexual activity early, then the corrupting effects of such activity will lead to more corruption and more confusion. Satan’s desire is about getting the church and society to accept as normal the LGBTQ agenda. Even worse, this godless worldview is being shoved down the church’s throat. To have a Biblical view of sexuality is to be a bigot, homophobe, hater, etc. What gets lost is that biology doesn’t lie and neither does God!

Lutzer observes that the enemy sees capitalism as the disease and socialism/communism as the cure. This discussion is very relevant to the Free Grace movement. The doctrine of rewards is based on capitalism, whereby a person is rewarded for his/her work and effort. This is antithetical to socialism/communism.

One chapter discusses how radical Islam has joined forces with leftwing radicals in an attempt to destroy America and the church. Lutzer points out that both groups hate the Constitution and Christianity and are allied to bring them down. The discussion is interesting since these are strange allies. However, it shows how a common enemy can unite strange bed fellows for a season.

The final tool of the enemy is to vilify all opposition. No wonder we see so much shouting down in the public square. The author documents how this strategy comes directly from the proponents of communism. It explains why Christians and those who hold and declare Biblical values are called bigots, racists, haters, etc.

While the book is not about the content of the gospel, it may be relevant to sharing and declaring it. He says the gospel is the answer to these problems because they all originate with sinful mankind. True! So, Lutzer challenges Christians to understand people who have a worldview that is both antithetical to and hostile to God and the Bible.

GES readers may agree or disagree with Lutzer’s proposed answers to the attacks being waged against Christians. But his diagnosis of the enemy’s strategy and tactics is extremely accurate.

There are many endorsements of this book listed on the covers and inside. I agree with Dr. David Jeremiah, who said, “If I could, I would put this book into the hands of every Christian in America.” I highly recommend this book.

Brad Doskocil
Chairman of the Board
Grace Evangelical Society