Book review: ‘Whatever Became of Sin?’ a useful resource to challenge teachers, preachers

Whatever Became of Sin? A Search for the Answer Bill Keith. Stonegate Publishing, 2022.

Is there an absence of understanding about the issue of sin in our society? Is there a lack of preaching about sin in the Church? Bill Keith sees the answer to both intertwined, and his answer is a strong “yes.”

Keith lays out his case in “Whatever Became of Sin?” Inspired by the 1973 book by Karl Menninger of the same title, Keith updates the subject and focuses not on secular psychiatry — as did Menninger — but on the teaching of Scripture. Keith, who is the author of more than 20 books, served as a Southern Baptist missionary to Japan and is a former newspaper editor.

Overlooked topic

After listening to about 1,300 sermons from various denominations over several months, he was shocked to realize that very little of the preaching he heard directly addressed the topic of sin and judgment. In this volume, he responds by expressing how sin needs to be confronted by the Church.

His chapters examine the necessity of facing what God says about sin. He quotes numerous Christian leaders like Adrian Rogers, W. A. Criswell, Michael Horton, Albert Mohler and others as he traces the subject of sin in biblical contexts and contemporary culture. For example, he deals with sexual immorality and pornography (Chapter 3), the loss of truth and honesty (Chapter 6) and the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) challenge (Chapter 9). He tackles abortion (Chapter 14), drunkenness (Chapter 16) and gambling (Chapter 17).

He challenges readers and leaders to be clear about sin and its consequences, as well as the forgiving grace of God. This is a book that teachers and preachers will find full of memorable material for teaching and illustration. Every reader will be challenged to consider sin in an urgent and biblical manner.