James Kennedy, in Today’s Conflict, Tomorrow’s Crisis, is dealing with a number of moral and ethical issues facing America at the turn of the 21st century. Among the fourteen topics Kennedy addresses are clear moral sins such as homosexuality, pornography, and abortion. He then sandwiches in evolution and capital punishment (of which true Christians often have different opinions) and tops things off with highly debatable subjects such as government, religious liberties and religion in public schools.
The strength of the book lies in its quick overview of the issues, giving vital statistics and up-to-date status of the latest developments. Therefore Today’s Conflict serves as a useful reference on these pertinent matters. Unfortunately the weaknesses in the volume are many. First, due to the format (attempting to handle 14 explosive issues in one 200 page book) all information is superficial at best. Secondly, there is a glaring weakness in the information given due to the consistent use of secondary sources. Very few quotes are taken from primary sources, rather most are drawn from secondary books and articles, which are usually biased in themselves. This severely limits the force of Kennedy’s arguments. It is a bit amazing that with Kennedy’s staff at Coral Ridge Ministries, no one bothered to actually do primary research, examining carefully the context of the quotes used.
Thirdly, there are few biblical supports given throughout this volume for the positions taken. Today’s Conflict is not a biblical polemic, therefore it largely preaches to the choir. And even the choir may be singing a different tune in many of these areas. Much of what Kennedy writes, especially in relationship to government, is more a matter of opinion than Scripture.
Overall, as said earlier, the book has value as a quick primer into some important ethical issues facing America today. But it is not well researched, is not biblically based and will convince no one, who is not already on board, of anything.