There are some categories of books that can be written once and remain relevant for generations. There are other categories that need to be written anew nearly every generation. Books on living life well often fall in that second category. Why? Because even though the principles of Christian living remain timeless, the circumstances in which Christians live are constantly changing and, therefore, so too are the issues that need to be addressed.
Consider: Just a few generations ago, there was little need to develop ethics around the casual consumption of marijuana, but today, many Christians are wondering if it’s really that big of a deal. Just a couple of generations ago, we did not have to give a lot of thought to the ethics of euthanasia, but today many Christians are wondering if it is a valid way to bring an end to suffering. Even one generation ago, we did not have to think about the ethics of transgenderism, but today, many Christians are grappling with whether or not to grant a colleague or loved one pronouns that contradict their sex.
Daniel Darling’s Biblical Wisdom for Everyday Life is meant to help Christians live well in the midst of today’s specific challenges. “The purpose of this book is to help Christians obey the Lord and live in the way of wisdom, especially on issues that ordinary believers face in contemporary life. We can’t come close to covering every question, of course, but hopefully common ones that often arise.” This essentially makes it an introductory book on ethics—on knowing how to live according to God’s ways and determining to actually do so.
Darling addresses 11 different issues: abortion, cohabitation, gay marriage, divorce and remarriage, transgenderism, birth control and artificial reproductive technologies, work, conflict and war, gambling, drugs, and euthanasia. Of course, each of these issues is surrounded by many more. Is abortion always wrong, or are there circumstances, such as when the mother’s life is at stake, when it may be permissible? Even if we believe that transgenderism is an invalid category, can we still use people’s preferred pronouns if that seems to offer them respect? Even if we agree that some forms of IVF are not permissible, are there others that are ethical?
In a book that has been made deliberately brief (weighing in at just 160 pages) it is obviously not possible for Darling to cover every angle and answer every question, yet he still does well at anticipating valid concerns and addressing them in advance. He also does well to provide recommended reading for those who want to take their inquiries further and to advance from a relatively basic answer to much more substantial ones.
While any Christian can benefit from reading Biblical Wisdom for Everyday Life, I suspect it is teens and young adults who will benefit the most. It deals with issues they are confronting and issues for which they need clear and satisfying answers that are deeply grounded in Scripture. That is exactly what Darling offers in this book. It’s for that reason and many more that I gladly recommend it.
