Contact: Jason Jones, 615-306-8627, jjones@thomasnelson.com; Twitter: @Book_Publicist 

NASHVILLE, Feb. 15, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- With more than thirty years of pastoral experience, Todd D. Hunter -- author of the new book, Our Favorite Sins: The Sins We Commit And How You Can Quit (Thomas Nelson, March 2012) -- knows that most people, himself included, struggle every day with temptation.

In fact, according to exclusive research conducted for the book by the Barna Group:

• 60% of Americans fall prey to worry and anxiety
   
• 60% get stuck in habits of procrastination
   
• 55% are overwhelmed by the desire to overeat
   
• 44% overuse technology and social media
   
• 41% succumb to laziness

While not numerically as many, Americans also deal with lust, lying, cheating, and anger, among other things. In fact, when last faced with one of these temptations, 59% of those surveyed did nothing to resist. Of those that did, most struggled using ineffective means.

Christians, it seems, are at their wit's end, feeling in many cases utterly defeated. They know what's right, but inexplicably prefer what's wrong.

What can they do to get a grip on the sin in their lives and live as God would have them live?

Hunter cracks open temptation, revealing:

• the root problem - disordered desires
   
• how different temptations trip us up
   
• our motives for giving in
   
• how we can resist and overcome them -- even if we've fallen prey to particular sins for decades
   
• practical, time-tested, Biblically-based solutions, rooted in ancient and fruitful Christian experience. 

Succumbing to temptation is not inevitable, says Hunter, claiming that the book offers a view that works for any believer, wherever they are and no matter how big the battle they're fighting.

"We can win if we understand the root of the problem and what Christians have done from the beginning to beat it," he says. "Despite our failures and shameful 'moments after', there really is a way out, a way forward ... a way that draws us closer to the life that God desires for us."

What Others Are Saying

"The most deceptive part of sin is its ability to blind us to its reality in our lives. Todd Hunter offers sane and helpful guidance about the way out." -- John Ortberg, senior pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church; author of The Me I Want to Be

"This book speaks powerfully to some of my own deepest spiritual struggles. In offering candid, informed counsel on 'our favorite sins,' Todd Hunter has given me, and multitudes like me, an important spiritual treasure." -- Dr. Richard Mouw, president, Fuller Seminary; author of Praying at Burger King

"Todd Hunter is the only man I know who can talk about sin with an appealing easiness and, at the time, with an equally appealing candor. I can almost guarantee that you'll enjoy his conversation and end up very grateful for having had the chance to read it." -- Phyllis Tickle, author of The Great Emergence

About the author:
Todd Hunter is an Anglican bishop and the founding pastor of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Costa Mesa, California. He is an adjunct professor at several seminaries and the author of Christianity Beyond Belief, Giving Church a Second Chance, The Outsider Interviews, and The Accidental Anglican. Todd is also the founding director of Churches for the Sake of Others, a West Coast church planting initiative, and a past president of Alpha USA and the Association of Vineyard Churches.