Turn The Tide: A Letter to the Antipodean Church

The Church is retreating. Culture is collapsing. And the silence is deafening.

In Turn the Tide, Lyle Shelton delivers a powerful wake-up call to Christians in Australia and New Zealand.

Why has the Church stepped back from the public square-just when truth, family, and freedom are under threat?

Drawing on Scripture, history, and years on the frontlines, Shelton argues the mission of the Church was never meant to stop at Sunday-or at "saving souls." It's about transforming the world.

This book will challenge you to:

• Rethink the Church's role in society
• Understand why silence has consequences
• Rediscover a bold, biblical vision for action

"It has been my longing and prayer that readers inspired by my own book, Letter to the American Church, would write something similar for the people of other western nations. That my good friend Lyle Shelton has done that for the people of Australia and New Zealand blesses me tremendously. Please share it with as many pastors as you possibly can. The hour is late!"
- Eric Metaxas, Author of Bonhoeffer and host of Socrates in the City

"Lyle Shelton has been at the forefront of the culture wars for the past two decades, both in Australia, but in general on behalf of social conservatives across westernised countries - countries which are slowly but surely surrendering their Christian 'DNA' to the new cultural religion of "anything-but-Christian".

He has paid a massive cost for these brave and principled stances - pilloried for fighting for the true definition of marriage during the 2017 plebiscite; taken to court and sued for protecting children from the warped sexualisation & gender ideology of drag queens; mocked for speaking up for the unborn child at risk of abortion; attacked for calling out the gender agenda which places the confused & vulnerable child at risk of chemicalisation & castration; and targeted with 'hate speech' laws simply for standing up for parents & families who are being kept in the dark on the radical Safe Schools curriculum, critical race theory & climate alarmism being indoctrinated into our children at schools.

I repeat what I wrote when endorsing Lyle's first book 'I Kid You Not': Notes from 20 Years in the Trenches of the Culture Wars. Rev Billy Graham said, "Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened." Lyle has 'stiffened my spine' many times, and I am certain that when you complete reading Lyle's latest book, your spine - and heart - will be transformed, ready to speak up with conviction for the honouring of marriage, the building of strong families, the protection of all life from conception through to death, and for the Christian DNA of your own country. Even if..."
- Bob McCoskrie, CEO & Founder, Family First New Zealand

"Lyle Shelton's Turn the Tide is a much-needed wake-up call for Australian Christians. With intellectual clarity and a remarkable command of recent history, he documents the past ten years of our cultural decline - lamenting the silence of church leaders and the compromise of Christian politicians that contributed to it. He urges his brothers and sisters in Christ now, in 2026, to a faithful outworking of their Christian convictions.

As my boss during my first season with the Australian Christian Lobby between 2007-2012, I know him as a man marked by humility, grace, and courageous conviction. I commend this book as an absolute must-read for anyone who is serious about Christian influence in Australia. May we move from theologising and philosophising regarding our cultural decline to joining Lyle in turning it around."
- Michelle Pearse, CEO, Australian Christian Lobby