McLaughlin's work claims to be a Christian response to 5 major issues faced by American Christianity:

1) "Black Lives Matter" (BLM and Racism)
2) "Love is Love" (LGBTQ+)
3) "The New Gay-Rights Movement is the New Civil-Rights Movement" (Intersectional political LGBTQ+)
4) "Women's Rights are Human Rights" (Feminism)
5) "Transgender Women are Women" (Transgenderism)

In addressing all these, McLaughlin states an orthodox opinion. However, she does so without actually dealing with the issues, but rather assumes the veracity of liberal presuppositions. She fails to think biblically. Instead of addressing the racism inherent in BLM and its victimization mentality, she puts the blame fully on "white Christians." Instead of addressing what true love actually is, she states that in Christ, there is a deeper love more than sex (true but insufficient). Instead of addressing the falsehood of intersectional leftism, she merely rejects the view that the "gay-rights" movement is in continuity with the civil-rights movement. On feminism, she pits the older feminism with the new and shows that Christianity is pro-women (which does not really address the problem of feminism). Lastly, she states the created reality of male and female, but merely mourns gender dysphoria without giving a true diagnosis of the problem.

McLaughlin's book is therefore an exercise in holding an orthodox position without holding a biblical worldview that can address the problems in the church. As such, it does not truly address the issues biblically, and her solutions should be therefore rejected. ( )

Rebecca McLaughlin short and accessible book on five secular creeds helps Christian’s assess what aspects to affirm and what we cannot.

(1) Black Lives Matter
(2) Love is Love
(3) The Gay-Rights Movement is the New Civil-Rights Movement
(4) Women’s Rights are Human Rights
(5) Transgender Women are Women

Her chapter on Black Lives Matter was superb especially as she demonstrates how Christianity is not a white male religion, but the most diverse belief system in the world. When white progressives dismiss Christianity and refuse to give it space in contemporary society, they are in reality silencing black women who are the most typical Christians in the world today. ‘As Yale Law professor Stephen L. Carter writes, “When you mock Christians, you’re not mocking who you think you are.”’ (p. 17)

McLaughlin writes with gentleness and grace which makes this a great book to give progressive Christians who is doubting the goodness of the Bible’s teaching on gender and sexuality.

My only quibble is I wished the author had been more specific on what hope Christianity offers those who feel alienated from their bodies and wish to transition. The two brief pages she includes would not have been enough to convince me if I were struggling with this.

Overall this is a wonderful resource for Christians as we seek to tease out what aspects of the secular creed we can and can’t embrace. ( )