Two books I want to recommend - neither are light reading - but both are profitable "for such a time as this". They both call into question the default modes of thinking of Americans and Christians, of which I am both.
This is an important book, especially for our current political climate. The charge of "fascist" is often blindly given to political conservatives - in some cases this is true, but it is not because they are operating from conservative or right-wing ideologies, but from leftist ideologies. Fascism is simply the religion of the state, or to put it more bluntly, "state-worship". It calls for the state to solve all the problems of the nation and to "take care" of it's constituency because they don't know how to take care of themselves. In a fascist world, the answer to every question is "the state". Who will fix it? The state. Who will provide it? The state. Who will make sure all are beneficially blessed? The state. Sound familiar? Fascism is and was born as a left-wing phenomenon and Jonah Goldberg does an excellent job moving us through world political history showing the roots of fascism and how it is alive and well today across the world, and yes, even in America (take note of how much one hears the word "Progressive"), and yes, among both Republicans and Democrats. It was an eye-opening read - a heady read - a worthwhile read, and well documented to boot.
Total Truth is written specifically to Christians, but anybody would benefit by giving it a fair reading. It shows how we as a culture have bought into Secular Humanism and how even for Christians, it is our typical default mode of operation - but in a Christianized version, of course. Pearcy challenges the reader with a bit of philosophical history to show how we came to the dualism (nature/materialism/matter as "down here and provable vs. religion, aesthetics, philosophy as "up there" and unprovable, nice, but not really real) that so permeates our understanding of the world these days even without us realizing it. I am halfway through the book and already seeing how I have bought into something I would flat out deny in my rational mind. I am learning a lot and growing more in understanding how, like it or not, I am a product of my culture - and I need Biblical wisdom and insight to filter out those things that unknowingly draw me away from the Total Truth of Scripture.
This is an important book, especially for our current political climate. The charge of "fascist" is often blindly given to political conservatives - in some cases this is true, but it is not because they are operating from conservative or right-wing ideologies, but from leftist ideologies. Fascism is simply the religion of the state, or to put it more bluntly, "state-worship". It calls for the state to solve all the problems of the nation and to "take care" of it's constituency because they don't know how to take care of themselves. In a fascist world, the answer to every question is "the state". Who will fix it? The state. Who will provide it? The state. Who will make sure all are beneficially blessed? The state. Sound familiar? Fascism is and was born as a left-wing phenomenon and Jonah Goldberg does an excellent job moving us through world political history showing the roots of fascism and how it is alive and well today across the world, and yes, even in America (take note of how much one hears the word "Progressive"), and yes, among both Republicans and Democrats. It was an eye-opening read - a heady read - a worthwhile read, and well documented to boot. 
Total Truth is written specifically to Christians, but anybody would benefit by giving it a fair reading. It shows how we as a culture have bought into Secular Humanism and how even for Christians, it is our typical default mode of operation - but in a Christianized version, of course. Pearcy challenges the reader with a bit of philosophical history to show how we came to the dualism (nature/materialism/matter as "down here and provable vs. religion, aesthetics, philosophy as "up there" and unprovable, nice, but not really real) that so permeates our understanding of the world these days even without us realizing it. I am halfway through the book and already seeing how I have bought into something I would flat out deny in my rational mind. I am learning a lot and growing more in understanding how, like it or not, I am a product of my culture - and I need Biblical wisdom and insight to filter out those things that unknowingly draw me away from the Total Truth of Scripture.
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